Museums and the “Digital Curb Cut”

The historic residence of Monticello, with its 5,000 acres of botanical and agricultural beauty, is often considered the “autobiographical masterpiece” of its presidential resident and designer, Thomas Jefferson. In 1923, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc. (TJF) was founded as a private, non-profit organization when the United States federal government waived its right to purchase the land from the stewards of the estate. Consequently, the TJF does not receive regular state or federal support for the operation or maintenance of the house, grounds or collection located in Charlottesville, Virginia. According to its web site, Monticello welcomes a half million visitors each year to the “bricks-and-mortar” site. In addition to the architectural monument and vast collection of Jeffersonian artifacts, Monticello also maintains a research center, library, historic plant collection, and theater for educational purposes.

In 2003, a board member suggested developing a video-based tour of the historic site. Ultimately, the decision was made to make the tour available online as an interactive multimedia project under the guidance of Second Story Interactive Studios of Portland, Oregon. The proposed goal of the project, named the Monticello Explorer (http://explorer.monticello.org), was to make accessible to the general public an extensive body of scholarship developed by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, including more than thirty years of research documenting the plantation archeology. Thus, the idea was to use the vast amount of information already compiled in exhibition catalogs and published research to inform a visual model of the history of Monticello and its grounds. The interconnections between the lives of actual persons, objects and environs were to be fully developed in a Flash-based interactive exhibit published online.

Work began on the Monticello Explorer in late spring of 2004. Chad Wollerton, the webmaster at the TJF, was inspired by a previous work of Second Story Interactive Studios, the Theban Mapping Project, which demonstrated the power of Flash to deliver absorbing and educationally rich experiences online. Wollerton, who managed the project and designed the database, explained that he believes there must be a very compelling reason to use Flash technology. While Flash is often considered a “black box,” as it is a self-contained, proprietary technology that does not easily communicate with other web-based technologies, he was confident in the developers’ ability to use Flash responsibly to create an absorbing experience that HTML alone could not provide (C. Wollerton, personal communication, December 4, 2006).

Second Story’s web site describes the Monticello Explorer as a “place-based storytelling tool provides multiple modes for diverse audiences to connect locations with database records” (Second Story Interactive Studios, n.d.). Online visitors can explore the changes in the plantation over time through an interactive map, or alternatively experience the house virtually through three-dimensional renderings of the architecture and video tours (see Figure 23). The visual mapping of information allows for exploration of the site by audiences of varying reading abilities, including non-English speakers. Wollerton explained that while the primary audience for the media-rich site was understood to be English-speaking persons with a high school reading level and broadband internet connectivity, the usage statistics of the site indicate a larger than expected number of foreign visitors to the site.

Global Positioning System (GPS) data provided by the Foundation’s archaeologist was mapped to provide a zoom-able representation of the plantation terrain complete with descriptive labels (see Figure 24). The vector-based drawings are infinitely scalable without loss of image quality and require minimal bandwidth. Flash was originally designed to handle this type of visual data most efficiently for online delivery. An inset map with a drag-able selection box provides an easy method for navigating, zooming and focusing the view of the plantation. For example, visitors can zoom into the Winding Flower Walk that encloses the garden in front of the house and see examples of the flowers planted (see Figure 25). It is also interesting to note that seeds for these flowers can be purchased online from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s store.

Digital models of the house can also be explored in a game-like fashion. Online visitors can enter the house and tour all three floors and basement. As the visitor navigates, three-dimensional wire-frame drawings come to life through photographic quality renderings of the house environs (see Figures 26 and 27). Wollerton explained that architectural drawings of the house were laser scanned by Quanta Point, an engineering firm who specializes in three-dimensional renderings of factories and oil rigs. This resulted in the digital reconstruction of the house as it was originally designed in 1796. An innovative feature of the project includes the 360-degree visual comparison of the remodeling history of Monticello through virtual morphing (see Figure 28).

The video house tours are among the most popular features of the site, according to web usage statistics. Online visitors can “Join a Tour” in various locations throughout the house and experience a narrated walk-through of the rooms (see Figure 29). The video tours are also closed captioned, which means the captions can be turned on or off by clicking the “CC” icon in the bottom left corner of the video. Significantly, the second and third floors of the house are not physically accessible to visitors due to fire codes. In particular, guests are generally unable to visit the Dome Room; the Monticello Explorer provides virtual access to these prohibited spaces for online visitors everywhere (see Figure 30). The dimensions, colors and decorations as well as architectural style are noted in the descriptive text for each room.

