Client
Detroit Institute of Arts
Role
Product Designer
Date
Ongoing
Team
Janice Cho
Jen Snyder
Shannon Copperman
Around25
Aya Nakamura
Design Manager
Project Lead
Project Manager
Development
Designer + illustrator
Case Study
//
Context
The Detroit Institute of Arts is among the top museums in the United States, with a collection of more than 65,000 pieces. A hallmark of the DIA collection is its diversity, with pieces from cultures across time and around the world.
We partnered with the DIA to modernize their digital presence, ensuring they showcase their collection and curatorial expertise in a refreshing and contemporary manner, that still feels authentic to their identity.
Our efforts involved revamping search functionality, enhancing artwork pages, prioritizing event attendance, membership sign-ups, and ticket navigation to improve conversions, and much more.
Updating the museum with modern interfaces and intuitive interaction
The museum is a caretaker for the art it houses. As such, we aimed to create a digital presentation for the museum that prioritizes the artwork itself, allowing visitors to explore and learn distraction-free while maintaining a modern feel.
In example, we developed a contemporary zoom feature for the DIA collection, featuring way-finding, download options, and a reset button for convenience. Designed for cross-device functionality, the interface adapts to different devices, updating controls to be intuitive to any device.
Highlighting events at the DIA
We created distinctive event cards for the DIA that align with their existing brand. The bold composition and seamless interaction in each card promotes exploration of the museum's robust offerings and reduces friction in getting into an event ticketing or signup flow.
Introducing a more robust, intuitive, customizable search experience
Previously, searching the collection was barely functional. We introduced new weights to search terms that resulted in a more complete and accurate search functionality. Additionally, we designed a brand-new search filtering system and hierarchy to encourage exploration and help folks get the information they needed, whether they're looking for specific scholarly information, or just browsing the museum's collection.
Designing in moments for device-specific functionality
Considering the extensive information provided by the museum for each artwork, we aimed to keep image-to-information context easily accessible without the need for constant scrolling. To achieve this, we crafted a floating artwork thumbnail experience that seamlessly adapts to various device interfaces.
Adding visual controls for a fun and deeper exploration of the museum's collection
With the addition of filters, our aim was to promote exploration without sacrificing depth or search quality. We introduced a system with easily togglable filter hierarchy for a smooth experience. Additionally, we incorporated a playful "madlib" filter and updated traditionally text-based filters to present engaging visual information where it makes sense, making the experience unique to the Detroit Institute of Arts. These qualities work together to provide a refreshing, easy-to-navigate, and helpful search experience.
We're incredibly excited to see our partnership with the museum culminate in a digital presence that aptly reflects its remarkable and extensive collection. By designing in new functionality and establishing a more manageable system for the digital team, curatorial staff, and other stakeholders, the museum is establishing its commitment to providing a modern and performant digital experience.
Launching through 2024.
