Rijksmuseum

Meet the Traveller

Improving Amelia’s user journey

Learning from competition

Before I got into wireframes and flows, I needed to figure out who I was really designing for. I built user personas based on research and user behaviours, fictional characters that made it easier to empathize with the end user. These helped bring clarity to the process and turned broad challenges into specific needs. One persona, in particular, stood out and shaped many of the choices I made.

When researching mobile experiences in the museum space, I quickly realised how few institutions offer a dedicated app. While some museums provide web-based tools or audio guides, there’s no consistent mobile solution for planning visits, booking tickets, and accessing exhibits. This absence revealed a clear opportunity: to create a centralised, mobile-first app that serves as a reliable companion for museum-goers.

With a clearer understanding of the issues travellers face, I was able to define how the visitor journey could be improved. I laid out the existing process, where visitors often jump between fragmented websites and booking systems, and envisioned a more seamless, mobile-first future state that could solve these key pain points.

To see how real users interacted with my first design iteration, I set up usability testing using a Figma prototype. Participants were primarily from my personal network due to time and resource constraints, yet their input helped highlight what was working and what needed improvement. My main testing goals were:

The test results confirmed that the app’s navigation and booking process had improved notably, but a few pain points remained. The original booking button was flagged as too wordy, and users found it difficult to distinguish between core pages. While adding filters was already part of the broader product vision, testing validated that this feature was more critical than anticipated. As a result, filters were added and structural tweaks were made to better communicate which part of the app users were in.

Users consistently pointed out that the original “Check availability & Book now” button felt too wordy and cluttered the screen. A major focus of this redesign was reducing cognitive load and making core actions feel more approachable. Streamlining it to “Book Tickets” helped improve scannability and reduced hesitation. This small change aligned with a larger objective of making the booking journey smoother and more focused on action. The new “Book Tickets” button not only offers a clearer call to action but also features improved contrast for better legibility, meeting WCAG accessibility standards. Alongside shortening the button label, spacing was refined and icons were added to improve scannability and support a more visually accessible experience.

Many users expressed that the homepage and exhibition views felt too similar, making navigation unintuitive. By redesigning the layout with more distinct tab styling and applying clear filters just below the navigation bar, users gained better context and control when browsing. These enhancements were a direct response to both user confusion and visual hierarchy gaps.

Existing

Searches online for museum options

Switches between multiple websites

Looks up dates and times separately

Faces different booking flows per museum

Receives tickets via email or screenshots

Struggles to keep track of bookings

Desirable future

Opens the app

Explores all exhibitions in one place

Sees clear dates, times, and ticket options

Books tickets directly in-app

Stores and manages tickets within the app

Views and organises visit details easily

Fragmented experience, inconsistent processes, extra effort required

One platform, clear flow, minimal cognitive load

So, what features get us there?

Exploring

Scenario & Results

Resulting Revisions

To simulate a realistic use case, I asked participants to navigate and book an exhibition through the Rijksmuseum screen, which contained the only fully functional booking flow in the prototype. This helped assess the full experience from discovery to confirmation.

Key Takeaways

Improved page hierarchy with clearer headers and navigation cues

Introduced filter functionality for category, location, and accessibility

Simplified CTA button to "Book Tickets" for clarity and scannability

Measure how intuitively users navigate exhibition listings

Goal 2

Before

Before

After

After

Desirable future

Opens the app

Explores all exhibitions in one place

Sees clear dates, times, and ticket options

Books tickets directly in-app

Stores and manages tickets within the app

Views and organises visit details easily

During this phase, I sketched out initial feature ideas and started defining the visual style and tone of the project.

Wireframes allowed me to iterate on layouts early and ensure the structure was clear and user-friendly before moving into visual design.

Wireframes

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Choose a date

At what time do you want to visit the museum? 

Available

Selected

Almost full

11:30

14:00

12:00

14:15

12:30

14:30

13:30

15:30

1. Date selection

 

Next step

Tips for booking tickets

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Plan to spend: 4- 5 hours

Best time to visit: Early morning/ evening

Opening hours: 9 AM - 6PM

Best time to book: 2 weeks in advance

Check availability & Book now

Share your experience

Learn more

Order tickets

3. Personal data

4.  

1.  

5.  

3.  

 

Select your ticket type below

2. Tickets

 

Select your tickets

 

Number

Adults

 

€22.00

€22.00

€11.00

€0.00

Young people up to 18 years old

 

Student

Total price:

Show more tickets

Book a group visit

1

+

-

+

-

0

+

-

0

Previous step

Next step

Order tickets

2.  

1.  

5.  

4. Overview

How would you like to receive the e-tickets?

 

• The tickets will be sent to you by email as soon as possible.

• The tickets can be found in the “My Tickets” section as well.

First name*

Last name*

Place of residence

Email address *

* Mandatory fields

Confirm email address *

Country

Previous step

Next step

3. Personal data

Order tickets

2.  

3.  

1.  

5. Payment

4. Overview

Check your order

Personal data

Date of visit

Tickets

Adults

€22.00

1

€22.00

Total price:

Previous step

Next step

Order tickets

2.  

3.  

4.  

1.  

5. Payment

Payment options

Show more options

Complete

Your tickets

• The tickets will be sent to you by email as soon as possible.

• The tickets can be found in the “My Tickets” section as well.

