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DallasHeritageVillage.org
We redesigned the website for Dallas Heritage Village, an accredited living
history museum located near downtown Dallas, TX. The museum, previously known
as Old City Park, recently underwent a name change and re-branding effort. Some
of the features of the redesigned site are a clean new look, improved site
navigation, a dynamic event calendar, and an online store. Museum patrons can
purchase merchandise, purchase event tickets, make tax-deductible donations,
and obtain annual museum memberships online. Dynamic content is managed through
a password-protected site administration tool. The online store has a
full-featured product catalog administrator and manages order fulfillment.
The Dallas Heritage Village project was a farily large job undertaken in
two phases. The site's static content, and majority of the dynamic
was completed in time for the new name reveal. The online store
was opened a few months later. We coordinated with the museum's marketing
firm to integrate the new logo and branding into the site in a manner
consistent with other materials such as print and signage. On the left is an
example of the static content and new navigation.
Programming languages/technologies used include ASP.NET (C#), SQL Server
2000, stored procedures, JavaScript, HTML, DHTML, and Secure Socket
Layer Encryption (SSL). The site is deployed on a Windows 2003
server.
An important goal of the project was to empower non-technical staff to maintain
site content with user-friendly forms. On the right is an example of the new
dynamic database-driven event calendar. Museum staff maintain the event
calendar through an interface in the site administration tool. Visitors can
click on an event's name to view the details of that upcoming event, see
frequently asked questions, and purchase tickets online. Visitors can
choose to have the tickets mailed to them, or pick them up at the gate.
Another example of dynamic content staff can easily change is the contact
information on the Contact Us page and through out the site where names, phone
numbers, and email addresses are given.
The online store features product images, descriptions, fully customizable
options (such as color, size, etc.), and related products. Merchandise is
organized into categories and subcategories. The advanced shopping cart form
allows customers to change their selections (even product options) without
returning to the product page. Each order can have as many ship-to addresses as
needed, so giving gifts is a breeze. Once an order is placed, the customer's
information is saved in a customer account so the store remembers all shipping
addresses, billing information, etc. All product information is
maintained by museum staff in the site administration tool. The system
facilitates order fulfillment with email notifications, incomplete order
listings, and printable packing slips. The system also handles other order
processing tasks such as returns, cancellations, and backordered items.
The password protected site administration tool allows museum staff to maintain
dynamic content such as the event calendar and contact information. Various
transactions are also handled here such as ticket purchases, membership
processing, donation processing, and purchases from the online store. On the
right is part of the main menu in the Site Administration tool.
Role based permissions are used to control what each user can access. For
example, credit card information is only available to Trusted Users and
Administrators. The product catalog is accessed here along with other
store related data such as suppliers, tax rates, shipping carriers, and
featured products. On the left is part of the edit product
form. Here similar information is grouped into logical tabs such as
Product Pricing, Product Options, Product Images, etc. to create a
user-friendly interface.
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