Redesigning the UX for Spaces in Aquatarium
Optimizing the user experience and interactions in the spaces - Port Exhibit and Gift Shop
Overview
Redesigning User Experience at Aquatarium in Brockville is a client project that aims to evaluate and improve the current user experience in two areas of the facility: the Port Exhibit and Gift Shop. It discovers opportunities and areas of improvement by analyzing data from competitive scan and observational research. Our findings led us to recommend design solutions that would enhance the user experience in these spaces. My role was a UX designer and researcher. I collaborated with another teammate Karen throughout the project.
Client Name: Aquatarium Brockville
Platform: Physical Space
Key Performance Metrics: User interactions with the space
My Role: UX researcher and designer
Tools/ UX Methods Used: Observational Research, Competitive Scan, Task analysis, Sentiment analysis, Usability Heuristics, Miro, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate.
Photos of the venue
Problem Statement
"The current space design of Port Exhibit and Gift Shop suffer from a lack of clear direction, information and guidance to visitors, resulting in less engagement with the exhibits, compounded by inadequate space for accessibility, and a layout which inhibits interaction with the exhibits, leading to an unsatisfactory user experience overall."
Discover Stage.
Competitive Scan
To gain a deeper understanding of how other competitors manage physical space design, we conducted a competitive scan to kickstart the project. We researched two aquariums and two museums in Ontario. By studying their online presence and user reviews, I worked with another researcher Karen to examine the competitors' achievements in the following aspects: floor plan/layout, user sentiments research, interactive settings, accessibility settings, strengths and weaknesses, and immersive experience.
Define Stage.
Observational Research
After getting a thorough picture of our competitors, we conducted on-site observational research on February 10, 2023, to observe visitors' flow, behaviors, sentiments, motivations, and frustrations in a natural setting. Working with another researcher, we observed over 54 visitors in 3.5 hours to capture both quantitative and qualitative primary data.
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Hand-written notes for the Port Exhibit during the Observational Research
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Hand-written notes for the Gift Shop during the Observational Research
Analysis Stage.
After the observation, we started to analyze the data we captured from the research process. We were able to pull out the key insights below.
Total Interaction Rate per Station
It is obvious that Station 6 has the highest Interaction Rate, indicating that it receives the most attention among the stations. Station 3 has a significantly low interaction rate, indicating that visitors interact with it the least. It may also due to the station was closed for maintenance on the day we conducted the observational research.
User Types
Toddlers (1 to 5 years old) and kids (6 to 13 years old) are the main users of the space, and they are typically self-exploratory. They enjoy experiencing the interactions with each station, rather than focusing on one station throughout their user journey. Their exploration style involves walking around the space, looking for balls, buttons, and switches at each station, and touching the interactive elements with their hands. Regarding challenges, children's limited height often restricts their ability to interact freely with some stations as they are not tall enough to reach and grab the balls or put them in holes. Although stools are provided at some stations, they are too heavy for kids to move by themselves.
Kids
Kids
Adults (parents and/or caregivers), as well as grandparents, are the secondary users of the Port Exhibit, and their primary focus is ensuring the safety of their kids in the space. As a result, most of them will either follow their kids or keep them within a short distance. Compared to kids, this type of user is less exploratory and simply wants to let their kids enjoy their time in the space. However, they are often the first people kids turn to when they encounter difficulty. Once they've helped their kids, adults tend to step back and let them explore on their own.
Parents
Parents
User Motivations
Balls and Colors
Kids are motivated by balls and vibrant colors.
Feedback
All users are motivated by five-senses feedback, for example, sound, object movement and sensation.
Safety
Kid’s safety is the first priority of adults.
User Painpoints
Height of Kids
Kids have limited height and could not always reach some components of with the exhibit.
Activating the Interactions
They do not know how to activate the interactions at stations.
Too Many Options
Overwhelmed choices at Gift Shop letting users have difficulty to choose the items they want.
Purpose of the Space
They are confused with the purpose of the exhibit.
Narrow Aisles
The aisles are too narrow so adults with strollers and people on mobility devices choose to stay outside the exhibit.
Most Visited Area
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We monitored the movement of every visitor and sketch their user flows on the floor plan. After that, we gathered all user flows together and further developed them into a Heat Map.
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The result told us that the most busiest areas were all close to the entrance given their proximity to the ticket office.
Heat Map of the Port Exhibit
Heat Map of the Gift Shop
Key Findings.
01
Signages and Informational Guidelines are Inadequate
The problem of inadequate signages and informational guidelines in the Gift Shop and Port Exhibit is that it can create confusion for users who may not know where to go or what to do, leading to a poor user experience. Users may miss out interesting interactions in the exhibit or items in the gift shop. They may also become frustrated with the lack of clear directions and information, ultimately impacting their overall perception of the venue.
02
No Suitable Place for Parents to Sit While Monitoring Their Kids
While parents prioritize their children's safety, they often choose to stand close to them to ensure they don't wander too far. Although there is a bench available for parents to sit on, we observed that none of them used it. The reason for this is that Station 1 blocks the view from the bench, making it difficult for parents to keep their children within visible distance.
03
No Space for Strollers and Mobility Devices to Pass Through
The current width of the aisles does not allow strollers or mobility devices to pass through comfortably, which could result in users being forced to remain outside the exhibit. This could lead to missed opportunities to enjoy the interactive settings within the exhibit. Additionally, the same issue occurs within the Gift Shop, further limiting the accessibility and convenience of the space.
04
Low Visibility of Items
The Gift Shop currently provides a wide range of items, some of which are not related to the Aquatarium visiting experience. Additionally, the stands are too high, and children can only see a portion of the items due to their limited height. All of these factors reduce the visibility of items for potential buyers.
