The Home Page of the Redesigned MSI Store Site
Museum of Science and Industry
How might the MSI’s e-commerce site encourage visitors to be a scientist in their own home?
Key Skills: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE; STRATEGY; ACCESSIBILITY & INCLUSIVITY
Opportunity to Explore: How to redesign the Museum of Science and Industry’s e-commerce site so that it is a tool in the museum’s mission and not an afterthought.
Why This is Important: Because standardized testing in schools prioritizes math and reading, more and more often, other subjects are treated like electives, even social studies and science.
Hands-on science museums like the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago therefore become more important in educating youth in science and critical-thinking skills. Their ability to reach out and serve their communities and the public at large becomes vital in developing future generations into the problem-solvers and innovators of tomorrow.
The store website could be another tool in the MSI’s vision:
“To inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in science, technology, medicine, and engineering.”
My Role: Since this was an individual two-week project in the UX Design Immersive at General Assembly, I completed all of the design process on my own.
Overview of My Design Process
Researching
MSI Store Site
MSI Main Site
Other Science Museums
Educational Toy Stores Sites
Main Focus of Research: What is the importance of curiosity and how do people nurture it in themselves and encourage it in children?
Who Goes to the MSI?
Families, especially with young children
School Field Trips, mainly older elementary & middle school
Science Professionals, who are Tourists
—>People who believe that “Science Matters”
11 Interviews with Visitors in the MSI Store
Why did they visit the MSI? What do they love best about it and why? What do they buy?
1 Interview with a Store Employee
What are the most popular items and who buys them?
4 In-depth Interviews
Synthesizing
Insights
1. Curiosity and exploration of the products in the store lead to purchases.
2. Children are constantly being asked to participate in the scientific process because it builds their curiosity for the world and makes them question it.
3. Visitors to the museum like the hands-on aspect of the museum because they feel a part of the discovery and scientific process.
4. Feeling awe inspires people to learn and grow.
5. People liked feeling awe in the museum exhibits and whenever they were learning something new, because it made them feel more connected to the natural world/universe.
6.. People who self-identify as nerds and geeks feel proud of their work as scientists. They may also be people who promote the scientific process and questioning.
Empathy Map for Science Fans, the target audience
Ideating
Be A Scientist in Your Own Home
The main theme I noticed in doing this brainstorming exercise.
Based on this and the brainstorming ideas, I sketched a few features ideas.
Planning
3 Key Features I Focused On:
Virtual Interactive Exhibits with Related Products on the Page
Science Club Loyalty Program
Sponsor a Class/Club with Wishlists
Executing the Design: Prototyping
The deliverable for this project was a clickable prototype made of wireframes.
A few wireframes for the prototype. Made in Sketch. Prototype for user testing made using InVision.
Reiterating
Usability Testing Insights:
It was difficult to find items based on navigation, so I completely reorganized to just have category options.
It was difficult to know whether a product was appropriate for an age, so I added a “Shop by Age” filter.
The “Sponsor a Class” feature was buried within the Science Club, so I highlighted it on the Home Page.
It was unclear whether the Science Club was free or not, so I changed the language to make that clear.
After Another Round of Feedback:
I got rid of the Science Club and replaced it with a monthly subscription box for kids to focus on the “Be A Scientist in Your Own Home” aspect.
I added the Virtual Exhibits to the Top Navigation to highlight them as a gift guide inside a learning tool. It is also a “Shop by Science” capability, which was something I liked about some online educational toy stores.
I simplified the “Sponsor a Class” feature so that it was more feasible and supported the work the MSI is already doing.
The changes I made after usability testing and feedback. Prototype made with InVision by Karen Viado
Outcomes: The site is easier to navigate to find products, but more than that, it is a place where people can continue learning through a hands-on approach like they do in the MSI’s physical space.
The Museum of Science and Industry works to break down barriers to science education. What better way to make science education more accessible than by being able to access a world-class institution like the MSI with just an internet connection?
In addition to that, people, especially children, are encouraged to be scientists in their own home by buying products through the MSI’s online store.
The Most Surprising Thing I Found About this Project:
There are so many different ways content and information can be organized on a site. Things that made sense to me would sometimes not make any sense to people who were like me. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to satisfy everyone with the information architecture and organization of the site, it was difficult to make decisions regarding the site map and user flows.
For me, designing for a desktop website is more difficult than designing a mobile app. There is more information and tasks to include and you still have to think about how the content and layout would appear on a mobile site. Sizing is also a “bigger” issue on desktop sites as well. It’s much more difficult to find
Next Steps:
More Research! How would the subscription box feature test with visitors to the site?
Looking into a partnership with Donors Choose. Right now, educators can only make special requests to have wishlist items fulfilled by a non-partnered vendor like the MSI. How can science fans assist science educators better?
Accessibility testing. This solution would make the MSI more accessible, especially for low-income individuals, but I need to look into how accessible these solutions are for people with disabilities, especially the interactive exhibits.
