Website Information Architecture and Design Concepts

We seek a web designer to create structure and design options for our nonprofit website. We are currently using Wix, but as part of a rebrand, we are considering switching to Squarespace (very open to any suggestions!). The volunteer should assess and incorporate our goals and needs and consider our key audiences. The designer should also assess our technical capabilities. The project's deliverable is a draft of architecture and design concepts that we can easily share with a member of our team who will use the guide to create our new site.

Our work will take place over multiple meetings in six to nine weeks. In our first meeting, the volunteer should interview us about our desired features, our web capabilities, and our technical expertise. Then, they'll synthesize the information into a requirements briefing. We'll engage in various check-ins, where a member of our team will provide feedback. The volunteer will audit our current site to create a draft of site architecture and design options including wireframes, site structure, and other visual elements.

Maine Discovery Museum's mission is to help people of all ages discover the world around them through creative exploration and science. We began as a traditional children's museum when we opened in 2001 and our three floors of exhibits are still geared primarily for children. In 2012, we hired a new executive director who began to really strengthen our science focus and, while the museum itself is still family-focused, we have added a plethora of programming for older students and adults. In 2023, we hired our current executive director, who is leading us through a feasibility study as the first step towards a capital campaign for a new building that will allow us to truly be a science center and children's museum. We welcome 60,000 people through our doors annually, but we reach an additional 15,000 people across the state of Maine, primarily in rural, underserved areas, through programming we run outside of our walls. Our current website is focused on the children's museum we have been, and doesn't accurately portray the true scope of our work. We hope our volunteer can help us redesign our website to be a tool that helps us show our impact and the amazing work we do with a small (but mighty) team!

We have already thought about and are prepared to brief you about our current website platform, budget restrictions for the build, our branding collaterals and norms, and information about our stakeholder groups and target audiences. We've also compiled some photos and have some language developed that we will share with you and samples of sites we like.