The Henry Ford Museum
With over 1.6 million annual visitors, The Henry Ford is one of America’s most iconic museums. However, its website was largely outdated. While at Perficient, I teamed up with The Henry Ford to re-organize the site and reshape its identity as the leading institution for American innovation and ingenuity.
My Must-Sees
My Must-Sees is an interactive exhibit built for The Henry Ford. With 26 million unique artifacts, the museum can sometimes seem overwhelming to its guests. To help visitors make the most of their stay, we created a filtered catalogue of each exhibit and artifact. Within the deck, I crafted short teasers for each attraction. These had to be no more than 250 characters to fit on the card, while still being descriptive and engaging.
See the project here.
Custom Mapping
Once a user is satisfied with their selections, attractions are displayed on a custom-designed Google Map of the museum and Greenfield Village.
Explore The Henry Ford
The “Explore” section takes visitors behind the scenes, exploring the inventors, innovators, and curators who made history. This space moves beyond the confines of the museum, granting new perspectives on old stories, asking thought-provoking questions, and revisiting what it means to challenge the norm.
What If?
This section focused on people who tested the limits of their world. I researched, outlined, and formulated these articles, combining expert interviews, published scholars, and featured artifacts within the collection.
Corliss Steam Engine
While the Corliss Steam Engine is one of the largest pieces in the collection, online visitors are rarely excited about 19th-century steam engines. Here, I focused on the narrative — the unbelievable tale of George Corliss and the lasting impact his engine had on the future of American industry.
Read the article here.
Ford-Lotus
Being so intricately tied to the Ford Motor Company, The Henry Ford takes tremendous pride in their automobile collection. However, the Ford-Lotus is more than just another story about a car. It’s the tale of an inspiring driver, the collaboration between rival teams, and a revolutionary approach to racecar design that would forever change the sport.
Read the article here.
Inside The Henry Ford
Inside The Henry Ford grants readers a glimpse into the stories behind the artifacts. These articles explain the motivation for certain exhibits and the process of restoring and preserving artifacts.
Driving America
For Driving America, I aimed to walk readers through the methods of organizing a major exhibit. Here, I focused on one central question: how do we create an experience that appeals to both car enthusiasts and casual drivers alike?
See the exhibit here.
Ford Mark IV
This piece reveals how The Henry Ford got its hands on the first and only American-built car to win the esteemed Le Mans 24-hour circuit — the 1967 Ford Mark IV. Here, we were careful to illustrate the difference between conservation and restoration. The Henry Ford conserved the racer, maintaining the dings and dents that reveal its storied past.
Read the article here.
