Museum seeks a developer to supply, install and implement enterprise-level website Content Management System (‘CMS’) and search solutions (‘Search’) as well as holistic analysis, redesign, and implementation of Museum’s website (front and back ends), including all derivative versions of website content as delivered via internet-connected media platforms such as mobile devices, kiosks, and third party services (social networking sites, widgets, YouTube, etc.) as further described in the attached documents. Following relaunch of the re-built website, Museum hopes to retain said developer for additional licensing, consulting, maintenance, and web-related implementation/programming services at Museum’s sole option(s).”

With those extraordinarily unemotional words from a government-backed Request For Proposal, we began a spiritual and emotional two-year odyssey that ended when we delivered a redesigned version of the website of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum—a living memorial to the Holocaust. 

Beyond memorializing the millions murdered during the Nazi Holocaust, the Museum “inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.” 

Since its dedication in 1993, the Museum has welcomed more than 40 million visitors, including 99 heads of state and more than ten million school-age children. Its website is the world’s leading online authority on the Holocaust, is available in 16 languages, and was visited in 2015 by more than 16.5 million people representing 211 countries and territories.

Created in consultation with Ralph Appelbaum Associates (designers of the museum), UX consultant Whitney Hess, and core museum staff, our redesign of the USHMM remains a deeply personal and professional high point. 

Visit the site.

Our responsibilities on this project

Research; user experience design; information architecture; content strategy; interface design; front-end code; back-end development.