As the Arts Initiative Coordinator at the University of Michigan, I designed an integrated system to help student artists, staff curators, and community partners understand where, how, and when to exhibit work across the Michigan Union, League, and Pierpont Commons. The work connected digital infrastructure (web, forms) with physical space planning and institutional workflows to improve clarity, accessibility, and institutional memory.
Design Problem
University Unions offered a variety of gallery and display spaces for student and faculty artwork, but there was no centralized digital infrastructure for artists to understand where, how, and when they could exhibit. The submission process was fragmented, space details were not visible online, and institutional coordination (e.g., contracts, installation workflows) lacked clear documentation.
I set out to design a system that improves human–computer interaction across multiple user types (student artists, staff curators, and community partners) by building tools that enable clarity, accessibility, and organizational continuity.
Research & Strategy
To frame the design approach, I led a multi-method research phase that included:
- Heuristic evaluation of the existing submission form and Unions web structure
- Ongoing stakeholder check-ins with Senior Associate Directors and Program Staffs to understand institutional goals and constraints
- On-site display audits of the buildings to document logistics
- Comparative analysis of peer institution galleries for structural and UX benchmarks
These insights revealed three strategic priorities:
- Clarify submission flows through role-specific guidance
- Visualize physical spaces to improve pre-installation planning and decision making
- Systematize documentation, signage, and rotation strategy
System Development
Webpage & Submission System
- Prototyped a dedicated “Arts at the Unions” webpage for the uunions.umich.edu site, aligned with the university's information architecture
- Iterated three versions of two key sections, conducted a stakeholder survey to collect design preferences, and finalized the layout based on results
- Presented the final prototype in a formal stakeholder proposal, including layout logic, user roles, and implementation notes
- Rebuilt the submission form with conditional logic separating internal and external users, improving clarity and administrative efficiency
- Refined copy and flow to match institutional tone and accessibility standards
Display Strategy & Mapping
- Created site-specific visual maps of art spaces, annotated with size, lighting, and usage conditions
- Proposed modular signage and rotation strategy for recurring programs (e.g., BHM, Women’s History Month)
- Archived past installations with photo documentation to support future curation and records
Workflow Infrastructure
- Coordinated department-specific SignNow setup for digital art loan agreements
- Assisted in live exhibition installs
Deliverables
- Exhibition Maps
- University Unions Display Area Guide (UM login required)↗
- Webpage Mockup
Reflection
Working on this project taught me that designing for an institution is not just about making a nice interface. The website, physical spaces, forms, and staff workflows are all connected, so I needed to think about the whole system, not only one screen or one poster.
If I did this again, I would involve stakeholders earlier. Because the initiative was new, ideas like updating the webpage or changing signage took many rounds of explanation and adjustment. Next time, I would try co-design workshops and set clear feedback points from the beginning so that marketing, facilities, and programming staff can share their ideas and feel ownership over the final result.
This project also showed me that the tools I used—process maps, conditional logic for forms, and clear visual documentation—can be reused in many other contexts, such as community archives, nonprofit events, or public-facing digital tools. I now feel more confident building simple, repeatable systems that help different people understand their roles and work together more smoothly.