Robust Design Tools
Both HAI and JCU understood the importance of compelling design in attracting and retaining the public’s interest in the online exhibition. Given the breadth and depth of the Tim Russert story, the teams chose to use CultureConnect’s Advanced Interactive tool.
The Advanced Interactive online exhibition is organized into 4 primary themes:
- Life at a Glance
- Strong Foundations
- Meet the Press
- Beyond the Studio
Within each theme are dozens of related stories. To accommodate these diverse stories, a unique digital content strategy was created for each theme to ensure that the archival materials and related stories were showcased in the best light. To maintain cohesion, the style of the app pulls from the John Carroll University branding while carefully folding in archival materials as design flourishes throughout the experience. Deploying these archival design flourishes helps to add depth to the app design, the audience’s understanding of Tim Russert, and visual access to the archive itself.
Easy-to-use content management platform
The CultureConnect product was an excellent fit for JCU’s maintenance needs. CultureConnect’s product is an annual subscription that includes all customer support and technical maintenance by a dedicated development team. This means that JCU can focus on their content and online exhibition marketing without getting into the weeds of technical maintenance.
The CultureConnect content management platform is web-based and no code, meaning that JCU team members can work from home or on campus and do not need a technical background to add or edit content.
Now the JCU team can evolve the online exhibition 24/7 as archival research and stories develop over time.
Analytics
A built-in analytics dashboard helps students and faculty to understand how the online exhibition is performing. Data points are collected by GA4 (Google Analytics) and displayed in an easy to read dashboard. These metrics help JCU understand which stories are most interesting to their audience, which elements may need to be improved, and the data to continually iterate on the digital strategy as their audience evolves.
