Connecting the Museum Experience

The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California wields the largest collection of Asian Art in North America, presenting over 25,000 assets in the collection valued at $4.5B USD. We were brought into the project at the beginning of the digital transformation of the Museum along with architectural firm SOM (Skidmore, Owens and Merrill) to lead a systems wide consolidation of 15 websites, apps, mobile, web, digital signage, CMS, DAMS, ticketing, calendaring, in-museum touch experiences and eventually, wayfinding.

Services

Digital Strategy
Elastic Search
Software Development
User Journey Mapping
User Research
UX/UI Design
Website

Project Type

Lead Generation
Learning Management System Integrations
Marketing Website
Wordpress Multisite

Services

Digital Strategy
Elastic Search
Software Development
User Journey Mapping
User Research
UX/UI Design
Website

Project Type

Lead Generation
Learning Management System Integrations
Marketing Website
Wordpress Multisite

Digital Vision

A Cross Department Alignment for Success

System Architecture

After years of one off projects, the museum’s infrastructure was failing, out of alignment and unusable to much of the team. Our early research indicated we needed to lead a vision to fully integrate all digital systems into a single streamlined experience which would be usable by all departments, and eliminate pain points from past, short-sighted decisions. By centering the architecture around an enterprise oriented WordPress CMS build and connecting all other systems via consistent APIs, we were able to achieve the core tenants of our design principles and mission statement which was conceived nearly two years before.

Content + Taxonomies

To enable the CMS’s ability to drive content across such a wide array of different systems, form factors and solutions, the team worked diligently across various taxonomies to build cohesive terms that would be easy for content administrators, museum curators, and a user base spanning 6-106 years old. These taxonomies have helped drive everything from information architecture and navigation, to filter, calendars and even in museum digital displays for ticketing, wayfinding and tours.

Brand

Partnering with Architectural Visionaries

As the museum was remodeled, multiple floors were revamped, and new wings were developed, we were empowered to align teams though brand mission workshops, create digital style guides for the first time, and design patterns that would connect the brand across digital assets, marketing, physical wayfinding, and environmental design of the museum. By taking a “user-first” service design approach using interviews with target personas and 360 degree cameras, we were able to document synthesis and strategies ensuring a global approach and a successful outcome.

Museum Digital Transformation

A Project Worth Sharing and Learning From

Our experience with Asian Art Museum was both fulfilling and rewarding, but also demonstrates many important learning moments that numerous museums have been challenged by in the past. Our work with this organization uniquely places us as a leader in the museum space in the areas of consulting, speaking and executing for other museums. Please reach out to us to hear more about our approach and to help guide cultural institutions to make wise decisions for their patrons and their bottom lines.

Connecting the Museum Experience

A Cross Department Alignment for Success

Partnering with Architectural Visionaries

A Project Worth Sharing and Learning From

More of our work