In our latest prototyping sprint on the Ford’s campus we tested out a concept Ford’s has long-considered: character cards representing historical figures whose stories patrons follow through the exhibit. While the cards were highly successful in terms of engagement, the D.R.A.F.T. team continues to debate what counts as success and whether these cards achieved it.

Staff observed reactions to staff-distributed ballots and interactive flip doors in the Ford's Museum on March 12, 2018. Discover our main takeaways from this prototyping experiment.

Student groups visiting Ford’s Theatre on the morning of Monday, March 12, 2018, saw some test  features in our Museum: Flip doors with questions about Lincoln’s decisions while in office. Learn more about our continuing series of prototyping experiments.

On December 19, 2017, visitors to the Ford’s campus heard from people who were witnesses to the Lincoln assassination events of 1865. Visitors found four iPads on music stands around the campus featuring audio of our staff members reading first-person accounts from five people from the time. Read about our second round of ideas testing for our latest prototyping project.

Ford's Theatre has made it a priority to increase access to the historic site. As part of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Museums Empowered grant, we hosted a two-day workshop with leaders in the field of museum accessibility to evaluate our site needs and brainstorm solutions. Read about what we learned and how it helped us develop a roadmap of solutions to implement in the future. 

On a semi-cold Tuesday, Ford’s Theatre staff and evaluator Kate Haley Goldman spent the day on the street between the Petersen House and Ford’s Theatre, asking visitors for their opinions of two on-site prototypes that might enhance the visitor’s understanding of the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath. Read on to see what we learned from that testing.

Giving students an opportunity to perform historic or original speeches is a great way to showcase learning. It’s also a powerful way to help them develop strong voices and perspectives on issues that matter. Time is precious. Discover guidance for planning and implementing a hassle-free student oratory performance that invites assessment and chance for your students to shine.

How museum visitors interact with site content is constantly changing. We initially wanted to enhance our museum storytelling in one way, but found other options could be more effective and viable. Learn more about our shift from creating an experience on mobile devices to developing prototypes to test other types of technology.

The National Oratory Fellows program is a signature initiative of Ford’s Theatre, drawing on our institutional expertise in history, education and performing arts. It is a long-term teacher professional development program designed to build teacher capacity to use public speaking and performance as teaching strategies in middle and high school classrooms.

Are you thinking about or in the process of redesigning your website? Regardless of the type of institution and the purpose the new website will serve, all organizations face similar challenges when embarking on this process. Ford’s Theatre shares lessons learned and provides strategies to overcome common challenges associated with creating a living and sustainable website.