Art History

How can we contextualize art for students in a fun and interactive way?

In this conceptual project, the Vermont Museum of art wanted to contextualize its art collection for viewers. The main challenge was to come up with a user flow that allows users to explore art movements and individual artworks in an intuitive and delightful way that expands their understanding. My intention was to answer the question: "How can we contextualize art for students in a fun and interactive way?"

Live Site

View Project

Year

2021

Role

Design & Development

Client

Team

Visual Direction:

The challenge was to find the art direction that matched the artwork on display. I selected the general atmosphere, colors, and typography that fit with the background artwork, a baroque still life of a vase.

Wireframing:

When an art collection is selected, the user is directed to the art movement page, where they are given a description of the collection. Below the description is a visual timeline of every artwork on display from that collection. The user scrolls horizontally through the collection until they find an artwork that they want to learn more about. When clicked, the user is directed to the artwork's page, where they find more information about the work.

Lessons Learned:

Clarity Through Intention: Establishing a clear art direction at the beginning of the process will make the project feel cohesive.

Usability First: No matter how aesthetically pleasing your work may be, it won’t strike a chord with the user unless it is easy to use.

Feedback Matters: User-testing is key to a quality product. Make sure to ask the right questions in order to meet the user's needs. What users think they are doing is often not what they actually do.

Think about the technical limitations while designing: The process of designing the artwork timeline was as much a technical exercise as it was a design exercise. I ended up spending a lot of time figuring out how to scroll horizontally through a CMS collection with an undefined amount items.