Creating a website for a digital archive composed of mapped artifacts and research from undergraduate students who studied abroad in Buenos Aires required a well-planned methodology that considered the website’s objectives, audience, content, and technical requirements, in addition to students’ technical savvy and the technical capabilities of our available mapping services. Outlined below are some of the major steps we took in designing and creating Digital Buenos Aires. Our design team, composed by Dr. Laura Levi Altstaedter, Ed Tech Consultant Lily Johnson, and undergraduate students Nina Carrillo Corujo and Julia Kohake, met weekly during Spring 2023 to work on the process outlined below.

1. Define the website’s objective.
   We asked ourselves, “What is the website’s purpose, and what do you want to achieve with it?” For example, the objective of the website is to encourage and showcase the research and artifacts collected by the students who studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, by providing a platform for visitors to explore and learn about the city’s and country’s history and culture, as well as to create an interactive community for students and faculty who are learning and teaching Spanish or have an interest in Argentinian culture.
2. Identify the target audience.
   The second step was identifying the website’s target audience by considering, “Who is the website’s primary audience, and what are their interests and needs?” For instance, our website targets students planning to study abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, students interested in learning about Hispanic cultures, and instructors looking for an interactive learning tool to enhance their Spanish courses.
3. Develop a content strategy.
   Once the website’s objectives and audience are defined, developing a content strategy is next. What type of content will the website feature, and how will it be organized? For example, our website includes interactive maps of Buenos Aires, Argentina, that showcase the artifacts’ locations, images, descriptions of the artifacts, student research-based captions, as well as interactive features that allow visitors to explore the city’s history and culture.
4. Design the website.
   Our website’s design aims to be user-friendly, visually appealing, aligned with the website’s objectives and audience, and ADA accessible. The design includes thoughtfully chosen logos, color schemes, and typography. Additionally, the website’s layout should be intuitive with navigation that is easy to use.
5. Develop the website.
   This step involved students collaborating with Lily Johnson, our Ed. Tech Consultant on programming the website’s functionality, integrating content management systems and developing interactive features, including 3rd-party mapping services. We opted to develop the interactive map using ArcGIS instead of Omeka when considering using the latest web technologies, ensuring the site is accessible to many devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.