1 / 21

Hot Studio

Do you know who your users are? The role of research in redesigning SFMOMA.org April 12, 2007 Museums and the Web Dana Mitroff, SFMOMA Katrina Alcorn, Hot Studio Hot Studio Introductions San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) Dana Mitroff Head of Online Services Hot Studio

bernad
Download Presentation

Hot Studio

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Do you know who your users are? The role of research in redesigning SFMOMA.org April 12, 2007 Museums and the Web Dana Mitroff, SFMOMA Katrina Alcorn, Hot Studio Hot Studio

  2. Introductions San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) Dana Mitroff Head of Online Services Hot Studio Katrina Alcorn Principal, Director of User Experience & Content

  3. Overview • How do we know who our current users are and what they want? • What we’re going to cover today: • How our project came about • Why user research? • Our approach • What we did • What we learned • What we’re doing about it

  4. Why a redesign? SFMOMA home page today -- current site design is almost 10 years old!

  5. Project goals We had some big questions to answer • Who really uses our site? • Should we think of our Web site as a destination unto itself? • How knowledgeable are our current site users about modern and contemporary art? • How much detail do people need about our collection and exhibitions? Do they even understand the distinction?

  6. Our approach to research turn it into a great idea • We believe that research should be more than simply an academic exercise • As designers, we focus our efforts on research that can improve design • Research = science + a good listener • Research yields real information, but it takescreative insight to turn it into a great idea

  7. Quantitative vs. qualitative turn it into a great idea • QuantitativeResearch = Information presented in numeric form. • When should you use it? When you need to generalize about people’s specific responses. • QualitativeResearch = Exploration of people’s behaviors, attitudes, opinions, and belief. • When should you use it? To gain deep understanding of the mindset of your target audience.

  8. How research fits into the overall design process We are here

  9. What we did • Four months of research that included • Museum Web site “think tank” session • Best practices and heuristic evaluation • Interviews with new and returning Web visitors • Interviews with SFMOMA stakeholders • Online survey

  10. Museum think tank session

  11. Best practices and heuristic evaluation

  12. Interviews

  13. Online survey

  14. What we learned The majority of users: • Come from a surprising variety of professions and backgrounds • Are interested, but not necessarily educated, about art • Are fairly passive about Web 2.0-type features • Don’t understand the difference between exhibitions and collections • Are not aware of the breadth of programs and content we have • Want to plan a physical visit to the Museum

  15. How we used this information Our research revealed many detailedfindings. Some of these findings led toinsightsabout what the target audience really needs. These insights inspired new and creativedesign ideas.

  16. Example 1. What’s going on? Finding: Most of our current users don’t differentiate between exhibitions and the permanent collection, and they aren’t even aware that the Museum programs events. Insight: Users just want to find out “what’s going on”—whether it’s a temporary exhibition, the permanent collection, or a public program—so they can plan a visit to the Museum.

  17. Example 1. What’s going on? (cont.) Design Idea: Create a one-stop section called “Exhibitions + Events.” De-emphasize the collection in the main nav, and make it part of the specialized auxiliary navigation.

  18. Example 2. Breadth and depth Finding: Our audiences aren’t aware of all we have to offer, both onsite and online. Insight: We have an opportunity to showcase our public programs and rich online resources. Design Idea: New promotional areas and lots of cross-linking.

  19. Example 3. Web 2.0 Finding: Our current users expressed surprisingly little interest in Web 2.0 features. Insight: Any features we incorporate into the site can’t rely too heavily on user participation. We have to keep in mind that our ultimate goal is to make the artwork more accessible. Design Idea: Bring in informal, outside voices and perspectives that can succeed with minimal user participation.

  20. Example 4. Layering information for diverse users Finding: Our audience is incredibly diverse: how can we serve their needs? Insight: General site visitors are looking for very different information than scholars and academics. We must serve both well. Design Idea: Add detailed information in tabs and layers.

  21. Conclusion • Conclusions • Just four examples of many of our findings • Research methods can be applied in your own institution • There are low-budget ways to do this yourself • Please take a hand-out! • Thank you • Dana Mitroff, SFMOMA, dmitroff@sfmoma.org • Katrina Alcorn, Hot Studio, katrina@hotstudio.com

More Related