MCN 2026

Museums are among the most trusted institutions in our world, but do our digital interfaces earn or erode that trust? Long-lived digital products such as online collections, educational resources, and online exhibitions represent significant investments and access points for museums. Ensuring that these products are easy and enjoyable to use is central to maintaining public trust and institutional longevity. In other words, trust is a UX issue.

This session explores the origin, structure, and impact of the Smithsonian’s User Experience (UX) Lab, a pan-institutional program designed to embed user research into everyday digital decision-making. Launched by the Office of Digital and Innovation as an internal service offering, the UX Lab partners with museums, libraries, and research units to conduct usability studies that generate actionable findings and build a more user-centered culture across a complex organization. 

The presentation will highlight several UX Lab studies, including one focused on the National Museum of American History’s online collections catalog and related discovery experiences. Attendees will learn how key audiences such as researchers, educators, and history enthusiasts interact with museums online, where their expectations break down, and what that reveals about long-term risks and design opportunities for improving digital collections platforms.

The session concludes with practical takeaways from across the 18 UX Lab studies conducted so far that any museum—regardless of size, budget, or technical maturity—can apply to improve digital experiences and support their mission for the long haul.