Website redesigns are daunting projects that touch the entire spectrum of your users: from every sector of your public to every department in your organization. The scale and reach of these undertakings make them uniquely challenging. The Met, MoMA, and the Whitney have recently redesigned their websites, and each institution approached the project in a different way. This will be a frank discussion about how we did them, what worked, and what didn’t. Topics will include but not be limited to: -Introducing the highly-anticipated and closely-watched project in an inclusive and participatory way. -Redesigning and launching in phases as opposed to a single, massive unveiling. -Creating an inclusive project management structure that allows for many line cooks in the kitchen but only a few chefs. -Designing and developing in an agile manner is a given. Getting a wary organization to understand, trust, and value the methodology is challenging. -Incorporating regular user testing into the design and development process in a cross-departmental, sustainable, and informative way. -Choosing the right approach for the project parameters i.e. time, budget, goals. (For The Met, time was the single most influential factor in how we approached the work. The hard deadline of the brand relaunch meant the approach had to result in a wholesale launch including the new brand identity in a short timeframe.) -When a re-branding is involved, how to navigate the complications and risks. -In the Whitney’s case, the site was redesigned several years ago and we will reflect on how the website now fits into the larger digital strategy, and with hindsight, what aspects of the site make achieving our current goals easier or more complex at this stage; the impact of the graphic identity/brand on the site development; and how the site now fits into the overarching strategy of institutional storytelling. Speakers Session Leader : Shannon Darrough, Director, Digital Media, MoMA Speaker : Sofie Andersen, Director of Digital Media, Whitney Museum of American Art Speaker : Liz Filardi, Producer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Speaker : Loic Tallon, Deputy Chief of Digital, The Metropolitan Museum of Art MCN 2016 Presenting Sponsor: Piction New Orleans, LA