Te Rauparaha - National Library of New Zealand
Website: tki.org.nz (site has since been redesigned) - view screenshot
Size: 100 pages
Government status: Government Agency and Government Ministry
My professional status: contractor at CWA New Media
Website client: National Library of New Zealand, Ngati Toa, and Ministry of Education
Dates: March - July 1999
Categories: Client liaison, Project manager, IA & UX, Website designer, Writing for the web, Old-school table layout, eZ Publish, Government websites, Medium sites
Brief: to design the architecture and oversee the development of this site, which told the story of Te Rauparaha online, in te reo, utilising the taonga of the National Library's Turnbull Collection to illustrate the story.
My responsibilities included:
- Brainstorming 3 design concepts with CWA team and presenting these to client
- Development of selected concept with designer
- Development of navigation and architecture concept utilising frames
- Presentation and explanation of this concept to clients
- Liaison with National Library (Services to Māori) staff and Ngati Toa
- Overseeing work of designer/developer.
A first for the National Library, and hopefully not the last. The story of Te Rauparaha was written in te reo, with no English translation, and was aimed at students of te reo within the Social Studies curriculum.
As the story is long and complex, I created an architecture using "pop-up" screens for extra information (such as sound files, images, glossary etc), so that the visitor could explore the site without losing his/her place in the narrative.
The site had to be approved by all partners (National Library, Ngati Toa and the Ministry of Education) at every stage of the development process.