In 2016 a cultural institution’s website should be intelligent and socially engaging and make people think, ‘wow, what’s this place?’ It should speak to people richly and clearly and provide a real sense that we are at the forefront of digital evolution, that we continually challenge ourselves and keep pushing forward. ACMI’s goal was to develop an intuitive site that provides our audience with a clear understanding of who we are and our core offering – exhibitions, film and live events; that speaks to a diverse audience, catering equally to those simply looking for event information and those looking for a richer curatorial experience; that brings our exhibitions, films and talks to life online, with rich and engaging content delivered in interesting ways; that creates clear purchase paths through to online tickets sales and merchandise; and that enhances opportunities for individuals/communities to interact with, and contribute creatively to ACMI.
The current ACMI website (www.acmi.net.au) was developed and launched in 2002. In late 2009-2010, ACMI shifted its strategic focus to include reviewing and expanding its online presence and launched a new version, and in 2015 launched the newest iteration of the site. Our most important goal was to create a website that profiled the museum as a place filled with movement, life, and surprise, to use the moving image as much as possible, but still make it something that wasscalableto all devices and was affordable to support.