CO-LEADING THE MUSEUM COMPUTER NETWORK DESIGN COMMUNITY

Leading the next wave of human-centered museum professionals.  

For 3 years, I co-led the Museum Computer Network’s Human-centered Design Group, helping to grow a small committee into a community of over 100 active members with an active listserv. Along with my awesome co-chairs (shoutout to Seema, Bora, and Madhav!) I produced both online and in-person events exploring topics and questions like:

• Co-design—How do we design museum experiences for and with audiences? 

• UX and design testing—What tools and strategies are out there to help us understand and test ideas with our audiences? What tools and processes are evergreen and sustainable?  

• Design systems—How can a good design system help organizations design faster and communicate across cross-functional teams better? 

• Exploring new ways of storytelling—What is the relationship between storytelling and design? How can we infuse more storytelling into our design journeys? Into audiences’ experiences? 

• Equitable co-design and research—How do we make sure the experiences we design will welcome and serve everyone? What strategies and processes help build more equitable (and not extractive) design research?

A personal highlight? Co-organizing a day-long User Experience (UX) Lounge at one of MCN’s last in-person conferences before the pandemic. It was truly a team effort with many moving parts. Attendees could drop by for informal conversations with design research and UX leaders, see rotating demonstrations of UX research skills like interviewing (led by yours truly!), and snag some awesome goodies including a member-made zine full of UX tips and tricks. It was a blast! 

I passed the mic to MCN’s next human-centered design leader at the end of 2021, but this group will always have a special place in my heart.

Moment of Inspiration

“

We begin with the principle that accessibility and equity are essential to museums, and place service to the community and the world at the core of our work.

”

—Elyssa Olinsky and Seema Rao, founders of MCN’s Human-Centered Design group