tyler county historical commission
The Tyler County Historical Commission is proud of its history and works to preserve and share the stories of its people and places. They asked me to redesign their website, but it became clear pretty quickly that we first needed to align on priorities and purpose.
Working with their committee, I adapted my usual discovery process to give each member an equal voice and space to define the Commission’s priorities and attributes.
A Shared Direction
Exercises from Design Sprint 2.0 (Ask the Experts) and brand strategy (Attributes) surfaced different ideas about who the Commission served, what it should prioritize, and how members understood its mission.
I facilitated the discussion by asking probing questions, helping members clarify their points of view, and bringing the group back on track.
Those conversations formed their mission: Preserve and present Tyler County’s history.
Cemeteries, historical markers, education, research, archives, and community outreach could all support that mission without any one responsibility defining the organization.
The audience discussion showed the same unalignment with different target audiences. Researchers needed records and locations, residents wanted to explore their communities, educators needed resources that fit classroom planning, and the Commission wanted younger generations to become more invested in their heritage.
While the audience stayed broad; we could now ask:
"Who needs this, what are they trying to accomplish, and what is their next step?"
That let us move from "Which part of the Commission deserves the most attention?"
to "Does this support the mission and the people we are trying to serve?"
Reviewing the old site exposed long paths to useful material, circular navigation, and hidden assets, and unmaintained links to lost resources. The site also did not have room for the stories and images they wanted to share or presented the their Historical Markers or Cemetary preservation very well.
Cemeteries and Historical Markers became call out destinations, and pages for community history, resources, and a "Scrapbook" could lead viewers to explore through a curated experience. Emphasis on the "Scrapbook" was put to be "walking though a museum not knowing what would be around the corner."
A little homework
For the next session, I asked the committee to review the existing site and bring examples of organizations they thought handled similar missions, audiences, or challenges well.
We went through the findings together in a “show and tell.” Reviewing the old site exposed issues, while the examples pushed us past historical commissions.
Museums → Presentation / Discovery
Libraries → Categorizing / Retrieval
Editorial → Organizing / Summary
I used what we learned to build the site architecture and wireframes.
A visual Direction
With the structure in place, I developed three stylescapes inspired by Tyler County’s history and people.
Discovery also gave me some useful constraints: the design needed to represent the county as a whole without leaning toward a particular town, school, or group. That ruled out several color directions. Local flora and other familiar regional cues gave me a better way to make the work feel specific to Tyler County.
I presented the research, wireframe, and stylescapes to the full Historical Commission, then gave members time to review, ask questions, vote, and discuss revisions.
Community Harmony became the foundation because of its community-centered direction and continuity with the character of the existing site, with selected elements from the other concepts carried forward.
Legacy of Time —Memory and generational connection; inspired by the cherished moments shared by grandparents and grandchildren, the rich history of Tyler County, and the timeless bonds that span generations. Through a blend of subdued bold colors and design elements, it captures the essence of family, heritage, and shared discovery. This was my "spicy" direction but looking back on it I think color direction and accessibility could be improved on.
Preserving the Past —Research, preservation, and historical weight; inspired by the spirit of historians and preservationists. This stylescape paints a picture of Tyler County's rich heritage, the solemnity of historical markers, and the enduring legacy of landmarks. It celebrates the bonds that unite residents, their dedication to preserving the county's history, and the enduring spirit that defines the area. This was my "medium" direction and where I believed the directions should go but would receive pushback. Again looking back I can see where improvements in color could be improved especially in the green selected.
Community Harmony —Community, accessibility, and discovery; found inspiration in the County's emblem, this stylescape blended a near monochromatic color palette with various shades of green, echoing the beauty of Tyler County. This was my "safe" option as it maintained
collection archive
After approval, I developed the high-fidelity designs and built the site in Webflow.
The Commission also needed to keep adding to the site after I stepped away, so I walked two members through managing and updating the content themselves.
The CMS organized more than 100 historical records across community history, cemeteries, historical markers, stories, and other resources.
realigning the redesign
The redesign leaned into the idea of an online museum, encouraging visitors to browse and discover Tyler County history.
Since analytics tracking began, the site has recorded more than 17,900 page views from 9,200 active users, including more than 5,600 views beyond the home page.
Feedback also included visitors finding information that had previously been difficult to access, including discoveries tied to their own family history.
Over time, it also became clear that researchers and repeat visitors were often coming to the site looking for specific information. After a leadership change, a new committee asked me to return and rethink the experience around that behavior.
The next direction leaned more toward research, with a quieter visual approach and expanded search, filtering, and map tools.
I created a presentation deck for the commission and the revised mockups were approved and the first phase of development was completed before funding for the remaining work became unavailable.
The revision to the site pushed the slider closer to the researcher and a compromise between the "Preserving the Past" and "Community Harmony" directions. Key features included a dynamic search and filter system with improved map features that connected to both historical marker and Gravesite locations.
“He listened to our expressions of frustration and hope.
He responded with open-ended suggestions that kept us on track and in control of our project while moving it along to an effective conclusion. Be prepared to think! Your work with Eric will lead you to a deeper understanding of whatever your project is about.”
- Eleanor Holderman Former Chairman, Tyler County H.C.
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