This week we discuss the recently redesigned website for the Museum of Modern Art. moma.org
Chunking: How to Design for a Brain That Can Only Hold Four Things
Your working memory holds about four things, not seven. Chunking groups loose information into meaningful units that slip past that limit, the psychology behind phone numbers, scannable pages, multi-step forms, and grouped navigation.




you should do a series on museum websites – particularly in new york (whitney, moma, new museum, met). most of these sites seem to be much bigger and more complex than they need to be. as if they’re trying to move the entire museum experience to the web. a museum site should support the core physical space (how to get there, what’s there), membership (giving members a white glove treatment) and education and a post visit experience.
in the first two categories, i’ve found the printed membership guide from moma to be much more useful than their website. sad but true, that print is better than online in this case.
the acid test for these sites is whether they have a nicely formatted mobile site. i’m usually looking for these details when i’m on the go – either in manhattan at another museum or just in the spaces during the day when i may want think of visiting the museum.
Your point about a mobile version of these museum sites is spot on. I have yet to actually see on and the big museums particularly like you in NY should seriously have something like that.