ROM—Canadian Mining Hall of Fame

Explore Canada’s mining heritage with interactive learning

OVERVIEW

A celebration of legends

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is one of Canada’s most renowned cultural institutions, dedicated to showcasing the natural world and human civilizations through its diverse collections and exhibits. Upholding a commitment to education, research, and the preservation of history, the ROM serves as a gateway for millions of visitors to explore and understand the rich heritage of our world. The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (CMHF) exhibit, a prominent feature within the ROM, honors the individuals and their monumental contributions to the mining industry in Canada. This exhibit, now revitalized, seamlessly integrates the CMHF’s legacy into the museum’s ongoing efforts to educate and inspire. The exhibit not only celebrates the history and achievements of the mining industry but also underscores the ROM’s dedication to connecting visitors with the stories that have shaped the nation.

GOALS

Designing an interactive kiosk and WordPress site for the CMHF

The primary goals of this project were to create a responsive, user-friendly interactive kiosk design and an accessible WordPress website that effectively showcased the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. The design incorporates various features to enhance user engagement, including a location map as an alternative pathway for users to explore inductees and navigate to their biography pages. Additionally, the inclusion of educational videos provides users with more information about the minerals and substances involved in mining, as well as recent tribute videos for inductees.

CHALLENGES

Designing a fully accessible and bilingual interface

One of the key design challenges was seamlessly adapting the kiosk interface for a responsive website. The kiosk, intended for a museum setting, required a fully bilingual interface that could scale effectively across different platforms. The large interactive screen demanded navigation controls that were accessible to all users, including those in wheelchairs. Additionally, the design had to mitigate glare when projected in the exhibit space, ensuring strong readability and legibility of type sizes. The user interface needed to embody a sophisticated tone, reflecting the historical significance of the exhibit.

SOLUTIONS

Sophisticated design to engage viewers at the ROM

To address the design challenges, the design team worked closely with developers to create a solution that smoothly transitioned the kiosk design into a responsive website without requiring extensive custom efforts. The navigation controls were positioned at the bottom of the screen to accommodate users in wheelchairs, and buttons were designed with large click states for better functionality on the large screen. The UI was enhanced with a dark background to reduce glare and larger type sizes for better readability. The design incorporated angular, horizontal, and vertical lines inspired by the Canadian Maple Leaf in the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame logo, which helped create a strong hierarchy between elements. The use of colour was minimal, with gold accents in the linework to reinforce branding, and the typography was updated to DIN 2014 Narrow for a cohesive and sophisticated appearance.

RESULTS

Eye-catching design & enhanced user experience at the ROM

The result is a refreshed, cleverly branded interactive kiosk design that is both eye-catching and informative. The enhanced user experience allows visitors to quickly access information and easily navigate the kiosk to learn about the history and achievements of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame inductees. The introduction of a locations map offers an additional pathway for users to explore inductees and their biographies, while the inclusion of educational videos provides deeper insights into mining and recent tributes to inductees. This design will serve as a compelling and educational exhibit for ROM visitors, showcasing the significant contributions of the Canadian mining industry.

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