An analysis of user experiences of the google art project

Abstract

The Google Art Project (hereafter GAP) presents the collections of museums to a wider audience though a simple and usable web interface. It has been hailed as a great leap toward offering new contexts for encountering art. Despite the GAP’s excellence in design, function, and technological advancements, little is known of the user experience values of the GAP. In this study, we empirically examined users’ overall experiences with the GAP through quantitative research. Survey participants highly rated their degree of satisfaction and they were impressed by the accessibility of the artworks. Despite the high degree of satisfaction, which correlated with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, there was a significant difference between usability for learning and usability for appreciation with the GAP being found to be more suitable for the former. In the same vein, less than half of the survey participants responded that they felt like they were physically in the museum. Thus, the GAP’s initial aim of replicating the experience of a physical visit did not seem to work fully. Most notably, the perceived ease of using technologies employed by the GAP was found to be much higher than other factors. For survey participants, the street view tour and microscope view allowed them to appraise the painting like an art expert, examining every brushstroke. Despite the limited content and a long wish list of enhancements, the GAP offers a glimpse of innovative and collaborative ways for museums to use and be used on the web. © 2019 Pushpa Publishing House, Prayagraj, India.