app design 

SomerLove

Seeking an artistic getaway? Visit Somerville, Massachusetts! Within only four square miles, the city abounds in artistic wonders. For this project – my love letter to Somerville – I've translated the City's online public art map into a whimsical mobile form. 

Student Work

Role: UX Design

East Somerville Mural at Lombardi Underpass (in progress), by Megan O'Brien. (Photo: Lucy Hahn)

app concept

See the City with New Eyes

The app invites you to venture through Somerville's dense, colorful cityscape, taking in both its rich history and of-the-moment creative scene.

opportunity

I see an opportunity to present the content of the current online map and gallery of the City's public art in a more cohesive and unified way for mobile devices.  How might we ease digital wayfinding for exploring Somerville's public art while unifying the journey into a cohesive experience?

approach

SomerLove guides you to explore this city of small splendors in a collection of self-guided tours. 

discover the city's

Artistic Treasures

Whether you're an architecture aficionado or a lover of sculptures, you can tailor your tour to focus on the categories that spark your interest.

delight in each neighborhood as an

Outdoor Gallery 

Each of Somerville's seven hills embodies a unique spirit. Get to know each neighborhood through a localized artistic tour! 

delve deeper into the city's

Living Heritage

Understand the nuanced context behind each site, with evocative descriptions and artist bios. Together, the stories behind the sites knit together a living, breathing tapestry of Somerville's artistic world. 

 Mural by Pascal Michel, next to Highland Creole Cuisine. (Photo: Lucy Hahn)

Design Process

To gain insights, I immersed myself in researching Somerville's artistic past through books, online, and of course, through site visits. 

research methods

Customer interviews

Secondary research

Analogous inspiration

User testing

key learnings

From my conversations,  I learned that users feel most connected to artistic works when they understand the story behind the making of the piece. I plan to explore enriching the site entries with multimedia content to give a greater sense of closeness with each piece. 

Contact

Interested in partnering? Get in touch!
hello@larkdesign.co

© Lark Design 2022