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UX CASE STUDY

LandApp.cat | The Open-Air Land Art Museum

Catalonia’s landscapes as a living museum by Meritxell Gil

Project Overview

The product

LandApp.cat will enable users to discover, plan, and participate in land art and outdoor cultural activities that will affect art lovers, local communities, artists, and travelers through an accessible, responsive digital platform connecting culture, nature, and people, facilitating access to artistic interventions and promoting social interaction, mobility, and landscape appreciation. We will measure effectiveness through planned visits via the app, event participation, artwork reach, and user and artist satisfaction.

Project duration: The project was developed during the duration of the course (2025-26).

The problem

Art installations outside traditional museums are dispersed and unmanaged, making discovery difficult and limiting access to full cultural experiences.
When land art, graffiti, or performance pieces are removed from their original environment, they lose context, meaning, and emotional impact.
Rural artworks are hard to reach without transport, and scarce information on services like lodging and dining discourages prospective visitors.

The goal

Create an app unifying and showcasing Catalonia's place-based art, improving access to cultural landscapes.
Respect and highlight artworks in situ, preventing decontextualization and preserving their original significance.
Include an interactive map with recommendations for nearby lodging, dining, and services to ease planning.

My role & responsibilities

I have led the entire UX process; the technical team will develop the solution, I’ll handle frontend, considering future funding.

Tools used

Figma for design and prototyping, Miro for ideation, Webflow for no-code frontend development (development is not included in this case).

Understanding the User

User research

The first step is to deeply understand the needs, motivations, and frustrations of users interested in local culture and Land Art events in Catalonia.

Objective: To understand how different user profiles plan and experience their cultural mobility within the region, especially regarding Land Art events, and to identify opportunities to improve access and the overall cultural experience.

Methods: Mixed data collection through secondary research (official reports from the Culture Observatory, cultural participation studies, IDESCAT statistics), in-depth qualitative interviews* with visitors and artists, quantitative surveys to validate trends, and contextual observation at cultural events (festivals, museums, Land Art itineraries).

General summary and common pain points

For the context of the study, the profile of cultural audiences in Catalonia has been reviewed, with special attention to mobility within the territory itself. Official sources (Observatori de la Cultura, ICEC, Centre d’Estudis d’Opinió) and studies such as those by CoNCA on cultural participation have been considered.

For example, the CoNCA survey confirms that educational level and social class are key factors in cultural participation, along with age. This suggests that cultural visitors tend to be adults between 30 and 60 years old with secondary or higher education. At the same time, qualitative data has been collected from representative groups: from urban groups with reduced mobility to young artists from rural areas or Northern Catalonia. In addition, real cases of Land Art (e.g. KMINART) have been studied to assess how existing festivals combine art, nature and local dynamism.

Cultural motivations and interests

Interest in Catalan culture: Users are motivated to explore history, art, popular traditions, and contemporary innovation, seeking unique cultural experiences.
Culture as a social activity: Many enjoy cultural outings with friends or family, sharing recommendations and combining leisure with learning.
Immersive initiatives: Events like the KMINART festival merge art and nature, attracting audiences who value both artistic and environmental experiences.
Cultural mobility motivations: Users engage in cultural activities to learn, enjoy recreation, discover new environments, and support sustainable practices.

Pain points

Lack of information integration: There are many sources (town halls, tourist offices, social networks of events) that are not coordinated or personalized to the user’s profile. This forces them to jump from one website to another to plan cultural visits.
Accessibility barriers: Both physically (urban space with reduced mobility, lack of adapted itineraries) and digitally (apps/website with little inclusivity). For the elderly or disabled, the lack of nearby alternatives (e.g. accessible parking or affordable routes) is a problem.
Time limitations of the offer: Many cultural activities have rigid schedules (weekends, strict working hours), which clashes with specific needs (families with children, workers with little free time).
Complexity in planning: It is necessary to coordinate transport and logistics to access the events, which without appropriate tools requires a lot of research time and can frustrate the user.

Personas

Name: Miquel
Age: 60
Pronoms: He/His
Race: Mediterranean
Education: Higher education
Hometown: Barcelona
Family: Has wife, family and a group of friends
Occupation: Secondary school teacher

User story

As someone who enjoys nature but is unable to go on long walks, yet frequently visits museums in Barcelona—especially those featuring Catalan culture—with my wife, I want a very intuitive and easy-to-use tool that allows me to discover and attend cultural activities in nature, adapted to my limited mobility.

Problem statement

I am passionate about local heritage and nature. I prefer accessible, traditional cultural experiences that I can comfortably enjoy with my wife without having to take long walks. Easy parking and nearby restaurants are important to me.

Goals

Visit museums of Catalan art and history.
Participate in cultural activities with his wife, family and friends.
Before using a cane, she loved taking walks in nature. She enjoys visiting scenic landscapes and dining out.

Frustration

Difficulty with complex technologies and can’t walks to much.

