Creating Clarity Inside Heinz History Center’s Complicated Database
BACKGROUND
Heinz History Center & The Rauh Jewish Archives Fast Facts
Industry: History
Website: https://rauhjewisharchives.org/
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Case Study Date: 2024
THE PROBLEM
A Detailed Database—That Didn’t Work
The Heinz History Center’s Rauh Jewish Archives contains the detailed history of hundreds of Jewish people, families, organizations, businesses, and events throughout Western PA that date back to the 1750s.
Although that’s incredibly valuable, the online archives were nearly unusable. For example, many users were surprised to find:
- The site often crashed.
- Searches rarely resulted in actual content.
- Content appeared in scattered locations, making finding information incredibly difficult.
Complicating issues even further, the template for the website didn’t allow the Rauh Jewish Archives team to create new pages, effectively locking them into a frozen, disordered website packed with UX issues.
THE SOLUTION
Revised Site Usability Made Everything Easier
Our team dove deep into the website to remove the technical issues. More specifically, we:
- Updated the site design to simplify navigation.
- Added the team’s much-needed new pages—and made it possible for them to continue adding new pages in the future.
- Fixed the database so that it was organized and indexable, restoring the site’s internal Search function.
- Added features to simplify control over the database.
THE PAYOFF
An Archive That Enriches the Community
For the first time in years, the Rauh Jewish Archives can do what it was intended to do: Provide a rich account of the Jewish community’s history throughout Pittsburgh and the surrounding region—without annoying tech issues getting in the way.
The Heinz History Center is once again a premier institute for the local community’s detailed history, and one of its most important websites is now fully functional and accessible—and will continue to be so for years to come!
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