When beginning this section of the project, I was instructed to prototype with paper or in a digital space to work out the planning process. As someone who likes to draw (definitely not an artist), I think this is a fabulous way to mix the technical and creative sides of this work. Since I am new to this side of history work, there are times that I forget to have FUN with the process. This gave me that time. I will be playing with the site more as a set it up for functionality and maybe planning it out on paper. Within this planning I am trying to also remember that my target audience is not very tech savvy. Keeping it simple but interesting and accessible is key.
Basics of the Site:
One of the biggest things that came to mind when planning is that I want everything visual and easy to access. This means that for all the legal documents I am adding I didn’t want any of them to be “hidden” within things like carousels (rotating images). I know that they are not the most accessible and also make the user feel rush, if they try to use them at all.
With that being said, I decided that a list would be best for the documents and grid style for the art and movie. I will also see if I can load the trailers onto the page so that viewers don’t need to go searching for it. Then, I will have the network analysis will be on the top of the page with a text description before the art. With the analysis, I am hoping that this an easy size and scale visual for viewers to see just how connected these topics are.
Special Pieces:
The other possible addition would be a comment area to discuss the topic. This is still in consideration but would go in its own special “share your story” section of the exhibit. It would be heavily monitored to keep the site as a safe space to share but also as an educational tool. Some dialogue is helpful for learning without misinformation and judgement. As time goes on, if there are other aspects of the conversation that ask the site to grow, like other media that would be helpful, I can expand the site with that. If this site also gains enough conversation and FAQs, I will most likely add a link to my blog and write some posts there to give historical background. This issue, like many others, is tangled into a lot of national and international history. I want this to be a place to attempt to untangle that and see how it affects us still today.