The Challenge
The Textile Museum of Canada faced a disconnect between their rich content library and user engagement.
The initial request to our MI cohort was broad: "Fix the architecture." The museum needed to make ticket sales, donations, and archived events easier to find, while also highlighting the return of in-person and hands-on programs post-pandemic.
The focus of this project is to redesign the website's information architecture and navigational design to promote the museum's values better and showcase information for their targeted audiences in an accessible way.
Pictured Above: The Current Navigation.
What We Did
Our research used open card sorting and tree testing with new users to prove that navigational failures stemmed from structural inconsistency and a lack of context rather than the interface itself.
We tested new users to isolate structural flaws from existing workarounds. Our data confirmed that a lack of context, not jargon, hindered user navigation.
While other groups working on this project suggested a Mega Menu UI, we focused on verifying the underlying architecture first. This approach ensured that improvements were attributed to logical flow rather than UI changes.
Key Card Sorting Data
• 4-10 categories created on average by participants, showing diversity in content organization.
• Key page (“Visit”) lacked a clear call to action to encourage visitors to book tickets or explore membership options.
Key Tree Testing Data
• 30% of test users located the Collection Gallery under Explore.
• 40% of test users were confused by “Ways to Donate” & “Donate Your Textiles” - We proposed renaming the latter label to “Making a Textile Donation”
The Solution
We designed a roadmap to isolate and validate the new information architecture before committing to the UI change.
Phase A (Validation): Implement the New IA labels within the existing menu design to reduce UI bias.
Phase B (Optimization): Once the IA is validated, roll out the Mega Menu UI.
To demonstrate the feasibility of the strategy, my team and I worked on the low fidelity. I worked solo on the high fidelity for the website.
Low-Fidelity
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Strategy Phase A
Click on the image to scroll through the menu in action.
Strategy Phase B
Click on the image to scroll through the menu in action.
Post-Presentation Feedback
Our IA course instructor told us that our two-phased approach "stood out" among the groups. This was encouraging as we presented later in the schedule and we knew that the Textile Museum Board members would have seen 15+ groups discuss their suggestions for revamping the IA.
Part of why we were noticed was because we provided stakeholders with a handout summarizing our research findings and navigation suggestions on the day of the presentation -- right before our slot, allowing them to review and take the insights home.
We were also told that we were "the first group" to study the current navigation menu in depth, identifying why it wasn't accessible, why it was not suited for content discovery, as well as identifying risks in a full UI overhaul and showing how it could be detrimental to content discovery.
“Loved giving us multiple options; to give us a short-term solution, really thoughtful for our current situation.”
-- Textile Museum Board CEO feedback