Revealing Histories
Challenge
The Revealing Histories website is the culmination of an extensive project by a group of museums in Greater Manchester to collate and present materials relating to transatlantic slavery. The website is to be a multi-layered resource for learning about the connections between the region and transatlantic slavery.
The brief was to present this volume of varied material in a cohesive, thematic way and to encourage users to explore and engage with the material. It was also to deal with this complex, sensitive and emotive subject in an appropriate way; keeping the site light and appealing whilst giving suitable gravitas to the content. The team wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible in addition to providing information specifically for schools.
From the point of view of the museums, it was important to draw attention to the museum objects in the database and the relationships between them as well as to direct people to the museum they come from.
The site needed a really efficient Content Management System to allow various members of the team to add, sort, edit and connect material.
Idea
Sumo proposed to emphasise the keystone question of the site, 'How much did Manchester profit from slavery?', and to restructure the content into between ten and twenty clear themes within this, each containing museum objects, articles, video and places. We then worked extensively with the Renaissance North West team to refine this approach, collaboratively drawing up a functional specification and wireframe for each type of page.
The project is an example of user-centred design – we concentrated on creating a structure with clear signalling and a hierarchy of information. We incorporated three streams of 'related content' to lead users around the site and to encourage them to explore new topics. We made strong use of the imagery available and added texture related to the context of the information. A round of user testing carried out with the client and community users meant that the site could be further refined to optimise the information architecture and user interfaces for a range of audiences.
The schools information section of the site was given its own structure, labelling and colour scheme which was also tested by members of the target audience. We worked with the RNW team to create a set of printed materials and downloadable PDFs to be used in classrooms with Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils.
Sumo's Content Management System, Geisha, was implemented on to the website, combining standard modules, such as object management, with customised features, including organising relational items, auto-encoding of video for the web and inline searches to help manage the large volume of entries.
The site itself is accessible to WAI AA standards and we have also advised the editorial team on creating accessible and user-friendly content.
Response
'Sumo were a pleasure to work with – they made a challenging project seem achievable with their ‘can do’ attitude. Their attention to detail, and willingness to listen and respond to client requirements, was really valuable. The CMS system was very user-friendly and the end result works well for a range of different users.
'I most enjoyed the calm and professional response I received from Sumo staff at every stage along the way.'
Dr Katherine Hann, Freelance Heritage Consultant for Renaissance North West
Visit the Revealing Histories website