“I love walking through the countryside and exploring hidden spots that showcase my country’s art and culture.”

User journey maps

ACTION	1. Discovers the festival	2. Checks basic information	3. Plans the day	4. Solves logistics and transport	5. Attends the event	6. Remembers and shares experience
TASK LIST	– Hears about the Bear Festival – Looks for a cultural plan with his wife	– Visits a website or app – Wants to know where, when, and how to get there	– Read the event program – Calculate the best arrival time to see what interests you – Make a reservation at a nearby restaurant for two	– Search for directions and parking – Want to avoid crowds	– Use the app to track schedules and last-minute changes – Enjoy the activities and take photos with your wife	– Share photos – Give feedback – Find similar activities nearby
FEELING ADJECTIVE	Curious / Motivated	Attentive / Slightly confused	Organised / Unsure	Careful / Tense	Excited / Engaged	Satisfied / Thankful
IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES	Inspiring content to show local values and cultural roots.	Clear landing page with schedule, location, and access, plus local tips from participants.	Suggested route with minimal walking.	Accessible parking options shown clearly and real-time traffic and access info.	Alerts before each event.	Taste-based recommendation. Feedback and rating tools.

Starting the Design

Paper wireframes

This paper wireframe explored a mobile app to discover cultural and artistic activities outside urban centers. The concept combined a map-based search with complete plans including nearby lodging, food, and public transport, plus tools to filter by preferences and share with friends. The goal was to design a holistic, user-centered experience that connects culture, landscape, and logistics in one place.

Digital wireframes

Login & Sign-Up: Secure entry with account creation, password recovery, and external login options.
Profile: Manage personal data and preferences.
Home: Explore activities via map or agenda; includes customizable sections and featured recommendations.
Map: Locations organized by category; access detailed activity pages.
Activity Detail: Key information, photos, and nearby recommendations.
Purchase / Booking: Select services, secure payment, and legal compliance.
Confirmation: Centralized booking summary, accessible in-app and sent via email or phone.

Refining the Design

Redesign – User Study Results (October 7, 5 participants)

The study with five users revealed key improvement opportunities, leading to the following changes:

Date filter: Makes planning and navigating events easier.
Event sharing: Options to share events both internally and externally.
Favorite routes: Ability to save routes as “Favorites” or “Wishlist,” with optional alerts when availability is limited.
Location-based recommendations: Can be enabled in user settings.
Accessibility & voice interaction: Implementation of voice search using speech-to-text. Solutions considered: Vosk: Offline, lightweight, multilingual. Mozilla DeepSpeech / Coqui STT: Requires model training but offers more flexibility.

These improvements aim to optimize planning, personalization, and inclusion, enhancing overall user satisfaction and accessibility.

Final product screens

Design system / UI components

A simple Design System has been created, including UI components such as typography, color palette, icons, and other key elements.

Login & Sign-Up

Initial entry point that allows users to securely create an account or access an existing one. Includes password recovery and external login providers to streamline onboarding.

Profile

Personal space where users can update their information, modify preferences, and review saved activities or reservations, contributing to a more tailored experience.

Home

Main navigation hub after login. Users can browse cultural activities through a map or agenda view, discover highlighted recommendations, and personalize content using configurable sections.

Map

A geographical view that organizes activities by category and precise coordinates. Selecting a location opens a preview with essential details and a direct path to the full activity page.

Activity Detail

Comprehensive information including date, schedule, location, organizer, price, image gallery, and suggestions for nearby activities, accommodation, food options, and mobility services.

Purchase / Booking

Final step for reserving tickets and complementary services. Users can combine offerings from different providers in a single checkout with secure payment and full compliance with legal requirements.

Confirmation

A centralized screen summarizing all booking information. The confirmation is stored in-app and also sent via email or phone for easy access during the event.

Key user flow demo

Although the main user flow has already been defined, some essential elements remain pending for a full release: privacy policy page, terms of use, cookie management (if user registration is enabled), and password recovery.

These components are planned for a second implementation phase, in coordination with the development and legal teams.

🔜 Next Steps / Future Improvements

The application will continue evolving throughout 2026. Upcoming features will focus on internal management to ensure operational consistency and efficient content updates.

A Service Blueprint will be developed to map actors, processes, and systems, along with an integrated Front–BackOffice flow to show how information is securely managed and updated.

LandApp.cat: Catalonia’s Open-Air Land Art Museum will allow the addition of new locations and services (restaurants, hostels, campsites, and transportation), always with prior authorization from the relevant parties and review by an administrator.

🤗 Interested in this project? Great!

It is important to highlight that the app is a living and evolving project, currently seeking funding. If you are interested in supporting or collaborating, please contact hola@krei24.com.

Going Forward

Takeaways (què vaig aprendre)

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Next steps (possibles millores futures)

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Annexes (no cal mostrar-ho al menú principal; és extra)

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Materials de recerca

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Documents de procés

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