Case 03 · Accessibility · Product Design
2017
Cooper Hewitt Accessibility
A museum website, reconsidered for every body
- Client
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Role
- UX Researcher · Project Manager
- Year
- 2017
- Discipline
- Accessibility, Product Design
Overview
A five-month engagement with the Cooper Hewitt Museum to re-examine how visitors with disabilities arrive at the museum's digital front door — and what they need before they ever reach the entrance.
Context
Museums are stewards of objects, but they are also stewards of attention. For visitors with disabilities, arriving unprepared can mean a visit cut short. The goal wasn't just WCAG compliance — it was emotional preparedness: giving visitors what they needed to feel confident, excited, and ready.
Approach
- 01
Conducted user interviews with visitors with varied accessibility needs and heuristic evaluations of the existing site.
- 02
Produced a full WCAG 2.1 audit documenting gaps across color, structure, focus order, and copy.
- 03
Authored IA documentation, sitemaps, and wireframes reorganizing visit-preparation information up front.
- 04
Managed a team of six through stakeholder reviews, scope conflicts, and a final set of recommendations.
Outcomes
- — Custom accessibility style guide adopted for institutional use.
- — Set of IA, wireframe, and content recommendations delivered to Cooper Hewitt.
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