Telling a crucial story to a new generation
The Ask
Digitize the slavery and freedom exhibition in a way that expands access and provides a way in for a new generation of Americans.
Client
NMAAHC
My Role
Experience Director
Project Date
Oct 2020
Platform
Responsive Web
Provide a flexible online space that makes African American history feel real, urgent, and relevant.
Our Vision
Experience Principles
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Our visitors are hungry for the stories left untold, the ‘stuff they missed in history class.’ Prioritizing these stories will allow us to not only show the breadth of African American’s impact on our country but allow them to realize how much more there is to learn.
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Our audiences aren’t looking for a textbook, they are searching for engaging multimedia that can help them learn history in a multiple of way through a multitude of formats. We need to adapt to the way they want to learn to reach the largest possible audience.
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So much of our country today was shaped by what has happened in the past, making those connections clear to our audiences helps contextualize their place within history. It also allows us to give credit and shine a light on the contributions African Americans have made to our country that often go ignored.
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Everyone who visits the museum comes from their own level of understanding, we need to meet them where they are at - creating a culture of understanding and safety so they can explore their feelings, emotions, and questions in a productive way and guide them in their discussions
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Speaking in generalities can help give a picture of what occurred, but specific stories of people help build empathy and make the history feel real and relatable to our audiences.
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Understanding how history has shaped your town, your family, and your own life is key to contextualizing African American’s impact on the United States.
An entrance that recreates the feeling of the museum
The homepage was built to invite users in the searchable museum n a way that evoked walking into the physical building.
Recreating the exhibits in 3D space
In order to allow guests to get a closer look at objects we gave them the ability to see key physical artifacts up close and personal in our digital storytelling.
Telling deeper stories through video
In the museum there are many moments that tell the story of those affected by the salve trade, we aimed to translate those moments into video narratives that told a similar story built specifically for a digital audience.
Using primary sources to tell key stories
The best way to understand history is through the voices that lived through it, the Examine Documents feature allows guests to examine both the original document and a transcript of that document - as well as see commentary from the exhibitor that explains key moments.