Becca Smith

goals

• Optimize the Engage Families site to be an effective and trusted tool for professionals designing family programs and exhibits.

• Evaluate and refine the information architecture of the site; determine new labels and navigation.

• Evaluate and improve the usability and readability of the information on the site; conduct a content audit with museum staff and determine a process for continued page review.

outcomes

• Data collected from 71 survey responses and 10 in-depth interviews/feedback sessions with museum professionals and librarians were used to develop a set of recommendations for changes and improvements to Engage Families.

• A new information architecture for the resource was designed, organized around pedagogy- and process-oriented sections instead of roles.

• A sample content audit was conducted with museum staff, and a process was co-developed for continued page audits.

• The redesigned site was launched in mid-2018.

role

UX researcher, Information architect (freelance consultant)
Collaborator: Lindsey Wagner (UX designer)

location

USS Constitution Museum (Boston, MA)

timeframe

2016-2017

process

A survey was sent to museum and library professionals within the museum's network to understand their roles, resources used in their work and interest in participating in a follow-up interview. Responses were used to identify individuals to engage in extended interviews and to inform the interview guide and sampling strategy; survey results were shared with the museum's team as part of an internal design workshop.

In-person and remote interviews were held with 10 respondents; sessions included a deeper discussion of survey answers, testing of site structure through a card sorting exercise with OptimalSort, and testing of new research page designs. Based on these interactions, and collaboration with the UX designer, findings and recommendations were presented to the museum.

A second phase of work was done based on recommendations: a new information architecture for the site was prototyped and iterated on, and a sample content audit was conducted with museum staff, informed by Google Analytics data.