Haywood Snapshot Project

Haywood Snapshot Project home page

The design of a website, informed by ethnography

User testing has long been important to the product design process, but it can only take product design so far. There is a world of potential that exists beyond what the typical user testing session can reveal. The Haywood Snapshot Project explores this potentiality by leveraging ethnographic research to inform the direction and layout of its online archive—all while building trust within the community most affected by it.

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Research & design challenge
Ethnography (or “fieldwork”) is a research method that employs firsthand observation to gather and analyze qualitative data.
Explore how ethnography can enhance the design of the Haywood Snapshot Project website, an online community archive and submission portal.
Team members, roles
Me - project, research, and design lead
Mike McLean, Carol Adams, Lorna Sterling, Roland Osborne, Michael Beadle, Carol Litchfield, Jeff Childers, Sharon Shook, Sharon Gardner, Kay Waller, Mark Stoffan, and Brock Sorrells - key community stakeholders and “co-designers” Techniques, tools used
Participant observation, loosely-structured interviews, artifact analysis, Squarespace
Timeline
Two months of research, one month to design and build proof of concept
My role
As initiator of the website, I was responsible for every aspect of it.
I conducted ethnographic research with key community stakeholders, translated that research into design insights, and those insights into a working website.
I also led the charge on organizing and running a workshop used to record entries for the website.
Photo showing me taking pictures of entries for the website at the workshop I organized
Approach
I was able to conduct my research by working as the museum manager for the Museum of Haywood County History (in Haywood County, NC).*
I worked closely with the organizers of this museum, the local historical society, and various other community members to determine the goals of the website, workshop, and submission portal.
*This role gave me “meaningful access,” which greatly influenced the quality of data
Museum responsibilities
As museum manager, I was responsible for learning the history of the museum, giving tours, doing community outreach, cataloging items within the museum, and developing new exhibitions.
It was by exercising these responsibilities that I was ultimately able to gain the insights needed to design the website (and establish proof of concept).
Project goals (as determined by community stakeholders)
Encourage residents to build community around local historical issues.
Uphold best practices for archival collection and processing.
Acknowledge the contributions of the original Haywood Snapshot Project.
Photo of the front of the Museum of Haywood County History, which is a white two story house with wrap-around porch
From ethnographic research...
By doing community outreach:
I learned that newer residents did not view their connection to the region as historically significant.
When told about the Haywood Snapshot Project, they would dismiss their ability to participate because they were “not from Haywood County.”
...to design insights (1)
In order to make newer residents feel historically connected to the region,
I organized the content on the home page not by date but by theme.
In doing so, I encouraged users to see the connection between “old” and “new,” and to understand that if one type is historically significant then the other must be, too.
Screenshot of the website’s home page showing content organized by theme
...to design insights (2)
On each detail page, I placed unique prompts encouraging users to consider the Haywood County of today and a CTA encouraging them to participate.
In doing so, I encouraged users to examine themselves and the roles they play in shaping their community, and to engage in this dialogue bridging historical and contemporary issues.
Screenshot of one of the website’s detail pages showing a content-specific prompt that reads ‘What does work look like in Haywood County today?’ next to the ‘Submit Your Snapshots’ button
Photo of the ‘Industries Room’ at the Museum of Haywood County History, which contains a large wooden case with artifacts from Dayco Rubber’s Waynesville plant and a large photograph on the wall of the same plant
From ethnographic research...
By working closely with the organizers of the museum (in this case, Mike McLean):
I learned the importance of historical accuracy and the ability to prove that historical items are what they claim.
This insight came from a discussion about a recent time capsule recovery. In some cases, it was unclear what the relevance of the capsule’s content was.
...to design insights
In order to uphold historical accuracy,
I designed the online submission portal to preserve the historically relevant information already embedded in smartphone photos as these photos are submitted.
That way, when the historians of the future are analyzing these photos, there would be no question of their claims or relevancy.
Screenshot of time and location-based information that gets embedded in a smartphone photos, displayed using the ‘Information’ section in Apple’s ‘Finder’ app
Photo of the ‘Louisa Chapel’ at the Museum of Haywood County History, which is located in the attic of the museum and contains early 1800’s-era pulpit and bench replicas
From ethnographic research...
Starting out in this role, I was actually planning to develop a different project by the name of the Haywood Wish Book.
However, it was by exploring the museum that I learned of the original Haywood Snapshot Project, how similar it was in its efforts, and how much work it had already done in gathering local historical photos.
...to design insights
By adopting the name and legacy of the Haywood Snapshot Project, I was able to increase browsing inventory by 121%, adding 75 photos on top of the 62 that were collected through the workshop and submission portal.
The name “Haywood Snapshot Project” also helped me establish more support and legitimacy within the local community.
Other insights for future interventions
Through my research I also learned that the project’s language was actually too broad for some residents.
Going forward, messaging would need to be tailored to address and engage with the specific communities within Haywood County.
Other insights for future interventions
I also learned that some participants preferred to remain anonymous, and that social media presented an opportunity for reaching out to contributors to build connections and solicit additional photos.
While intriguing, these insights require further investigation to determine if they are appropriate to develop.
Screenshots of email testimonials from community members endorsing the project
Screenshots of email testimonials from community members endorsing the project
Screenshot of Haywood Snapshot Project home page
A call to product
What might we learn by spending time with our target audience?
How might we translate these learnings into design insights?
How might an ethnographic approach reveal something that other research methods might not?
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