Designing smarter ways to search, archive, and digitally curate artworks
Working with the artist Jennifer Wen Ma to redesign her website from the ground up. The previous site, built over a decade ago, no longer reflected the scope or maturity of her work. The new design prioritizes clarity, searchability, and visual sophistication to let her artworks take center stage while aligning with her artistic and contemporary aesthetic voice.The website now serves as both a professional archive and a public-facing portfolio, making it easier for visitors to explore, search, and engage with her extensive body of work.Jennifer Wen Ma
CONTRIBUTORS
Jennifer Wen Ma Daniel Artugo Patrick Zhou
TOOLS
Figma HTML/CSS Javascript
ROLES
User Interface Designer UX Designer
Design
Making searches easier
Artworks Finder One of the key design goals was to make it easier for curators and art professionals to find relevant works quickly and intuitively. To support this, I designed a tag-based filtering system connected to a content management system of Jennifer’s projects. Users can browse artworks by selecting themes, mediums, or other tags, with the interface updating instantly to show matching results.
The interaction design draws inspiration from physical filing systems, inspired by tabbed folders, reinforcing the idea of an organized archive. This familiar metaphor helps create an experience that feels intuitive, much like flipping through records in a library or one could even say.....a museum!
Deliverables
How it works
From a UX perspective, the updated search functions emphasizes progressive disclosure, clear content hierarchy, and responsive feedback. It gives users a sense of control while keeping organized and cognizant of the archive structure. This makes the users' exploration fluid, personal, and all without losing context of Jennifer's work.
