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Free City Toronto:
‍UX Case Study

An end-to-end project involving user research on the topic of affordability in the arts and culture sector, identifying problems and ideating solutions, prototyping, and user testing.

Image of the front of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
  • Sector
  • Client
  • Team
  • Tools
  • My Role
  • Arts & Culture
  • City of Toronto (Graduate-level course project for Fundamentals of User Experience, UofT)
  • Nadia Mariyan Smith, Dan Xu (UX), Ruiyang Ma (UX), Mengtong Li (UX), Xinyan Fu (UX)
  • Figma, Google Forms, Miro, Photoshop
  • I led the research phase (both secondary and user research); developed the persona, their current and ideal scenarios; ideated their needs and pain points; ideated the big ideas and design statements; designed sketches and prototypes; and conducted user testing (planning and execution).
Design Challenge
To improve the lives of the people of Toronto.
Problem
Focussing on the cultural sector, my team and I identified the need to make cultural activities more accessible to Torontonians.
Solution
We viewed this as an opportunity to create a solution that would highlight free and discounted cultural activities in Toronto.
We followed five phases in our design process:
Research
Analysis
Ideation
Prototype
Test

Research

10+
Secondary Resources
Consulted
10
Interviews
Conducted
43
Survey
Responses

We reached out to potential participants based on whether they considered themselves to be
a resident of Toronto with the desire to attend cultural activities.

Interviews
10 participants

30 minutes semi-structured

9 qualitative questions

How important is the cost when deciding to attend a cultural activity? Would attendance be higher and more frequent if cost were not a factor? How affordable are cultural activities in Toronto?

How are free and discounted cultural activities discovered currently? How aware are Torontonians of free and discounted cultural activities? How would they like to get details about them?
Surveys
43 participants

5-10 minutes unmoderated

9 quantitative questions

Importance of cost when deciding to attend a cultural activity. How often participants attend currently compared to how often they would if cost were not a factor? Rating the affordability of cultural activities.

How aware are Torontonians of free and discounted cultural activities? How do they find them? Rating the ease of discoverability.

These were the main takeaways from our research:

Analysis

Key Persona
Established
Empathy Map
Developed
Current Scenario
Identified

By meticulously analyzing our research findings, I formulated our key persona.
‍

This persona served as a strategic focus that informed our design decisions and ensured a human-centred approach throughout the development process.
‍

Christine feels as though they miss out on cultural activities as they often find out about them after the fact.
They wonder about the opportunities that they don't even know they are missing.


We mapped out Christine’s current scenario, and voted on the most important pain points.


This is Christine’s current scenario with their most pressing pain points:
‍

Currently, they find out about activities by checking websites of specific institutions, sporadic posts on social media, posters that they happen to pass by on their way to work, occasional newsletters from a couple of well-known museums, and by asking their friends and family if they have heard of anything happening.


Most of the time, the activities they find are full priced and out of their budget.


Christine doesn’t even know where to look when wanting to find free or discounted activities.


They have heard about free days at museums across Toronto, but they would like to see them all in one place.

Ideation

3
Needs Statements
Identified
13
Big Ideas
Generated
1
Ideal Scenario
Identified


‍We developed Christine’s needs in order to focus our ideas:
‍

Needs Statements
Christine needs to see cultural activities all in one place so that they can easily access their details.
Christine needs to attend interesting activities so that they feel fulfilled.
Christine needs to access free and discounted activities so that they will be able to attend more often.

We brainstormed 13 unique big ideas to solve Christine’s problems and voted on their feasibility and impact. 

These were our top 3 ideas that I created and that we focussed on implementing:
‍

Big Ideas
Centralized Information
One place to have information about all free & discounted cultural activities in Toronto.

Impact: Addresses a main pain point: scattered information.

Feasibility: Consolidating information is somewhat easy to implement.
Convenience and Using Existing Methods
Provide users with a convenient solution that they are familiar with.

Impact: Convenience and familiarity addresses a main concern in our participants’ feedback in our primary research.

Feasibility: Utilizing existing and established platforms is easy to implement.
Personal Curator
Curates cultural activities based on users’ interests and needs.

Impact: Addresses a main pain point: finding personalized cultural activities.

Feasibility: Incorporating user preferences is easy to implement.


This is Christine’s ideal scenario with their main pain-points addressed:‍

Prototype & Test
Design Statements
Formulated
Basic Prototypes
Sketched
Clickable Prototypes
Developed
User Tests
Conducted


My team and I formulated 3 design statements to guide us in the prototyping process:

Design Statements
Christine accesses cultural activities all in one place.
Christine discovers cultural activities that are specific to their interests.‍
Christine finds free and discounted cultural activities in a convenient way.‍


We brainstormed ways to implement our ideas in a digital solution and my team members sketched a basic prototype.

I developed a testing plan to test the basic prototype with representative users using lean usability testing methods.

Lean Usability Testing
3 Participants
Participants met the criteria of being interested in attending free/discounted cultural activities in Toronto. The participants had no knowledge of our project and had varying degrees of understanding UXD.
Lean Evaluation
I emphasized efficiency when conducting our initial user tests. I aimed to swiftly address usability concerns with our basic prototypes before moving forward to more detailed prototyping.
Guerrilla Testing
Rapid usability test in an ad-hoc setting using a paper prototype. This approach, marked by its informality and resource efficiency, allowed for quick identification of core usability issues.


