From paper prototypes to powerful stories of architecture, history, and humanity

When The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) wanted to elevate their renovated galleries with two new engaging interactive touchscreens, they sought out Night Kitchen Interactive.  One touchscreen centers on the architecture of New Orleans and invites visitors to build their own French Quarter house. The other maps out the transatlantic and intra-american slave trade in America, focusing on Louisiana as a hub. We worked with HNOC to develop two concepts that meet their interpretative  goals while staying cohesive to their gallery space.

The homes of the French Quarter are as diverse and distinct and the people who built them over the years. We were tasked with turning this infinite combination of architectural types and styles into an approachable and fun touchscreen activity. Together we walked the streets to hone in on the essential components of French Quarter architecture.

Onsite user testing with visitors was a key phase of this process. We workshopped ideas and tested concepts with audiences through a hybrid paper and digital prototyping process. Through testing we gained essential insights that shaped how the project took form, helping us create an experience that is accurate, engaging, and designed to genuinely delight museum visitors.

We relied primarily on the research conducted by the HNOC team to design the touchscreen experience focusing on the slave trade in America. We identified early on that the project would require trauma-informed design, allowing visitors to explore the material at their individual comfort levels. A majority of the storytelling opportunities came from shipping manifests. Across the hundreds of enslaved passengers, the record of only a handful of names made it to the present day. It’s a challenging story that required a delicate hand, and we worked with The Historic New Orleans Collection to develop a strategy for telling it carefully.

Work on these in-gallery touchscreen experiences has begun and visitors can enjoy them alongside The Historic New Orleans Collection’s 2029 gallery overhaul.