King's Digital Lab

Mao Era in Objects MAO

Rectangular grid of square images each relating to a common type of object from Mao-era China.
Mao Era Mao Era in Objects Home Page Picture Grid

This project offered users an unusual window on the Mao era in China (1949-76) through a website built around a set of 'biographies' of iconic objects associated with that period, ranging from common, prosaic types - washbasins, bricks, badges - to the particular or unusual such as the Beijing International Club, and the Chinese character typewriter. Each biography centres on a capsule essay written by an academic with experience working with that object. The project was conceived with secondary level students studying Chinese history in mind and KDL worked closely with Dr. Altehenger to create a design and structure that would spark curiosity, draw users into the biographies and facilitate exploration within and among the objects. To this end the home page ‘opens’ the site with an eye-catching grid of images which displays the scope of the collection whilst inviting exploration of individual objects. The design goal for each aspect of the site was to blend visual and content appeal to the target audience with scholarly rigour. KDL built in different levels of navigation and different means of presenting information supplied by the scholars to cater for different types of users with different needs. This user-centric approach to the site design aims to maximise the research impact for a wide range of individuals and groups. However the pedagogical imperative is always observed with sidebar menus which foreground sources and further reading and a special section for educators which explains how the website features - some initially developed by a team of educators working at UK schools and universities and UK exam boards representatives - are designed to be of particular help to educators looking to make use of the site materials in their classes.

Team