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Digital Book Exhibit
This project focused on offering readers an accessible online resource to gain a general understanding of Darwin’s text and become aware of key insights derived from an original copy of the book.
ROLE
TEAM
CLIENT
DURATION
Analytical Research
Content Writing
Web Design
Information Architecture
UX Designer
University of Toronto
May - June
2019
Problem
Challenge
Solution
I designed a digital archive for Charles Darwin’s 'On the Origin of Species', a revolutionary banned book that was only available in print format with limited copies.
Using Omeka’s web-publishing platform, I created a digital book exhibit to preserve the revolutionary, historical, and scientific information contained in this book.
MY PROCESS
Research
Design
Prototype
Results
Research
Research
PRIMARY
I began my research by analyzing a print copy of the original book, currently housed by the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. I extracted notable insights from select pages in the book and to provide a reference point for users.
SECONDARY
I examined scholarly critiques that provided information on crucial insights of the book to deepen the reader’s understanding of the material. These research articles are cited on the “References” page of the website.
View References
CONTEXTUAL RESOURCES
I also explored Darwin's background and the historical era he was writing in to demonstrate how this book disrupted social norms. I discussed widespread protests, relevant legal trials, news articles and letters written about the claims Darwin made in his book.
Design
Design
COPYWRITING
Prior to adding content onto Omeka's platform, I wrote copy with a UX focus and an academic tone. It was comprised of a formal, clear and concise writing style to connect with a wide audience of readers.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
In order to ensure that the website followed an organized, hierarchal sequence, I mapped out the information. The order was inspired by an essay style format that was divided into five main categories: introduction, body paragraphs, a conclusion, and bibliography. This navigation was ideal for the reader, since it was limited to 5 tabs and 1-2 word headings that would facilitate comprehension and engagement.
PAGE LAYOUT
Following the devised site information structure, I uploaded the text, images, and documents into their respective categories. This involved a computer programming technique to upload data. First they were categorized as ‘Items’, then organized into ‘Collections’. The last step was to add the ‘Collections’ to a single ‘Exhibit’ category.
Results
Results
This project introduced me to the process of digital creation that marks the beginning of my UX journey. Due to the short project timeline, I was unable to learn and apply visually engaging UI principles to my design. Despite the drawbacks, this project’s independent nature allowed me to apply my theoretical knowledge into a practical, web application development framework.
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