MuseumNext keynote from Robin Dowden and Nate Solas, Walker Art Center

1. Rethinking the Museum Website Museum Next 2012

2. Rethinking the Museum WebsiteWhy does this work at my place and not yours? Museum Next 2012

3. Rethinking the Museum WebsiteWhy does this work at my place and not yours?How to run from villagers with burning torches Museum Next 2012

4. Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota

5. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden 

6. Open Field 

7. Gorilla Yogis 

8. Open Field Suzuki Violins   

9. Drawing Club 

10. Rock the Garden 

11. More than 10,000 people attended Rock the Garden 2011 

12. Thomas Barlow (T. B.) Walker

13. Public Galleries, T. B. Walker’s home, 1904 

14. Walker Art Galleries, 1954  

15. Walker Art Center School, c. 1942    

16. Spring Dance Festival,1940  

17. Ideas for Better Living, Everyday Art Gallery, 1946 

18. Benches & Binoculars 

19. Dance Works I: Merce Cunningham / Robert Rauschenberg 

20. Dance Works II: Merce Cunningham / Ernesto Neto 

21. Ralph Lemon’s How Can you Stay in the House all Day andNot Go Anywhere?

22. Tacita Dean: Merce Cunningham performs STILLNESS… (sixperformances, six ﬁlms)

23. Walker Cinema

24. McGuire Theater

25. Walker by the Numbers (FY2011-12)–$18.5 annual budget$185 million endowment130 full time employees12,000 works in the collection590,000 visitors10 exhibitions75 performances in music, dance & theater170 ﬁlm screenings+++ public, school, & tour programs

26. Mission–The Walker Art Center is a catalyst for the creativeexpression of artists and the active engagementof audiences that examines the questions thatshape and inspire us as individuals, cultures andcommunities.

27. Leadership

28. Rethinking the Museum Website–Launch new site December 1, 2011Two+ years in developmentCharacterized as “idea hub”

29. Principles informing the redesign–Simpliﬁcation•  tighter integration of parts, more uniformity•  ﬂexible interface that can accommodate wide range of content•  moving away from the neighborhood metaphor•  organizing content by type of asset: events, text (articles, blogs), rich media (audio, video), collections (artwork)

30. Principles informing the redesign–Multiple audiences•  how people use the site versus our self-view•  Walker visitors (physical versus Internet only)•  responding to particular user needs (plan your visit, ticket buyers, art enthusiasts, scholars)•  internal Walker community

31. Two portals home page calendar(Walker as content provider) (physical visitors)

32. “Reasons for having a website”–Communicate and advance the Walker’s brand, vision,authority, and voicePromote Walker programs and prompt onsite visitationGenerate revenue—both earned and contributedAid in onsite visitationCreate and advance relationships/communityServe as a content resource

33. What makeswalkerart.org different?

34. “ . . . arts organizations, faced with a lack of media coverage, are creating their own coverage, and taking the dialogue directly to their audiences. Marianne Combs mpr.org, December 2011http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/state-of-the-arts/archive/2011/12/walker-art-center-launches-new-website.shtml

35. “ Justo Hidalgo, 24symbols Quoted in OReilly Radar 1/19/2012

36. Etc..

37. (quick)Site Tour

38. ravedelay on flickr

39. UI / UX

40. Fun

41. Walker DNA

42. Audience Engagement and CommunicationsEducation and Marketing and New Media Design and Community Public Relations Initiatives Editorial Prgms

43. WALKER ART CENTER Director Audience Engagement and Operations and Curatorial and Development and Communications Administration Program Services Finance Education and Marketing and New Media Design and Community Finance and Special Projects Government Capital Public Relations Initiatives Editorial Annual Fund Prgms Accounting Fundraising Relations Campaign Human Marketing and Facility Information Building Program Merchandising Visitor Services Visual Arts Performing Arts Film/Video Registration LibraryResources Public Relations Rentals Technology Operations Services

44. Audience Engagement and CommunicationsEducation and Marketing and New Media Design and Community Public Relations Initiatives Editorial Prgms

45. Walker Publishing Print on demand Magazine Getty OSCI site

46. Walker Publishing Print on demand Magazine Getty OSCI site

47. Process

48. Redesign Roadmap: Major Milestones 2010January requirements gathering for calendarMarch divide home page & calendar design between design studio & new mediaMay paper prototype testing of main navigationJune calendar tested with friends & family (UX wars)July all staff meetings: announce a new conceptual frameworkAugust staff departures, restructuring & rebuilding

53. Redesign Roadmap: Major Milestones 2011January home page discussions reduxMarch development begins in earnestAugust 9 Board Attendance Task Force meetingAugust 16 still debating home page modelsAugust 30 announce web editor hire (starts mid-Sept)Sept 21 staff presentation (villagers with torches)October 21 Board presentationOctober 31 beta releaseDecember 1 public launch

