Service design for Da Nang Museum
The Da Nang Museum is a cultural institution preserving Vietnamese history and art. The aim of this case study is to show how service design can improve the visitor experience and simplify the interaction between the museum and its visitors.
SERVICE DESIGN
Year:
2024
Location:
Da Nang, Vietnam
Client:
Da Nang Museum
Design framework:
Service Design, Double Diamond
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Google Forms, Google Docs, Dovetail
3D Hover Component
Connect a frame to the component.
Research
Define
Ideate
Outcome
The problem:
Da Nang Museum has serious shortcomings in the visitor experience. The website is not translated into other languages, exhibit labels are only in Vietnamese, navigation inside the museum is unclear, and basic information for international visitors is missing. As a result, foreign tourists leave disappointed and the museum loses a significant share of its potential audience.
Goal:
To map the entire visitor experience from first contact to departure, identify the key issues, and propose practical, financially realistic recommendations the museum can introduce without major investment in new infrastructure.
My role:
Service designer responsible for the end-to-end redesign of the visitor experience. The work covered field research at the museum, stakeholder interviews, website and social media analysis, customer journey mapping, service blueprinting, brainstorming solutions, and the final presentation of recommendations to museum management.
Methods:
Stakeholder interview
Internet review
Visitor survey (Google Forms)
Persona development
Customer journey mapping
Service blueprint
Double Diamond framework
Brainstorming and affinity mapping
Insights report
Iterative content improvement
Research
I started in the field, not at the desk. Before designing any solution, I needed to understand how the museum works for different types of visitors and where the experience breaks down. I worked iteratively. The first version of the research was insufficient, the second produced real data that moved the project forward.
/01
Research A
The first version of the research was based on a simple Google Forms questionnaire distributed through the Department of Information and Library Studies. The response rate was low and the data collected was insufficient to formulate concrete problems or build personas.
Too few respondents. The questionnaire did not reach a representative sample of actual museum visitors.
Not enough data. The responses did not allow me to identify recurring patterns or priorities.
/02
Research B
For the second iteration, I switched from a quantitative questionnaire to qualitative interviews with specific visitor types. I prepared a structured script with 13 questions covering the entire visit (before, during, after) and gathered responses from three distinct personas.
Sarah Thompson (28, UK), Solo Traveller. Rates navigation as unsatisfactory. The website is outdated and lacks practical information in English.
Minh Tran (35, Vietnam), Local Family Visitor. First impression chaotic, the website hard to use, navigation average.
Luis Gonzalez (40, Spain), History Enthusiast. Website unsuitable for foreigners, first impression unwelcoming, exhibits below average.
/03
Stakeholder interview
and internet review
Alongside the user research, I conducted a stakeholder interview with the museum and ran an internet review in parallel (online reviews, social media, the museum's online presence). The two streams converged on the same issues.
Confusing and outdated website with insufficient information for international visitors.
Missing clear signage and orientation maps inside the museum, making navigation difficult.
Static and unengaging exhibits with no interactive elements, which reduces appeal.
Labels and exhibits are only available in Vietnamese, limiting comprehension for international visitors.
Absence of basic information and welcome at the museum entrance.
Poor lighting and uncomfortable temperature conditions in some exhibition areas.
Inadequately trained staff unable to answer questions from international visitors
Define
With the research data in hand, I mapped the entire visitor process to see exactly where the experience breaks down. The customer journey and service blueprint helped translate scattered findings into a structured picture from which we could prioritise what to fix first.
/01
Customer journey
The customer journey map is divided into 7 phases (Exploring museums in Da Nang, Finding the main museum, First interaction, Entering the museum, Walking through the museum, End of visit, Post-visit). Each phase covers Actions, Doubts and Concerns, Best Moments, Photos, Customer Feeling, and Opportunities.
/02
Blueprint
The service blueprint mirrors the 7 phases from the customer journey and adds frontstage actions, line of interaction, employee actions, technology, line of visibility, backstage actions, support processes, and proposed process improvements for each phase.
Ideate
The research and journey work surfaced around 20 issues. Through brainstorming and affinity mapping, I narrowed them down to priority areas and translated them into specific solution ideas.
/01
Quick overview
Da Nang Museum is a cultural institution preserving Vietnamese history and art. Service design can significantly improve the visitor experience and simplify the interaction between the museum and its visitors without requiring large investment.
/02
Design process
(Double Diamond)
The work followed a four-phase Double Diamond model:
Research. Investigating root causes, ~20 issues identified.
Define. Diagnosing problems, ~12 insights.
Ideate. Brainstorming, ~40 ideas generated.
Recommendations. Blueprint, ~12 actionable steps.
/03
Top 2 biggest problems
Two priority areas clearly emerged from affinity mapping. They are the foundation on which the whole visitor experience stands or falls.
Language barrier. The website is only in Vietnamese, exhibit labels too. For international visitors this makes the museum almost unusable.
Navigation. Inside the museum there is no clear signage, no orientation maps, and no overall sense of where the visitor is or where to go next.
"The website is not translated into other languages, so I got lost in the museum's programme. Unfortunately on site I realised the exhibit labels are not translated either, so I left disappointed..."
Sarah Thompson, Solo Traveller
Deliver
For each priority problem I proposed a specific, financially accessible solution the museum can introduce without major investment. The aim was not to design the ideal end state, but a realistic first step that significantly improves the experience for international visitors.
/01
Website: language barrier
Add a simple Google plugin that translates the website content into any language. Low investment, no required structural changes to the website, immediate impact for international visitors.
/02
Exhibits: language barrier
Exhibits can include a simple QR code linked to Google Translate. A more convenient option is a single QR code at the entrance that opens a translation app for the entire museum at once.
/03
Navigation elements: navigation
Navigation elements can be wall-mounted and visualised as symbols with descriptions, or solved through simple floor markings that help visitors orient themselves without translation. A general overview map can also work very well.
/04
Guide: navigation
The simplest and least expensive option is a printed guide available in all language versions. Detailed descriptions of individual museum sections and exhibits the visitors will see can complement this very effectively.
Outcome
The final deliverable was an insights report for museum management summarising all identified problem areas, including priorities and proposed solutions. The report is structured so the museum can move step by step within its own budget and capacity.
/01
Insights report
In addition to addressing the basic issues, I sent museum management an insights report containing not only a list of identified problems, but also their solutions on a timeline aligned with their budget. The report combines outputs from all phases: identified root causes, current state analysis, recommendations, and an implementation roadmap.
/02
What I learned
Service design for a cultural institution with a limited budget means working with realistic, low-cost, and quickly deployable solutions. There is no need to design the ideal end state. The point is to deliver the first step that creates a clear and measurable impact.
The first version of the research taught me that a quantitative questionnaire is not an automatic path to data. For smaller cultural institutions, qualitative interviews with a few precisely targeted personas work far better.
Customer journey and service blueprint do not work as one-off documents. They work when they structure the conversation with stakeholders and become the basis for concrete decisions about what to change.
/03
Next steps
The continuation of the project should focus on implementing the recommendations and measuring their impact.
Pilot rollout of Google plugin and QR codes. Test in a limited part of the museum, gather feedback from international visitors.
Impact measurement. Track the number of international visitors and their reviews online.
Roll-out of navigation elements. Gradually introduce floor markings and printed guides across the entire museum.
Iterative website redesign. A long-term project to rebuild the website with multilingual content support from the ground up
