UI Copy for USS Battleship IOWA App

Problem

Throughout her three commissions, USS Battleship IOWA led the way in cutting-edge technologies. As a museum, she was looking to do the same. Having served during World War II, the Korean War, and throughout the 1990s, the ship had more stories than there was room onboard to share. The museum needed unlimited space for audio, video, oral histories and augmented reality experiences that would inspire and entertain visitors of all ages.

Objective

USS Battleship IOWA hired my team at Guru to create a museum tour-based app that would enhance the visitor experience on-site and at home. Part of my role for this project was writing UI copy for the museum’s new app.

Timeline

July 2015 - Nov 2015

Stakeholders

Project manager, designers, other UX writers, museum director, legal team

My Role: UX Writer

• Complemented visuals with engaging copy that made navigation an intuitive experience

• Wrote instructions for short tutorials meant to instruct users on how audio tours worked

• Paraphrased snippets from audio tours to complement audio storytelling with text

• Partnered with localization teams to translate UI copy into several languages while maintaining voice and style consistent across all translations

Results

• While the average capture rate for museum apps is around 1.5 percent, the Battleship IOWA App has reached as high as a 75% capture rate

• Content on the app is offered in multiple languages and has increased foreign tour group sales by 60%

• The Battleship IOWA won 2017’s Governor’s Historic Preservation Award