Parent and child observing an interactive ID display to accompany an exhibit case with preserved bird specimens and a large Audobon book.

Object ID system

California Academy of Sciences,
San Francisco

2022

A responsive web app built to explore all the specimens and artifacts in the Hidden Wonder’s exhibit. Explored both on personal mobile devices and 15 installed touchscreens. Content in four languages which was a first for the museum.

QR code to explore the mobile view of the digital IDs on your phone

In the gallery, there are 15” monitors installed as kiosks, one for each exhibit case. If visitors choose to use their mobile device they can scan the QR code on the content rail at the bottom of the case. The responsive layout for this web app creates a unified experience across touchpoints.

Scan this QR to experience the web app for yourself!

Flowchart of a mobile app interface design for a hidden wonders exhibit. Visitors navigate between home pages, credits, object detail pages, and list views of the group of specimens.

Product flow chart. How visitors explore content in this exhibit. Created as a modular design to scale to be used for future exhibits.

User testing at all stages of development.

The Team

Andrew Sawyer – Visual Design & UX
Tina Besa
– Animation
Anna Simmons
– Content
Adrienne Van Allen
– Content
Gayle Laird
– Photography
Josh Ause
– Web Development