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Usability Audit Review | Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino
Project Type
Qualitative Heuristic Usability Audit Review
Date
Fall 2024
Summary
As part of a larger Smithsonian engagement, I conducted a heuristic usability audit of the NMAL website. Using our team's established audit format, I identified critical usability issues in navigation, content labeling, and visual reliability, many of which were later addressed in the museum’s rebranding.
My Role & Approach
Usability analyst responsible for conducting a heuristic audit of the NMAL site. I used our team’s standardized framework to evaluate orientation, labeling, navigation, and visual reliability. Findings were delivered as individual slides with examples and clear, usability-focused recommendations. I also helped the client understand how the audit supported their upcoming rebrand.
Problem
The NMAL site presented users with unclear labeling, inconsistent navigation, and unreliable content elements that made exploration confusing and often frustrating.
Implication
These issues hindered discoverability, trust, and engagement, especially for visitors new to the museum, educators looking for specific information, or mobile users navigating limited layouts.
Recommendation
I delivered a category-based heuristic audit highlighting problems with orientation, labeling, interaction patterns, and visual execution. Recommendations were tied to best practices and tailored to the museum’s upcoming rebrand.
During Verint’s engagement with the Smithsonian Institution, I was brought in to conduct a usability audit for the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL). This museum had not previously worked with qualitative UX analysis, and I had the opportunity to walk the client through the value of heuristic evaluation and how our team structures findings.
I focused on core areas of the site, including the homepage and exhibitions section. Using the team's standardized deck format, I delivered findings categorized by usability theme:
Orientation - Breadcrumbs were missing, and the site lacked global nav cues to help users understand where they were.
Labeling - Links didn’t match their destination pages. Scope notes were missing, and some CTAs were redundant or vague.
Visual Reliability - Key images failed to load, including one misidentified photo that undermined trust.
Interaction Patterns - The “Back to Top” link didn’t behave as expected, and pagination was only available at the bottom of listing pages.
Content Clarity & Readability - Some information was difficult to scan or lacked appropriate context before the user clicked.
Each issue was supported with examples, followed by a usability-backed recommendation. During the client walkthrough, I explained each issue’s impact and walked the team through how similar institutions handled those challenges more effectively.
The audit was well-received, and the client stated that the findings would help shape their rebrand. Based on their updated site, it’s clear that many of these improvements were implemented.
This project demonstrates how I approach usability analysis within a team setting: working within established frameworks, translating findings into actionable guidance, and guiding clients through improvements that matter to their users.