Yale Peabody Museum Interactive Experience Design
📌 Project Overview
The Yale Peabody Museum (YPM), part of Yale University, launched a full-scale renovation in 2020 to enhance its research and collections programs. As part of this transformation, YPM identified 15 key areas for interactive kiosks, designed to enrich the visitor experience by presenting Yale’s natural science research through digital multimedia, extending storytelling beyond traditional artifacts.
During a year-long collaboration, I worked with a cross-functional team to develop a digital content strategy and design interactive experiences that complemented the physical galleries while making complex scientific stories more accessible and engaging for a wide range of museum visitors.
🤝Client: Yale Peabody Museum
🏭 Industry: Educational Interactive Experience, Museum
⏳ Project Duration: April 2023 – January 2024
🛠 Tools: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite,UserInterviews.com, Unreal Engine
👥 Team Composition: 2 UX Designers · 1 Graphic Designer · 3 Developers · 1 Project Manager
🎯 Goals & Impact
The project required scalable solutions that could meet fixed institutional deadlines while supporting long-term maintainability across both content and software. As a public-facing educational experience, each kiosk needed to serve a wide spectrum of first-time and returning visitors—ranging from children to academic experts—while remaining accessible, visually integrated with its gallery environment, and adaptable to varied content needs.
In its first year post-reopening, YPM saw a 220% increase in attendance, welcoming over 415,000 visitors. The kiosks played a crucial role in this growth, offering dynamic, self-guided experiences that enhanced accessibility, encouraged deeper exploration, and expanded the museum’s reach.
👤 My Role
I was responsible for UX and UI design across 15 interactive kiosks, leading the end-to-end process for 9 of them.
My work spanned user flows, low- and high-fidelity prototypes, interaction design, and a scalable design system with a reusable component library. I also contributed to front-end implementation using Unreal UMG to support design feasibility and accelerate delivery.
Beyond core delivery, I initiated several explorative projects grounded in the museum context—from multimedia user experience research to immersive, game-based interactions—focused on how different mediums influence public engagement and learning.
Read More →
✨ Highlight & Key Contribution
# Tackle Ambiguity Through Prototyping & IterationFacing undefined content, shifting construction plans, and a complex stakeholder landscape, I initiated rapid prototyping efforts to move the project forward. These early prototypes helped internal teams and external reviewers align by turning abstract ideas into tangible outputs. Across kiosks, I co-led multiple concept directions and guided up to five major iteration cycles—refining the structure, interaction, and visual design along the way.
#Adapting Content Strategy Through Cognitive MappingUser testing revealed that some kiosks had overly dense or conceptually complex content. In response, I collaborated with Yale faculty and curators to restructure narrative flows based on visitor cognition. This involved mapping knowledge levels, simplifying information hierarchies, and balancing scientific depth with public accessibility.
#Translating User Research into Actionable DesignAt key milestones, I helped plan and conduct user testing sessions to evaluate usability, clarity, and comprehension. After each round, I analyzed feedback to identify friction points, uncover unmet needs, and prioritize updates—ensuring design decisions were always grounded in real user responses. Subsequent user testing showed significantly improved visitor comprehension and dwell time.
#Proactive Expansion to Meet Project NeedsLate in the project, a revised phased-opening strategy compressed the delivery timeline. To help meet this shift, I took the initiative to learn Unreal UMG and supported front-end implementation—building layouts, animations, and interaction logic. I also collaborated with developers to revise assets for feasibility and ensure that the kiosks shipped on time and met quality standards.
🚀 Outcomes & Deliverables Showcase
Thanks for scrolling! Curious to know more?
This case study is a condensed overview of a multi-month project.
I’d be happy to share more process and details.
Feel free to get in touch.