Chair
Brian Hewitt, UX Architect/Front-end Developer, Corning Museum of Glass
Brian Hewitt is a veteran UX/UI designer and developer, with more than 20 years of experience across various sectors. Past work includes leading front-end development and accessibility initiatives at e-commerce grocery retailer, Peapod; managing web and print design and production for the research and advocacy organization, Population Action International; and designing and developing educational web sites and interactive materials at NASA’s Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics. In his first museum role, he currently leads user experience research/testing and interactive design at the Corning Museum of Glass. Brian has a multidisciplinary physics degree from American University in Washington, DC; studied design and fine art at the Corcoran College of Art + Design; and received a Master of Fine Art degree from Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. Brian is an artist, runner, and board and role-playing game enthusiast. He lives with his wife and pancake-loving blind dog in Corning, New York.
Mission
Humans are at the heart of every museum interaction: visitors who enter a physical front door, users who explore a website, fans interacting on social media, community members looking for support, museum staff and volunteers who create and nurture these spaces. In human-centered design, we seek to understand the needs of these people, and place those needs at the center of our work. The Human-Centered Design SIG aims to foster conversations in the MCN community and beyond about who we serve, how to understand their needs, and the role that museums can and should play in the broader human community. We begin with the principle that accessibility and equity are essential to museums, and place service to the community and world at the core of our work.
Communication
Message board on the Member Portal
Topics
- Best practices and strategies for centering experience design
- Integrating conversations about the visitor experience into the museum’s digital and
analog processes - Exploring and advocating for best practices for inclusion and access