Omeka S
Refreshing the Omeka S interface to effectively retain new and returning users, and help them build & publish digital exhibit websites.
Outcomes
220%
SUS score increase after introducing generative site-templates
100%
first-time user success rate increase
after implementing new onboarding
Project Info
My Role:
"Re-skin" Omeka S interface with a more streamlined, modernized look
Conduct usability testing to pinpoint pain points & opportunities
Ideate design solutions to grow user retention & lower user drop-off rates
Design Goals:
Streamline site-building workflow to reduce complexity and help new users build pages without getting lost
Refresh the interface with a consistent visual design that reduces visual friction & user cognitive load
Empower users to build digital websites with drag-and-drop blocks and templated site generation
Show Details
Overview
Revitalizing Omeka S: Easy, quick, and powerful site-building for digital exhibits
"Omeka" by Digital Scholar is a well-known name in the libraries, museums, and collections fields. In fact, many educational institutions introduce Omeka to their students as a platform for their work. Although, Omeka has a dependable system for user acquisition, user retention remains a major business problem.
Omeka S wants to improve the usability of site-building features to increase number of active users and overall user engagement. However, the Omeka team have little past experience with formal UX research. This is where our UX design team comes in! We helped Omeka pinpoint and address current user pain points, as well as pitched new, innovative ideas to help revitalize Omeka S as a top-of-the-line site-builder.
Problem
Omeka S’s intimidating interfaces and complex navigation scare away new & beginner users
Users believe it takes too much time and effort to build a website on Omeka in comparison to other site-builder platforms.
Beginner users are intimidated by the technical vocabulary and complex task flow needed to operate Omeka S.
How might we reduce the technical obstacles and navigational friction users face while trying to build a website in order to increase user retention rates on Omeka S?
Process & Ideation
Our Answer: Renew Omeka S with a more beginner-friendly look-and-feel and introduce natural onboarding and easy generative features!
Step 1: Search for current user pain points & opportunities to delight
Step 2: Identify design goals to solve these issues and relieve users' cognitive load
Step 3: User testing to verify new design solutions effectively achieved our goals
Core Product Features
Newly-refreshed modern interface enjoyed by new users & long-time Omeka enthusiasts alike!
This redesign focuses on making Omeka look AND feel approachable than ever, reducing the learning curve for first-time users while preserving the powerful customization options our longtime community expects. The modernized interface streamlines common tasks with cleaner layouts and intuitive navigation, ensuring that whether users are building their first digital exhibit or managing a complex collection, the experience feels seamless, efficient, and visually cohesive.
Easily build pages, exhibits, or digital stories with intuitive drag-and-drop content blocks.
With the new drag-and-drop system, users can build everything from simple informational pages to complex, multi-part exhibits and immersive digital stories entirely through a visual interface. Users select from a library of pre-built content blocks (e.g. text boxes, assets, maps, timelines, etc.) and then arrange and customize them to match their vision. This new system also enables users to immediately see their changes on the same screen, without having to reload or open an external preview!
Generate a ready-to-use website template customized to your needs & vision with just a few clicks!
Many users, both new and old, often feel stressed when getting started with a completely blank page! We introduced a new guided setup process where users can type a prompt about their project, and Omeka AI can instantly generate a website template tailored to the project's needs. The resulting template comes pre-configured with appropriate layouts, color schemes, and content structures, giving users a ready-to-deploy foundation that can be further refined per the user's tastes. The new Omeka S can empower users to move from concept to a live, professional-looking site in minutes, rather than days or weeks!
Interactive Prototype
Omeka S: Empowering institutions & individuals to build and publish digital exhibit websites quickly & easily
Try generating a website or build from scratch!
Takeaways
Starting from scratch, collecting user metrics from the ground up — The Omeka team and Digital Scholar organization are committed to keeping Omeka S open-source and free from user data collection and tracking. That means, our UX consulting team had to work with minimal prior user research and metrics. We knew that user research and usability testing would be vital for tracking down major pain points and deciding what aspects of Omeka S should be prioritized in our re-design. It was interesting and eye-opening to see that users were experiencing frustrations in aspects that the Omeka team didn’t initially foresee, and is a further lesson into why proper user research & testing is so essential for creating user-centered experiences.
Consulting vs. Designing — While working as a UX design consultant , I learned about the differences between consulting as an external designer versus ideating as an internal employee. Consultation can mean suggesting actions and changes to your client that they might believe to be outside their scope & capacity. But in doing so, we can encourage our client to broaden their world view and imagine the expansive possibilities & growth their product can experience. I believe this was a great learning experience for myself, to understand UX design from both internal and external perspectives.
Thank you to my team: Nikhil, Radhika, and Xinyao (Charlene) for the lively and imaginative team dynamic we had while working together on this project; to Taylor for guiding us in our journey to broaden Omeka S’s potential; and to the Omeka team at Digital Scholar for this opportunity to help create an inspiring and revolutionary product!