Painting of a woman

Web Kiosk Online Collections

Customizing Gallery Systems’ Web Kiosk collections publishing software to create accessible online collections
  • Client:
    San Diego Museum of Art
  • Services:
    Design, Development, Collections

The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) planned to use Web Kiosk, Gallery Systems’ collections-focused web publishing software, to make their entire collection available online. BPOC worked with the SDMA to theme and implement Web Kiosk, creating a modern, fully responsive, visually appealing collections website.

Browse collections interface

One of the oldest and largest art museums in the region, The San Diego Museum of Art’s collections include a number of Spanish master paintings, and a broad range of European, American, Latin American, and Asian art. Prior to using Web Kiosk, SDMA’s online collections was designed specifically for desktop display, limited to collection highlights, and lacked a fully functioning search. As SDMA uses EmbARK as their collection management system, the Museum decided to integrate the Web Kiosk publishing platform to manage online presentation of their collections. Choosing a new system to present the Museum’s collections also provided the opportunity for a design refresh. SDMA hired BPOC to assist in this design and development work.

Explore collection page

Throughout the project process, BPOC met regularly with SDMA’s collections stakeholders to ensure the Web Kiosk implementation met the needs of their target audience. During the planning stages, BPOC conducted brainstorming sessions to document institutional goals that led to the final design and experience. Using the information from the brainstorming sessions, BPOC prepared design comps for SDMA’s review and approval. Using these comp, BPOC applied custom theming to Web Kiosk that included a customized search feature. As part of the implementation custom scripts were applied to pull daily updates from EmbARK to Web Kiosk to provide real time data online.

Individual object record page

The redesigned collections website connects to SDMA’s collections database (EmbARK) and therefore requires minimal maintenance. The site design uses the same visual language as the Museum’s main site and emphasizes the art itself, relying on collections-based banner images. The site is responsive, and optimized for growing mobile audiences. The option to browse or use advanced search functionality allows everyone, from the casual visitor to the serious researcher, to find something that interests them. Overall, the collections website is a good representation of SDMA’s mission to inspire, educate, and cultivate curiosity through great works of art.