By women…For women. This is the slogan I would give to this website. Art for STEM is a non profit website that aims financing and cooperating with other STEM organizations. Any art lover can visit the website and track their favourite paintings or sculptures and take part in an online auction. At the same time the website aims into giving recognition to many unknown female artists. We could say that the name of this project is accurate and helps users to understand directly what is the general goal of it.
How it started?
The generation of the idea was probably the most difficult part of the project. The concept of an auction website that could help limit the gap between men and women in the STEM field is unfamiliar and unusual. So the solution it came up is unusual as well. The website has a mediating role between the two concepts. By using the art auction market it mediates into providing financial support to other organizations.
How does it work?
Usability and simplicity are two factors that were taken into consideration throughout the designing process. The goal was to have a simple environment, where users can easily understand the goal, the navigation and the usage. Users can navigate through all the pages, whether they are signed in or not, but they will not be able to use all the functionalities, like placing an early bid or a bid in a live auction.
Auctions Tab
This page is divided into two subpages: past and upcoming auctions. Users can get information about upcoming auctions, including title,artist, some information about the artist and date of the auction. If a user wishes to, he can place an early bid before the auction begins, by using the relevant button. He can also save the desired auctions by using the heart icon.
In the previous auctions, users can view art pieces that were sold before. Transparency is an important factor in a non profit website. Therefore in this tab, beside the title and the artist’s name, the price and the organization that was financed are included.
Live Auctions
This is the tab where all the “action” happens! This is where all the auctions of the website take place. Not registered users can be spectators, but cannot participate in the auction. This happens in order to secure the auction process. On the left part of the screen users can view different photographs of the painting and read more about the painting and the artist. On the right part through the “feed” window, users can see the previous bids. It is necessary to agree to terms and conditions in order to place a bid.
Who we are
This tab provides users all the necessary information about the website. It explains the vision of Art for Stem and its collaborators. Afterwards some frequently asked questions are answered as well as the Terms and conditions.
My account
This is the page where a registered user can view and edit his personal and payment information. The first tab is about the personal information, like telephone number, email, password and address. The auction is currently offered for residents of European Union and USA. In the second tab, the user can edit the payment method. It should be noted that inputting a payment method is necessary during the registration process.
My auctions
This is where a registered user can see his saved auctions, with the date of the auction, the name of the art piece and artist. He can also see if he has made an early offer on the item.
Which tool was used?
Axure RP was used for the design of the prototype. The decision was made, since i have worked before with this software and I find it the simplest and most useful among the many others that exist in the market. The aim was to create the main functions and interactions that the real website would provide. In the designing process six pages were created. Dynamic panels, masters and repeaters were used for minimizing the pages and widgets needed.
Overall experience
The understanding and designing process were really interesting, as they challenged me as a designer to think outside the box. The experience is for sure positive, as the creation of a prototype is an important phase of the designing process. Many changes and improvements can be made, but i am satisfied with the result.
You can visit the website through the link: https://3746h4.axshare.com/