Brad Johnson, Second Story creative director and designer of the Monticello Explorer, stated that the captioning was created through a software tool called Captionate, created by the Manitu group (see Resources). Captionate was built specifically for creating rich-media captions and subtitles, particularly in Flash. The visual presentation of the captions can be completely customized to fit the design of the interface. Video captions are vitally important to visitors who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, as the narration would be inaccessible to them otherwise. Similarly, non-native English speakers benefit from the captions as an aid to comprehension. As an added benefit, the xml captions generated by Captionate enable the transcript of the video to be searched from search engines. Ideally, the transcripts also provide accessibility to visually impaired visitors who are experiencing the site through screen-reader technology.

With the increasing usage of Flash for providing media-rich educational experiences online, as discussed in Chapter 3, it is important to note that many developers have not fully explored the process for providing captions in Flash, as it currently requires the purchase of a third-party product. The Monticello Explorer represents a best practices model for providing captioned video content in Flash.

Video captions were not included in the original scope of the project per the statement of work. However, Wollerton noted that captions were added as a result of Second Story’s own initiative. In fact, the developer added various other features to enhance the accessibility of the project. Most notably, the browser “back” button was enabled through programming in Flash to provide direct links to content contained within the Monticello Explorer. Brad Johnson indicated that this was a time-consuming process, as Flash does not easily provide for this functionality. Typically, Flash-based programs play from the beginning when linked to from an external web page. Second Story devised a way to essentially “bookmark” specific content within the program so that visitors directed from either search engines or the main site for the TJF could easily find the information they requested. For example, a web visitor might have searched for Monticello’s “Dome Room” on Google; then they would likely have been brought to the text version of the Monticello Explorer (see Figure 31). While the same information is presented as in the Flash version, visitors are given the option to “View the Interactive Version” through a prominent link; they are then taken directly to the “Dome Room” section of the media-enhanced version (see Figure 30). This feature enables the content to be completely accessible to search engines for indexing, while providing visitors with a choice for how they want to experience the information. Unlike the video captions, the bookmarking feature was agreed upon early in the design and development process.

The interface for both the plantation and house sections can be customized to the users’ needs. Unlike many Flash-based interactive programs, the Monticello Explorer was designed to be “elastic” or flexibly adjust the size of the viewing space as the browser window is resized. This feature enables the viewer to maximize the size of the interface for easier viewing. The content simply re-flows to fill the screen instead of being limited to a fixed window of presentation. The addition of a text-resizing tool would further enhance the accessibility of the interface for persons with impaired vision, though this level of control is not provided.

Visitors can decide if they want to view related photos, objects, drawings, documents, or stories about people in the option settings, and they can minimize the related objects panel. On the interactive map they can show or hide label text, visual markers and descriptive text panels. Under “Map Features” visitors can select which features of the map they want to display. Additionally, objects in the collection can be searched by category and filtered by subcategory or keyword search (see Figure 32). The images can be enlarged through a zoom function to enable close-up, high resolution viewing of the object’s detail (see Figure 33). The zoom is also an advantage for persons with limited eyesight, as it enables them to control the image view without having to rely on an external screen magnifier. The supporting information and navigation structure are kept within view through this method without the disorientation created by screen magnifiers.

Similarly, visitors can experience panoramic views of various locations within Monticello. Quicktime Virtual Reality (QTVR) movies allow the visitor to navigate the space a complete 360 degrees with simple and intuitive controls. Visitors from around the world can virtually experience the view of the Southeast Piazza or “Greenhouse” without traveling to the historic Monticello environs (see Figure 34).

To ensure the usability of the Monticello Explorer, Wollerton employed creative tactics to conduct user testing both on site and online with little or no budget. The alpha release was tested internally by TJF staff. For the beta release of the project, a web-based survey was conducted to collect feedback from visitors to the site. Lastly, Wollerton recruited Monticello guests on-site to engage in user testing during their visit by offering free tickets and tours to sections of the house that were off-limits to the general public due to fire codes, like the Dome Room mentioned previously. The sessions were informal and videotaped for review purposes. Wollerton also indicated that the design proved so user-friendly that his four-year-old son could navigate the site with ease.

