Website Accessibility for FieldMuseum.org

Client: Field Museum
Date: January through March 2021
Services: Spot Checks, WCAG Audits
A wide screenshot of The Field Museum's website. In the background, visitors stand inside a dimly lit dinosaur exhibit with large dinosaur skeletons and a blue prehistoric mural. Over the scene, oversized bold white headline text says in all caps, "DIGGING FOR DINOSAURS FROZEN IN TIME." The Field Museum logo appears in the upper left. A black navigation bar in the upper right includes a search icon and links for "TICKETS," "MEMBERSHIP," "STORE," and a blue "MENU" button. On the right side of the hero image are vertical circular controls, likely for a carousel.

PAC helped the Field Museum integrate accessibility into FieldMuseum.org from brand guidelines through design and implementation, advising on legibility, contrast, image-based design patterns, visitor accessibility content, and WCAG A/AA auditing to support a visually expressive, usable, and inclusive website.

Media

A full-page screenshot of the Field Museum website for the exhibition "Maximo the Titanosaur." At the top is a dark hero banner showing two children with light skin tone around a massive dinosaur skeleton in a museum hall, with the Field Museum logo on the left and navigation buttons such as Tickets, Membership, Store, and Menu on the right. Large white title text reads "M‡ximo the Titanosaur," labeled under "Exhibitions," with details indicating it is included with basic admission and suitable for all ages. Below the header, the page introduces the exhibit with the headline "Come face-to-face with the largest dinosaur that ever lived," followed by paragraphs about the titanosaur Patagotitan mayorum, its size, origin in Patagonia, Argentina, and the museum's touchable cast. A small image of the dinosaur skull and neck appears beside the text. Further down, a large image shows an eight-foot-long fossil femur on a pale green background, followed by a section titled "Experience what it's like to stand next to a giant" and a list of exhibition highlights. Another large photograph shows a scientist excavating titanosaur fossils in a rocky desert site in Argentina. The lower portion includes a section titled "A discovery of titanic proportions," explaining the fossil discovery and excavation, followed by "Acknowledgements." Near the bottom, an "Explore more" area displays related cards, including blog and video links about fossils, dinosaurs, paleoart, and a featured "Crown Family PlayLab" exhibition card.
The Field Museum homepage in a clean, modern web layout. At the top is a large hero banner inside a museum hall, dominated by a massive dinosaur skeleton head and neck. Overlaid in bold white all caps text is the headline "MEET THE WORLD'S BIGGEST DINOSAUR." The Field Museum logo appears in the upper left, while the top-right navigation includes a search icon, "Tickets," "Membership," "Store," and a blue "Menu" button. Below the hero area is a call-to-action section with a blue "See Exhibition" button and the title "M‡ximo the Titanosaur," along with museum hours and a short mission statement. Under that are three columns: "What's Happening" with upcoming events, "Plan Your Visit" with a line drawing of the museum, and "Become a Member" with a welcome illustration. Further down, a dark promotional banner reads "World's Fair to Field Museum" with a "Learn More" button. A "Discover more at the Field" section follows, showing filter controls and content cards for blog posts and an exhibition, including topics like man-eater teeth, centipedes and millipedes, monarch butterflies, shells, and "Mummies." Another dark banner promotes student and teacher field trips with the headline "Get Outside the Classroom." Near the bottom is an "Explore @FieldMuseum" gallery showing a grid of museum-related photos and a "Shuffle" option.
A webpage titled "Explore more science at the Field" on a pale gray background. Below the heading is a white "Browse Topics" dropdown and an underlined "or Discover at Random" link. The page is arranged in a masonry-style grid of large gray cards with small uppercase category labels and bold titles. Visible cards include "Dozin' with the Dinos" under Events, "Closing the clam case and wrapping up a Norwegian expedition" under Posts, "Glow rocks!" under The Brain Scoop, and a large Exhibitions card titled "Ancient Mediterranean Cultures in Contact." A lower card partially visible on the right reads "Restoring Beaubien Woods." At the bottom left is an underlined link: "Browse all blog posts ."
A webpage layout from a museum site, headed "Discover more at the Field." Beneath the heading are controls including a "Browse Topics" dropdown, a "Filter" button, and a "Shuffle" option. The main content is arranged as image cards: blog posts titled "What Makes a Man-Eater? Check the Teeth," "Creepy and Crawly Centipedes and Millipedes," "Monarch Butterflies 101," and "What's in a Shell? Strange Shells of Cephalopods." On the right, a large featured exhibition card shows an adult holding a child both with medium light skin tone, in a dim museum exhibit, labeled "EXHIBITION," with the title "Mummies."

Project Description

When the Field Museum set out to build its new website, FieldMuseum.org, the museum wanted the digital experience to be inclusive and accessible to the widest possible audience. PAC was brought into the process early, beginning with consultation on the museum’s brand guidelines, which helped establish an accessibility foundation for the new site.

The site’s design relied heavily on imagery to convey the experience of visiting the museum. PAC worked with the Field Museum and its agency, Purple Rock Scissors, to ensure that this visual approach could be implemented accessibly. That work included guidance on visual legibility, color contrast, and design patterns that allowed text to remain readable across varied image backgrounds. For example, headlines could be displayed over semi-transparent layers to preserve the visual richness of the photography while improving contrast between text and background imagery.

PAC also worked with the Field Museum team to develop a dedicated area of the site communicating the museum’s accessibility offerings to visitors. This helped make practical information easier to find while positioning accessibility as part of the overall visitor experience rather than a secondary concern.

PAC later audited FieldMuseum.org against WCAG at Levels A and AA to evaluate accessibility across the implemented site and support continued refinement. The project demonstrated how accessibility can be integrated from brand strategy through design and implementation, allowing the museum’s digital presence to remain visually expressive while becoming more usable, legible, and inclusive.