Design Recommendations.
After identifying the problems, we reviewed the results of our competitive scan to explore how our competitors addressed similar issues. Using these as inspiration, we held a brainstorming session within the team to generate high-level design recommendations. These recommendations had served as the foundation for the UX requirements and final sketches of the space.
01
Have a story to tell and directions to follow
The space currently does not have prominent information to display the background of the Port Exhibit and the purpose of setting up the stations. Visitors leaving the exhibits without gaining any knowledge about the agricultural story of Brockville contradicts the business goal of the Aquatarium. Therefore, we recommend enhancing the current informational displays and signage within the space to better educate visitors. In addition, the exhibit also lacks wayfinding signage. There is no signage to indicate the name of the exhibit, which means visitors are more likely to interact with what they see without understanding the meaning behind it. One of the usability heuristics suggests that users should always be informed of where they are. There is clearly room for improvement in the exhibit. Furthermore, there is also a lack of signage to guide users to the next stop after the exhibit, whether to go upstairs or leave. Overall, we recommend adding wayfinding signage to indicate (1) the name of the Port Exhibit along with its story, and (2) the exit of the space.
02
Adults needs a comfortable space to monitor their kids in Port Exhibit
Adults are less exploratory, but they are also interested in learning about the space in order to guide their children through the interactions. Once they have helped their children, adults tend to step back and let the children explore on their own. At this point, they look for a comfortable space to sit down while keeping their children within their visible distance. However, since the existing bench is blocked off by Station 1, we recommend repositioning the bench to a more open space.
03
Highlight the items related to the Aquatarium only in Gift Shop
We recommend reducing the number of items displayed and applying the 'less is more' rule by only offering a limited selection of choices to customers. The focus should be on items that are derived from the experience of the Aquatarium and organized according to themes, such as 'Otter and Beaver.' This approach can also create an opportunity to open up space and improve accessibility.
04
Ensure clear visibility of items in Gift Shop
To use the display area wisely, we recommend placing kids-focused items within reach and viewable by kids. Fragile or less-liked items could be placed at a relatively higher position, aiming to attract adults. While rearranging item positions, it's important to also consider the effects of colors, contrast, and different materials when put together, which will make the setting more attractive to users.
Design Solutions (Layout).
For the ultimate solutions to fix the problems discovered in the research process, we had recommended two new layout plans for the spaces.
New Layout (v.1)
This layout tries to maintain the original setting of the spaces. Despite adding directional stickers on the ground, we also recommend adding a river-shaped bench between the Gift Shop and the Port Exhibit.
New Layout (v.2)
This new layout suggests completely rearranging the current setting of the spaces. The Gift Shop swaps the position with the Port Exhibit. The river-shaped bench will be placed in the middle of the exhibit, allowing parents to monitor their kids. A stroller parking area will be opened next to the ticket office to allow higher capacity in the aisles.
Design Solutions
(Surroundings Sketches).
We further created some sketches to better present our ideas based on the requirement list. These sketches were presented to clients in the showcase.
 Limiting the items in Gift ShopOnly display items that are related to the visiting experience of the Aquatarium. |  Adding informational signage to each stationTo add informational signages and labels at each station to highlight interactions and set expectations. |  Adding labels onto control panelsExample of stickers on panels of each station to highlight interactions and build expectations to users. |
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 See-through stand to store itemsSee-through stand to better organize the stuffies at Gift Shop. Enhancing visibility of items. |
Key Learnings
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The importance of conducting user research to inform design decisions and validate assumptions cannot be overstated. I was excited to see that a lot of valuable data was captured throughout the research process, and our design recommendations can be backed up by this data.
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The challenges of designing for a physical space. Designing for physical spaces is somehow different from designing for digital products. We were required to have wider mind-set, and balance the needs the needs of various stakeholders (e.g. visitors, staff, management).
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The impact of UX design in a retail environment where the ultimate goal is to drive sales cannot be ignored. We could clearly see how users' movement was stopped by unsatisfactory layout design.
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The role of technology in enhancing the user experience, particularly in interactive settings, cannot be denied, but it also has potential limitations and drawbacks, such as accessibility, cost, and maintenance. The technical factors should be further considered as they highly affect the feasibility of implementing the design recommendations.
Room for further improvement
There is always room for improvement in any project, including this one. Some areas for improvement in this project might include:
Items in Gift Shop: The products in the Gift Shop can be updated and replaced over time to keep up with the changing needs and preferences of the target users. Regular analysis and evaluation of customer feedback can be done to identify what new products can be offered.
User Testing for Design Iteration: Given the limitation of physical space, it is difficult to test design recommendations with users because setting up the venue is more complicated than in a digital environment. However, if possible, I would still like to test my design via User Testing to get a closer look at how users feel about the design. This way, I can identify pain points and areas for improvement in the user flow and iterate the design process.
Marketing and Promotion: I would like to check with the marketing team to see if the design will not hinder any of their interests. I may also learn if there are any promotion strategies to reach a wider audience and attract more visitors to the exhibit and gift shop. These strategies can be a factor affecting user behavior in the spaces.
Technology Integration: I would also like to work with the technical team to see if my design is feasible. If it will incur high maintenance costs, the Aquatarium is more likely not to implement my design.
Project Outcome
The client is satisfied and pleased with the proposed recommendations for the Port Exhibit and Gift Shop. They also feel more confident about the overall user experience and how to manage user expectations. Additionally, the client appreciates the research-based approach and insights gained from the observation. They are willing to closely examine the materials and analysis report we provided and seek opportunities to make actual enhancements.