Congratulations!

Enjoy your visit to .........

My Tickets

All tickets

Upcoming

Past

Building on the low-fidelity wireframes, I created the first set of high-fidelity key screens, focusing on visual design and testing the overall look and feel as a foundation for future refinements.

High-fidelity key-screens (first version)

The Rijksmuseum

4,7

Groninger Museum

GRONINGEN

Van Gogh Museum

AMSTERDAM

AMSTERDAM

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Anne Frank House

AMSTERDAM

4,7

€22.50

from

€22.50

from

4,7

€22.50

from

4,7

€22.50

from

4,7

€22.50

from

Welcome!

Become a patron

Notifications

Settings

Help & Support

About

Log out

Families and children

Profile

Order tickets

Home

My Tickets

Favourites

2. Tickets

 

4.  

5.  

3.  

 

Choose a date

When would you like to visit the museum?

Available

Selected

Almost full

11:30

14:00

12:00

14:15

12:30

14:30

13:30

15:30

1. Date selection

 

Next step

3.  

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November 2024

3

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Order tickets

3. Personal data

4.  

1.  

5.  

3.  

 

Select your ticket type below

2. Tickets

 

Select your tickets

 

Number

Adults

 

€22.00

€22.00

€11.00

€0.00

Young people up to 18 years old

 

Student

Total price:

Show more tickets

Book a group visit

Home

My Tickets

Favourites

1

+

-

+

-

0

+

-

0

Previous step

Next step

Order tickets

2.  

1.  

5.  

4. Overview

How would you like to receive the e-tickets?

 

• The tickets will be sent to you by email as soon as possible.

• The tickets can be found in the “My Tickets” section as well.

First name*

Last name*

Place of residence

Email address *

* Mandatory fields

Confirm email address *

Country

Previous step

Next step

3. Personal data

Home

My Tickets

Favourites

Order tickets

2.  

3.  

1.  

5. Payment

4. Overview

Check your order

Personal data

Date of visit

Tickets

Adults

€22.00

1

€22.00

Total price:

Previous step

Next step

Home

My Tickets

Favourites

Order tickets

2.  

3.  

4.  

1.  

5. Payment

Payment options

Show more options

Complete

Home

My Tickets

Favourites

Your tickets

• The tickets will be sent to you by email as soon as possible.

• The tickets can be found in the “My Tickets” section as well.

Congratulations!

Enjoy your visit to Rijksmuseum!

Home

My Tickets

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Expressive Still Lifes

Nature in Detail

Constructing in color and shape

Children’s Biennale

Walk-in studio

You'll discover how to use expressive colours and dynamic brushstrokes to put a still life on canvas. 

If you could step into the painting, where would you stand and which details would you paint?

During this workshop you follow the development towards abstraction: depicting it in colors and non-existing forms. 

Invites kids and adults to get hands-on with art. Expect room-filling installations you can react to or help to build.

Are you creative and inquisitive? Our studio is right up your street!

Get creative with paint and brush! A Dutch-speaking workshop instructor will start by showing the children around the museum. They then get to work as artists themselves in a real studio.

 

Home

My Tickets

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Workshops

Exhibitions

Plan to spend: 4 - 5 hours

Best time to visit: Early morning/ evening

Best time to book: 2 weeks in advance

Wheelchair accessible

Check availability & Book now

Share your experience

What’s on

Rijksmuseum

Spanning 800 years of Dutch history from 1200 to today, it features over 8,000 objects and rotating exhibitions, such as the popular Vermeer exhibition. Is a world-renowned museum in Amsterdam showcasing Dutch masterpieces like The Milkmaid by Vermeer, Self-portrait by Van Gogh, The Merry Family by Jan Steen, and Rembrandt’s Night Watch.

The Rijksmuseum

ASIAN BRONZE

FESTIVAL FRENZY

4000 Years of Beauty

The Best of the Rijksmuseum

Guided Tour | Daily

Photo Exhibition

OPERATION NIGHT WATCH

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Opening hours

Address

Open today until 17:00

Museumstraat 1, 1071 XX, Amsterdam

Expressive Still Lifes

Workshops

Vincent van Gogh, 1889

Sunflowers

Sunflowers is probably one of the best-known still lifes ever painted. It is unmistakably by Vincent van Gogh. But what exactly is Van Gogh’s characteristic style? And how is this expressed in his other still lifes?

 

In the Expressive Still Lifes workshop you'll discover how to use expressive colours and dynamic brushstrokes to put a still life on canvas. After a short tour in the museum where you will look at Van Gogh’s still lifes, you will choose what you will work on. Will you paint your version of the Sunflowers, a fruit still life, or a pair of worn-out shoes, just like Vincent did?

Workshops dates

In English:

In Dutch:

• Sunday 13 October 2024, 2 pm - fully booked
• Sunday 24 November 2024, 2 pm - fully booked
• Sunday 20 December, 10:30 am

• Friday 22 November 2024, 2:30 pm - fully booked
• Friday 20 December 2024, 2:30 pm - fully booked

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Van Gogh Museums Amsterdam

With the key screens in place, I focused on building a solid UI foundation. I selected accessible typography and a colour palette that reflected the cultural tone, then designed core interface components like buttons, flipping cards, carousel cards, a search bar, and a consistent bottom navigation bar.

UI Library Components