55. Walker The Walker Art Center is a catalyst for the creative expression of artists and the active engagement of audiences. (Or other language) SEARCH THE WALKER ARCHIVESNAV NAV NAV NAV NAV NAVAT THE WALKER WALKER BLOGS (rotating slides) (rotating slides) Headline Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description . . . (more) WALKER CHANNELHeadline of what is showing aboveFEATURE ARTICLES (from calendar or other places) EXHIBITIONS PERFORMANCE FILM/VIDEO NEW MEDIA DESIGN EDUCATION OTHER -Featured Article 1 -Featured Article 2 -Featured Article 3 Headline -Featured Article 4 Description of video Description of video Description of video Description of video Description of video Descrip-FROM THE ARCHIVES ARTWORK OF THE DAY tion of video Description of video. FEATURED/CURATED SPACE (ArtsConnected) (rotating slides)Headline Headline Regis DialoguesBeginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog Every day for this month we will be posting a new essaydescription Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description about a ﬁlm critic, culled from 20 years of Regis dialogues.or short description . . . (more) Beginning of blog or short description . . . (more)

56. NAV Walker The Walker Art Center is a catalyst for the creative expression of artists and the active engagement of audiences. (Or other language)HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHT HIGHLIGHT SEARCH THE WALKER ARCHIVES WALKER MARCH 13, 2010 NAV NAV NAV NAV NAV NAV AT THE WALKER WALKER BLOGS A CATALYST FOR CREATIVE EXPRESSION (rotating slides) FEATURE STORIES (rotating slides) Headline Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description . . . (more) WALKER CHANNEL Headline of what is showing above FEATURE ARTICLES (from calendar or other places) EXHIBITIONS PERFORMANCE FILM/VIDEO NEW MEDIA DESIGN EDUCATION OTHER PHILIP BITHER DISCUSSES THE HISTORY OF PERFORMANCE ART IN THE GALLERIES The beginning of this story beginning of this story beginning of this story beginning of this story beginning -Featured Article 1 of this story beginning of this story beginning of this story beginning of this story beginning of this story -Featured Article 2 beginning of this story beginning of this story beginning of this story beginni. -Featured Article 3 Headline AT THE WALKER VISUAL ART -Featured Article 4 Description of video Description of BLOG POST video Description of video Description BLOG POST of video Description of video Descrip- BLOG POST FROM THE ARCHIVES ARTWORK OF THE DAY tion of video Description of video. NEW MEDIA BLOG POST FEATURED/CURATED SPACE BLOG POST HEADLINE HEADLINE BLOG POST PERFORMING (ArtsConnected) ARTS BLOG POST (rotating slides) BLOG POST BLOG POST HEADLINE HEADLINE FROM THE ARCHIVES FILM BLOG POST BLOG POST BLOG POST Headline Headline Regis Dialogues EDUCATION Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog Every day for this month we will be posting a new essay description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description Beginning of blog or short description about a ﬁlm critic, culled from 20 years of Regis dialogues. BLOG POST or short description . . . (more) Beginning of blog or short description . . . (more) BLOG POST HEADLINE HEADLINE BLOG POST WALKER CHANNEL DESIGN BLOG POST BLOG POST BLOG POST

61. Artistic Program Directors’ Concerns–They have not had a chance to embrace the newconceptual framework and dont understand thedecision making process that got us here.The home page does not reﬂect the Walker as amultidisciplinary art center and arts presenter.Walkers artistic programming is not visible on thehome page or site navigation.

63. The advantage of being located in the middle of the country

64. ...how are we doing?

65. What can we measure now?

66. Is the content being consumed?

67. 40%more visits

68. Brand newaudiences

69. Out of state...

70. Global...

71. 150 %*

72. 50%more links in

73. walkerart.org is a destination

74. 21%more engagement (3+ minutes, 3+ pageviews)

75. 2X More return visits(return visit within 2 weeks)

76. How do people saytheyre using the site?

77. Im visiting the site today to...a) Plan a visitb) Conduct professional or academic researchc) Find specific information for personal interestd) Browse casuallye) Make a transaction

78. So??

79. Sustainable?

80. All content starts onthe web

81. Next: Collections

82. So??

83. The web allows100% of thepopulation to accessthe best 1% ofmuseum content. Paraphrasing Chris Lloyd @ theconversation.edu.au h/t Mia Ridge @ openobjects.blogspot.com

84. What content canyou host that isunique to yourmuseum?

85. Linking = Authority

86. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/2012/04/25/vetting-wikipedia-for-wikilink/

87. https://www.gov.uk/designprinciples#secondh/t @frankieroberto via http://openobjects.blogspot.ca/2012/04/whats-right-question-about-museum.html

88. Robin Dowden Nate Solas@rdowden @homebrewer