My team members designed detailed prototypes based off of the feedback we received during the lean usability tests: 

I developed a summative usability testing plan using the clickable prototype and we tested with representative users:

Summative Usability Testing
3 Participants
Participants met the criteria of being interested in attending free/discounted cultural activities in Toronto. The participants had no knowledge of our project and had varying degrees of understanding UXD.
Summative Evaluation
I used a comprehensive evaluation approach involving a clickable prototype. This method allowed for a nuanced understanding of user behaviours, preferences, and perceptions, informing a thorough iterative design process.
Observation and Interview
I used the observation method to gather insights into the participant's interactions with the prototype. I also used the interview method to gain a qualitative understanding of the participant's experience with the prototype.
Observation Method
I gathered real-time insights into how the participant interacted with the prototype by observing their navigation patterns, identifying usability issues, and noting any points of confusion.
Task #1 Onboarding: Go through the tasks associated with onboarding.

Task #2 Bookmarking & Signing-up: Search for a new activity in the Explore page. Bookmark and sign-up for an activity.

Task #3 Updating User Profile: Update the filter settings chosen in the onboarding.
Interview Method
I asked semi-structured interview questions to gain a deeper understanding of the participants's perceptions, preferences, and pain points.
What was the user experience when completing a specific task? Were expectations met?

Overall impressions? Would they use this app? App rating and reasons why.

However, the results were an average rating of 5 out of 10.

Participants voiced their dissatisfaction with the app, namely:

Summative Testing Results
Onboarding Unnecessary
Some participants expressed that they wanted to skip through the onboarding and that they were just going to change the filters anyway once they accessed the activity listings.
Confusion: Pages & Filters
Some participants expressed confusion about the role of the ‘For You’ page and the ‘Explore’ page, and how the filters affect the content.
Dissatisfaction with App Medium
Some participants expressed that they had no desire to download another app and didn't think that an app was appropriate as a design solution for this topic.


The Fundamentals of UX course had come to a close, but I was determined to continue with this project.  

So I went back to the drawing board:
‍

3rd Iteration Steps & Considerations
Revisit Primary Data
Data from the interviews showed that participants wanted to use an existing method to receive information about free and discounted activities. However, many voiced that they didn't want to rely on social media.
Revisit Needs, Big Ideas, and Design Statements
The need to see all cultural activities in one place.

The big ideas of centralized information, convenience, and use of existing methods.
Incorporate Usability Testing Results
Not content with app medium.

Onboarding questions unnecessary.

Different pages (i.e. 'For you' and 'Explore') were confusing.


Based on these considerations, I ideated a new method for accessing free & discounted cultural activities:  
‍

The City of Toronto website as a host
A Primary & Existing Method: Websites
Visiting websites was one of the primary existing methods for receiving information about cultural activities.  
‍
Top Search Result
On the Google search engine, The Toronto.ca page for current and upcoming festivals and events is the top result when searching for "Toronto Cultural Events."

Ideally would have explored this method more in research phase.
Centralized & Convenient
Very prominent existing website that has high visibility.

Already hosts festivals and events happening in Toronto. Users would be able to explore all activities on the website, not just free and discounted ones (and vice versa).

I conducted 3 more lean usability tests using my sketches and created detailed prototypes based on the results:


I conducted 3 summative usability tests using the clickable website prototype:

Observation Method
I gathered real-time insights into how participants interacted with the prototype by observing their navigation patterns, identifying usability issues, and noting any points of confusion.
Task #1 Filters: Use the filters to find an activity based on user preferences.

Task #2 Finding and Saving Details: Search for an activity. Print the details and add the activity to the calendar.
Interview Method
I asked semi-structured interview questions to gain a deeper understanding of participants' perceptions, preferences, and pain points.
What was the user experience when completing a specific task? Were expectations met?

Overall impressions using a website hosted by the City of Toronto. Would they use this website? Learnability? Website rating and reasons why.


The results were positive with an overall rating of 9 out of 10:

Summative Testing Results
Easy to Filter Relevant Information
Participants expressed that sorting through information and using the filters was intuitive for them. They easily found the information that they needed.  
Content about Centralized Information
Participants expressed that since the City of Toronto website already hosts information about cultural institutions, events and activities, that accessing Free City Toronto on the city website was convenient for them.
Easy Learnability
Participants expressed that hosting Free City Toronto on the City of Toronto website was intuitive as they didn't need to learn about and how to use a new website.

I finally felt that I had found the correct medium for our solution! 

Next Steps

I identified 2 next steps:
Accessibility
Ensure the website is accessible to all users.
More Usability Testing
Test a high-fidelity prototype and iterate until a high success and satisfaction rate is achieved.
and one for down the road...
Expansion
Research other areas that Free City Toronto can encompass beyond cultural activities.
If I were to partner with the City of Toronto, this is how I envision the link to Free City Toronto
existing on the History, Art & Culture page on the City of Toronto website...

Takeaways

Stay Focussed
Focus on the main goals of the project at the outset of the design phase. Secondary features should be considered subsequently. Focus initial user testing on the main goals as well to mitigate getting sidetracked.
UX Theory
As a group of emerging user experience designers, we often faced challenges deciding which of our ideas we should proceed with. We ensured to back up our ideas with UX theory in order to forge the best path forward.
Good Storytelling
We presented our process bi-weekly to industry experts from companies such as IBM and Google. In the 8 minutes allotted, we learned to be concise and persuasive in our presentations. Good storytelling is the key to keeping clients engaged.
Good Research
Thorough research and thoughtfully crafted research questions is paramount, as research shapes the trajectory of the study and is essential to the creation of an effective design solution.
Photo of the team presenting to the class and industry experts

Thank you for following along on my design journey!

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