Case Study
The Azrieli Foundation requested a new microsite as part of their growing Holocaust Survivor Memoirs initiative. Education Disrupted is an online exhibit organized into four books, each with multiple chapters, video and audio segments, and classroom activities designed for public schools and synagogues across Canada.
Dynamic features including interactive timelines and layered content modules brought complex historical narratives to life for educators and students. Behind the scenes, a carefully structured content system ensured the project met its launch deadline and remains easy to maintain and expand long after release.
The foundation needed an interactive, multilingual learning resource that would be accessible to diverse audiences and easy to update without relying on a large internal team.
Things I Did:
Craft CMS
I designed a flexible content model in Craft CMS that allowed editors to structure complex educational material without relying on a developer for updates. By carefully planning fields, entry types, and relationships, the system supports long term scalability and makes future expansion straightforward.
Strategy and Consulting
Before development began, I worked closely with stakeholders to clarify audience needs, learning objectives, and content priorities. This strategic alignment ensured that technical decisions supported the broader educational goals rather than simply delivering a functional website.
Accessibility
Accessibility was treated as a core requirement rather than an afterthought. I implemented semantic markup, meaningful ARIA attributes where necessary, logical heading structure, keyboard navigation support, and sufficient colour contrast to ensure the content is usable by assistive technologies and a wide range of users.
Animation
Subtle animations were used to guide attention and reinforce interaction rather than distract from the content. Motion was carefully timed and restrained so that it enhanced comprehension and added polish without compromising performance or accessibility.
Homepage
The homepage is one of many areas with challenging page layout and animations.
Book Landing Page
Each book has a different color scheme and two to four chapters with interactive content. Above is the third books landing page.
Chapter Activities
Each chapter ends with an activity: Q and A, cards, timeline, quiz, or map.
Cards
Cards are presented on a grid. When clicking on a card a slideout appears with more information.
Timeline
Presents information in chronological order with slideouts for additional information and larger versions of photography.
Map
An interactive map with pins that reveal additional information in a slideout.
Map, Timeline, and Card Activities
Map activity with interactive pins that reveal additional information in a slide in panel.
Each pin on the map opens up a slide in panel with additional information.
The cards activity on the left with the revealed slide in on the right.
Sean Smith did a fantastic job building our new website. We were in a situation where we lost our original developer and we are so fortunate that Sean stepped in and implemented a design that was quite large and complex. He also rose to the added challenge of migrating our highly customized digital platform and ensuring its proper function within the new site. He was easy to work with and went above and beyond what was asked of him, adapting to our organization’s constantly changing needs. Post-launch, Sean efficiently maintains our site and promptly addresses any new feedback. We are extremely happy with the end result.
Elizabeth Banks, Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program
An extensive glossary with 100 entries that when hovered over in the main copy reveals a tooltip with additional information.
Results
The Education Disrupted site was a big success for the Azrieli Foundation with engagement and praise from schools, synagoges, and teachers.