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PROJECT
Digital Totem

CLIENT
American Museum of Natural History

YEAR
2019

RESULTS
Addressed First Nation concerns
Increased number of artifacts on display by 150%
Drew 250000+ new visitors per year
Increased artifact discoverability by 300%

THE SHORT
A Modern Tribute to Traditional Storytelling


The Digital Totem honors the tradition of the totem pole by weaving together first-person storytelling, sounds, places, objects, and the voices of tribe members into an interactive installation and mobile app. This immersive experience invites visitors to explore the rich cultural history of the Pacific Northwest in a dynamic and engaging way.

Faced with the challenge of displaying the vast collection of Northwest Coast artifacts—and responding to feedback from First Nations visitors who felt the exhibit framed Indigenous cultures as relics of the past—the American Museum of Natural History took action. A dedicated team collaborated with leaders and consulting curators from 10 Native Nations of the PNW to authentically document the region’s living culture.



Inspired by this collaboration, the Digital Totem emerged as an innovative solution, allowing museum visitors to engage with a deeper and more accurate portrayal of contemporary Native life while preserving the tradition of storytelling in a modern, interactive format.


THE LONG
Designing for Cultural Accuracy, Discovery, and Emotional Impact

DISCOVERY + DEFINITION
The original Pacific Northwest exhibit featured a large number of artifacts, but lacked context and contemporary relevance. Feedback from First Nations visitors made it clear: the exhibit framed their cultures as relics. This called for a systemic rethink—not just of the content on display, but of how visitors engage with it.

Working alongside a cross-functional team that included museum staff, tribal representatives, and cultural experts, we defined three core goals:



RESEARCH
Our research process centered on inclusive co-creation. We engaged in:


  • Workshops with tribal consultants to understand culturally appropriate narratives, imagery, and terminology
  • Visitor testing of the existing exhibit to identify friction points and emotional responses
  • Comparative audits of other cultural installations for inspiration and best practices

We also conducted early prototype testing with museum-goers to understand how they navigated digital content, how they responded emotionally to the material, and how interaction patterns shifted across age groups and tech comfort levels.

Key insights included:



DECISIONS + NEXT STEPS
From the start, it was clear that the experience needed to go beyond simple touchscreen displays. We leaned into the metaphor of the totem pole—not just as a visual structure, but as a layered storytelling device.





Branding played a crucial role in shaping tone and trust. I led the development of the visual identity, ensuring it honored Indigenous aesthetics without appropriating them. Colors, typography, and iconography were tested and refined with tribal input.


IDEATION, PROTOYPING + TESTING
We prototyped across multiple touchpoints: in-gallery screens, mobile interactions, and layered audio storytelling. Testing revealed that:

  • Ambient soundscapes increased time-on-screen by over 40%
  • Visitors remembered stories more clearly when paired with personal voiceover
  • The vertical grid based interaction outperformed scroll based layouts in usability and engagement

Through iteration, we also refined artifact discoverability—surfacing over 150% more objects through a smart tagging and clustering system.


LAUNCH + BEYOND
The Digital Totem launched as a permanent feature in the museum’s Pacific Northwest exhibit. It now:

  • Draws over 250,000 additional visitors per year
  • Surfaces 3x more artifacts than before
  • Reflects living Indigenous voices, rather than presenting culture as static
  • Strengthens relationships between the museum and First Nations

FINAL THOUGHTS
The Digital Totem project reinforced the power of inclusive, collaborative design, especially when working with communities historically excluded from storytelling platforms. Through deep partnership, careful testing, and a respectful branding process, we were able to create an experience that is both modern and timeless.

This project taught me:

  • How to design with, not for underrepresented communities
  • The importance of branding as an act of trust-building, not just aesthetics
  • That interactive storytelling can reshape not just what we learn, but how we feel
© Mol Crickman 2025

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