Wollerton and Johnson both confirmed that compliance with Section 508 and WCAG standards was not a requirement of the statement of work for the Monticello Explorer. However, a text-based version of the site was developed to ensure Google accessibility. Wollerton reasoned that if the pages could not be found, they were not accessible to any audience. All textual content contained in the media-rich Flash version is provided in alternate pages not only for the purpose of indexing by search engines, but also to allow for efficient access through slower, dial-up Internet connections. The Monticello Explorer was “double-built” primarily for these reasons, yet Johnson acknowledged that the text version was built to be completely accessible per Second Story’s own initiative. Yet, Johnson (2006) explained that development efforts should not sacrifice innovations for accessibility, as fulfillment for non-disabled visitors is a priority as well:

We believe that every attempt should be made to make the content and experience of what we create accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Innovations in interactive media should not be sacrificed however because accessible versions can’t be created. Innovations without accessible versions should only be developed when they are truly worth sacrificing the accessibility. Which is to say that roller coasters should not be banned because [non]ambulatory visitors can’t get in them. (B. Johnson, personal communication, January 17, 2007)

Johnson also clearly indicated that multiple versions of the content provided visitors with a choice: not all visitors want all the “glue and context” provided by the media-rich version; many simply want to retrieve the desired information quickly and efficiently. While the data layer remains the same in both versions, the presentation layer can be customized to suit the needs of the user, whether they require text-only for display on mobile devices or read aloud by screen readers. Johnson also admitted that 100% Flash accessibility has not been attempted by his group in the past 3 years; this decision has largely been based on the fact that Flash versions 6 and 7 required objects be placed on the timeline, while most content today is dynamically generated through code. Flash 8 has made improvements in this area, yet developers have been slow to embrace them.

At Second Story Interactive Studios, approximately 90% of the projects are developed for cultural institutions, and roughly 80% are kiosk-based applications that do not depend upon browser technology. Significantly, kiosks are largely closed systems that do not have provision for assistive technology such as screen readers or magnifiers. The accessibility of this type of program will largely depend upon the nature of the media itself, user input controls and the use of multiple modalities. Johnson clarified:

Flash projects are not a priority in our studio—creating innovative immersive experiences that enchant, educate, empower and entertain is our priority. Unfortunately we do often depend on Flash to make this happen, and only craft experiences that are not accessible when the benefit to those without disabilities clearly outweighs the barrier of exclusion. (B. Johnson, personal communication, January 17, 2007)

As mentioned previously, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation is a privately funded, non-profit organization. The idea for the Monticello Explorer project originated with a board member, John A. Griffin, and funding was largely provided through his foundation. Additional funding for the narrated video tours of the gardens and plantation was provided through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). While the primary donor did not require accessibility as a condition of funding, the IMLS is a federal grant-making institution and currently does have a regulation on accessibility, as discussed in the survey results (see Chapter 3: Influence of Funding Sources). The IMLS requires compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (later amended by Section 508) to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal access to program resources. While this regulation does not specify exactly what is required to ensure accessibility of programs to all persons, organizations receiving funds are required to submit an assurance and self-assessment indicating compliance, in addition to conducting user testing with disabled persons.

Grant-making institutions, particularly those federal in scope like the IMLS and the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, are increasingly requiring proof of accessibility compliance as a requisite for receipt of funds. Much like the influential buying power of the United States government is beginning to effect software development, funding institutions at the state and local levels are beginning to take accessibility into account in their granting of resources for cultural institutions.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation was awarded a Learning Opportunities grant in 2003 for $28,432 for the purpose of “Building Public Access Monticello,” an initiative to widen the selection of educational programs offered through streaming media on its web site. While closed captioning was not a requirement in the contract with the developers, the captions comply with the spirit of the IMLS regulation.

The Monticello Explorer has been widely praised for its innovative design and content. In 2006, the project was awarded the prestigious Webby Award for Cultural Institutions; it received Honorable Mention for both ID Magazine’s Annual Design Review for interactive media and the Best of the Web 2006 competition sponsored by Museums and the Web; HOW Interactive Design Annual also recognized the Monticello Explorer as “Outstanding Consumer Website” in 2006. While accessibility is rarely evaluated in these competitions, the project clearly represents both cutting-edge design and best practices for enabling access for all without sacrificing aesthetics or utility.