Rijksmuseum
Collectie Online

Rijksmuseum
Collectie Online

Web

Digital Product

Year

Launched 2024 · Ongoing iteration

Website

www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie

Team

  • Creative direction: Chin-Lien Chen

  • UX direction: Anna Offermans

  • UX design: Ruben van Bambost

Scope

  • Collection exploration

  • Search & filtering

  • Studio tools

  • Product launch & iteration

Role

  • Led visual and interface system design for collection exploration and studio tools

  • Translated relational collection data into navigable interaction patterns

  • Conducted design QA with engineering to ensure visual and interaction consistency across the platform

  • Designed modular components supporting search, browsing, and artwork inspection

  • Contributed to user testing and incorporated insights into interaction refinements

Designing the interaction architecture for Collection Online, the Rijksmuseum’s digital collection platform spanning 800k artworks · 350k library items · 200k user stories, transforming a vast cultural archive into a navigable relational system for exploration, research, and creative storytelling.

Originally launched in 2012, Rijksstudio provided access to over 800k high-resolution artworks and 200k user stories.

In 2024, Collection Online evolved from a searchable archive into a relational knowledge system by surfacing its underlying Linked Open Data. This introduced a new design challenge: translating the museum’s complex collection structure into an interface that supports both intuitive exploration and deeper research.

Collection Navigation Model

Browse and search is the main entry points to discover artworks, library items, and user stories across the collection. For artworks, node pages expose the relational structure of the collection by linking artworks through shared entities such as artists, places, periods, and subjects. Studio tools enable visitors to interact with artworks once discovered.

1/4

Grid view: Eestablished as the default browsing mode, prioritizing visual immersion.

Designing for exploration and inspection within one system

Collection Online serves a wide spectrum of users — from casual visitors exploring visually to researchers seeking precise metadata. Rather than separating these audiences into distinct modes, we designed a single system that accommodates varying levels of depth within the same interface.

First introduced in 2012, Rijksmuseum Collection Online has over 800.000 artworks digitized in high resolution. The new search functionality powered by Linked Open Data and thoughtful and intelligent curation of highlighted pages bring endless explorations and allows deeper research in a more intuitive and strikingly visual way.

1/4 Grid view: Eestablished as the default browsing mode, prioritizing visual immersion.

Surfacing relationships without overwhelming users

Linked Open Data introduced highly specific relation types, enabling semantic distinctions such as “Depicting France” versus “Made in France.”

While structurally precise, the museum’s internal taxonomy was not intuitive for general audiences. Exposing full relation labels risked overwhelming users unfamiliar with curatorial terminology.

To balance precision and accessibility, the interface prioritized the related terms themselves over their technical relation types — minimizing structural labels while preserving semantic depth for advanced users.

First introduced in 2012, Rijksmuseum Collection Online has over 800.000 artworks digitized in high resolution. The new search functionality powered by Linked Open Data and thoughtful and intelligent curation of highlighted pages bring endless explorations and allows deeper research in a more intuitive and strikingly visual way.

Search and filtering through various relation types

Node Pages — From Navigating Artworks to Navigating Connections

To support relational exploration, key metadata relationships were elevated into independent 'node' pages.

  • Transformed metadata into thematic entry points

  • Designed a scalable template adaptable across different node types

  • 'Discover more': Balanced automated data generation with curatorial prioritization

Learn more about progress on search and filter functions.

Iteration on Search & Filter

Learn more about progress on search and filter functions.

Refinement on Search & Filter

Supporting Multiple Modes of Engagement

Alongside the redesigned interface, Collection Online introduced a set of tools that enable visitors to interact with the collection in different ways — from collecting and comparing artworks to creating and discovering new connections.

These tools share a common interaction logic and visual language to maintain coherence across the Studio ecosystem.

Collecting

Set: Save and organize artworks into personal collections.

Comparing

Comparer: Examine artworks side by side to study details and differences.

Creating

  • Clip: Turn artworks into short video clips.

  • Gallery of Honour: Curate and display your own virtual exhibition.

Guided discovery

Art Explorer: AI-assisted exploration that surfaces artworks based on user interests.

1/4 Mobile overview of tools, ensuring parity in creative functionality while adapting interaction patterns for smaller screens.

1/4

Mobile overview of Studio tools, ensuring parity in creative functionality while adapting interaction patterns for smaller screens.

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