Kerala Museum

Collaborating with Kerala Museum to redesign a mobile-first, accessible, and community-centered digital experience.

Client

Kerala Museum

Timeline

Jan – May 2025

Role

UX Designer / Researcher

Team

4 designers and researchers

Kerala Museum UI preview

What is the Kerala Museum?

🏛 Evolution of the Museum

Kerala Museum, established in 1987, has undergone a remarkable transformation. Originally positioned as a tourist destination, under Director Aditi’s leadership it has evolved into a vibrant and cultural hub for the community.

🖼 Museum Offerings

The museum offers multi-sensory exhibitions of local history, engaging lectures and talks, immersive performing arts, and community events.

“A progressive community center with a voice for the unvoiced.”

– Community Member

Kerala Museum overview image
Kerala Museum overview image

Challenges

Challenges image Because our team is remote and none of us had visited the physical museum, we needed a research-driven approach to avoid bias. From interviews, audits, and desk research, we surfaced three root issues:

  • Gaps in Digital Engagement: Community members often bypassed the site and relied on museum staff or social media for updates.
  • Accessibility & Inclusion Barriers: Inconsistent language, limited local‐language support, and structural complexity excluded many potential users.
  • Usability & Navigation Issues: The site structure was overloaded with subcategories, making core actions (visits, events, tickets) hard to find.

Research & Insights

We interviewed 7 local users and museum staff, conducted benchmarking across 13 cultural institutions, and ran tree tests comparing old vs proposed information architecture. Insights from quotes, tests, and competitive audits shaped our direction.

Affinity Map
Affinity mapping of user interviews and staff feedback, highlighting key pain points and opportunities
Benchmarking
Benchmarking of competitors such as National Museum of New Delhi and Kochi-Muziris Biennale to analyze their approaches to community engagement and digital outreach
Competitive analysis
Competitive analysis comparing digital strategies, accessibility, and user engagement across leading museums in India and globally

Key Users

Our design needed to serve a variety of current and target audiences who interact with the museum (KM) in different ways:

  • Local Community Members: Visitors, families, students who want easy access to events and cultural content.
  • Researchers & Academics: Users interested in archives, exhibitions, and deeper content.
  • Museum Staff & Curators: Internal users managing content, events, and visitor communications.
  • Global Audience: Cultural enthusiasts abroad who want to experience Kerala Museum digitally.

Process

Sketches & Wireframes

From sketches and low-fidelity wireframes, we moved into mid- and high-fidelity mockups in Figma. We annotated screens to reflect design rationale, following our guiding principles of explore, connect, and engage.

Initial wireframe sketches exploring navigation, event discovery, and accessibility features
Wireframe showing basic information architecture optimized for a responsive mobile UI

Early Testing

We tested three core flows with seven participants (some bilingual). Feedback informed improvements in navigation labels, FAQ clarity, event filters, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility enhancements.

Mid-fidelity mockup illustrating improved navigation, event discovery, and accessibility features based on user feedback
High-fidelity screen showing final UI refinements for mobile and desktop, including accessible event filters and streamlined layouts

Solution Approach

To address the challenges, we formulated three guiding principles and aligned our design decisions accordingly:

  • Explore: enhance discovery and community storytelling
  • Connect: enable accessible communication and event interaction
  • Engage: simplify navigation and make content intuitive
annotation legend
Annotation legend of our core principles
workflow gif
Workflow animation showing the redesigned user journey from homepage exploration to event registration and ticket purchase
Annotated Homepage
Homepage annotation showing engagement zones & navigation cues — we designed a landing experience to quickly captivate and convert visitors
Plan a visit
Plan a visit with ease through curated messaging and strategic information flow
Event filtering UI
Event filtering UI for easy discovery of upcoming programs, workshops, and performances
Past Events
Past events archive with filters for year, type, and accessibility — users can browse previous programs, performances, and exhibitions
Buy tickets
Buy tickets interface with clear pricing, accessibility options, and streamlined checkout for visitors

Explore the full design artifacts:

Blog Post Design Presentation View Prototype

Impact & User Feedback

User Feedback

“Woah, this site is beautiful! I love the use of colors.”

-User quote

Users praised the visual clarity, improved navigation, and inclusive language. We refined the FAQ, event flows, and mobile layouts based on their input.

Looking Ahead

Built as a flexible framework, the redesign supports:

  • Dynamic event & exhibition updates
  • Content in Malayalam & English
  • Social media integration for real-time content
  • Modular CMS tools for staff curation & scaling

Next Steps & Lessons Learned

Future Implementation

Integrate CMS systems, enable community content submissions, refine localization (Malayalam/English), and build dynamic tools for staff engagement and feedback.

Lessons Learned

  • Remote UX work demands deep empathy, local input, and rigorous testing.
  • Cultural context must drive interface choices, not just aesthetics.
  • Modular design and clear navigation help scale complexity gracefully.