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Enhancing Navigation and Wayfinding for the Searchable Museum

Hero section of the NMAAHC website.

The Searchable Museum provides a rich digital experience to audiences worldwide.

Client

National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)

Timeframe

2021 - 2023

Open Website →

Reaching beyond the walls of NMAACH with the Searchable Museum

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) launched a new digital initiative called the Searchable Museum. The Searchable Museum provides a rich digital experience that connects a worldwide audience with NMAAHC’s exhibitions.

Through an innovative online experience, the Searchable Museum combines existing and newly created digital collection assets, digitized exhibition content, and multimedia components, including 3D models, videos, and audio podcasts for a worldwide audience.

Posthumous lithograph of Njinga of Ndongo and Matamba by Achille Devéria, 1830s, after a portrait on parchment stored in a convent in Coimbra.

Keeping the user front and center

NMHAAC curators wanted to create a digital experience with a similar tone and feel as the in-person exhibitions. The team began developing intuitive navigation for the new, content-rich website. However, early user feedback found that audiences struggled with the complex, layered navigation in their search for Slavery & Freedom content.

We conducted research on the Slavery and Freedom exhibit section of the Searchable Museum to gather insights and improve the user experience.

Enhancing the user experience through user research

We conducted multiple rounds of user research to better identify and understand the audience's pain points while navigating the Searchable Museum. This involved in-depth interviews, usability testing, and surveys to gather comprehensive feedback. We analyzed the data to pinpoint specific challenges and areas for improvement, ensuring our insights were grounded in real user experiences.

Navigating the Searchable Museum

As a result of our comprehensive user research, we were able to identify key pain points and areas for improvement within the Searchable Museum. Our data-driven insights informed targeted recommendations, leading to an enhanced navigation experience that is more intuitive and enjoyable for users.

We conducted research on the Slavery and Freedom Exhibit pages to enhance the navigation experience.

A mobile version of the Searchable Museum.