Eight Lessons that Web Designers Can

Learn from Museum

Design DesignersSaul Carliner

Visiting Assistant Professor

City University of Hong Kong

"What Separates a Museum Worth

Suffering for from One

You Wouldn't Stoop to Be Sick in?"

One. "Did Anyone Target an Age

Group?"

Lessons for Web Design

Appeal to a variety of demographic groups

Note occupational and socioeconomic cultures

Two. "Keep the Collection from

Klummetting the Guests."

Lessons for Web Design

Focus content Play benevolent censor (even

though storage is cheap and transmission increasingly easy)

Watch out for all-technology solutions (beware the evil TiVo)

Use behavioral objectives

Three. "An Exhibit Is Not

a Book on a Wall.“

Lessons for Web Design

ImmersionThemesLayeringSkimmability

Four. "Even the Best Signage Can't Fix a

Poorly Designed Museum.“

Lessons for Web Design

Beware of:–Browser and GUI screen conventions

–Cueing area–The non-scrolllng issue

Note that menu structure mirrors the sturcture of underlying code

More Lessons

Create “signature objects” (exclusive content)

Design for accessibilityWork with known traffic patterns (when appropriate)

Five. "Museum Exhibits Must

Capture the Visitor's Curiosity."

Lessons for Web Design

Storytelling–As a design technique (backstory, character sketches)

–Immersion (through simulations, visual and verbal design)

–Create a mood (visual, verbal)

More Lessons

JuxtapositionSubliminal messages

Six. Work

Towards

"Wow!“

Lessons for Web Design

Splash screensProfilingCommunities and chats

But

Avoid using technology for technology’s sake as a ‘wow”

Usability experts are from Venus, graphic designers are from Mars

Seven. Avoid

"Sound Bleed"

and Other Media

Nightmares.

Lessons for Web Design

Be wary of narrationBe sensitive to the technology users have (not the technology you want them to have)

Beware of plug-ins

Eight. "Attenda

nce Figures

Measure Marketin

g Strategie

s, Not Exhibitio

n Strength

s.“

Lessons for Web Design

Visitors?System performance?Task performance?

Closing

Thoughts