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The Project of a Lifetime

November 9, 2009 by 24 Comments

I’m on the Amtrak down to Washington, D.C. as I write this. Tomorrow (Monday) I start a new project that will likely be the biggest professional challenge I’ve ever faced and will carry profound personal significance as well.

Happy Cog East in Philadelphia was recently awarded the website redesign project for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and a couple weeks ago they asked me to join the team. All day tomorrow and Tuesday we will be kicking off the project at the museum with our partners Ralph Appelbaum Associates (designers of the museum) and core museum staff.

A large part of the tremendous privilege I feel is because I am a Jewish American and thus have an indelible sensitivity to both the effects of the Holocaust on my ancestry and to the crucial role the U.S. played in ending the genocide.

I visited the museum for the first time when I was in the 7th grade and it had an intense effect on me. It’s impossible for me to dissociate the Holocaust itself from the Holocaust Museum, and almost any mention of the Holocaust immediately evokes visions of the shoe room. I have been back twice more and each time I learn so much more about and feel more connected to my history.

Another main reason for my excitement is that I am incredibly proud of strategic contribution I get to make to this prestigious organization by helping to better understand and better serve its wide-ranging constituencies.

And lastly, I’m thrilled to have the chance to collaborate with the folks at Happy Cog East, among the leading practitioners in the industry today. My deepest thanks go to Kevin Hoffman, Robert Jolly and Greg Hoy for involving me, and to Jeffrey Zeldman for his ongoing support.

I am so humbled by this opportunity and can’t wait to do the best work of my life. But I doubt it will feel like work at all — it will be a mitzvah.

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About

Whitney Hess is a coach and writer helping product teams and senior leaders make better decisions through the principles of user experience. She believes empathy builds empires.

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  • http://www.thisisaaronslife.com/ Aaron Irizarry

    Congrats! This sounds like an amazing opportunity, and I am sure they are going to benefit greatly from having you on board.

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      Thank you, Aaron! You are always such a great encouragement to me.

  • http://twitter.com/JoshShear Josh Shear

    Whitney, that's awesome. Congratulations.

    You know, apart from the emotion spurred by a visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum because of the exhibits (content), the floor plan (user interface) of the museum is a huge part of the experience for me.

    Most other museums I've been to, whatever they are meant for, have individual items of interest displayed on hallways in between themed rooms, with the goal being to get visitors to the rooms they are most interested in.

    The only two other places I can point to where the interface was as much a part of the exhibit as the content were the children's exhibit at Yad V'Ashem in Jerusalem (you walk in on a catwalk and see one candle below you reflected in a million mirrors at various angles while names of children are read over a loudspeaker) and a Post Secret exhibit I saw where you were able to see through the walls the postcards were tacked up on, so that you could see the reactions of other people reading the secrets.

    Congratulations on the project, I can't wait to see its progression!

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      I couldn't agree with you more, Josh. I was at Yad Vashem last summer and it was a wildly moving experience. I haven't seen the Post Secret exhibit, but a good friend of mine did and she said she still thinks about it years later. It's not just the subject matter (though that's certainly part of it) but using the design of the museum to shape the experience is incredibly powerful and it's something other spaces should do a better job of.

  • http://twitter.com/WhoIsAndyBarnes Andy Barnes

    The museum is a national treasure. Congrats!

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      I couldn't have put it better. Thank you so much.

  • http://www.elisabethhubert.com/ Lis Hubert

    Congrats and good luck! And as always Have Fun :-)

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      That isn't going to be difficult I imagine. Thanks so much :)

  • ellieoc

    congrats….NOW I know who won that proposal. It was the hottest RFP here in DC. Let me just say, it is a pure pleasure to be beaten by you and the group from Happy Cog. I can't wait to see the magic you all perform on such an important project.

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      Thanks so much, Ellie! I wasn't involved in the RFP process, but I'm thrilled that Happy Cog East pulled me in.

  • http://uxbooth.com/ Andrew Maier

    Congratulations Whitney! I can't wait to see the results of your collaboration.

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      I can't wait either! Thanks so much :)

  • http://www.danielmall.com/ Dan Mall

    Congrats Whitney! I know you'll be a wonderful addition to a fantastic team. Looking forward to seeing how this project progresses!

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      Of course I wish you were part of it! Hope things are going really well for you. We should get together soon.

  • http://twitter.com/brianjdurkin brianjdurkin

    I am so happy for you Whitney. Congratulations.

    • http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog Whitney Hess

      Yay thanks!

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  • http://aol.com Debera Mayers

    Informative blog . Keep educating people
    i think your page will get more views , Thanks

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