Blooming-Orchids — annie lee

Hi, I’m Annie! →

I’m a narrative-driven designer with a love for prototyping, storytelling, and visual craft.

BLOOMING ORCHIDACEAES
Visualizing the Smithsonian Gardens Orchids Collection

ROLEDesign and Development
A Smithsonian Institute Partnership
Guided by Daniel Sauter

DURATION 4 Months (Sep-Dec 2024)
3 Iterative Revisions

TOOLSJavascript, D3.js, Smithsonian API, Github, HTML/CSS, Python, Copilot

SKILLSGenerous Interface, Interactive Data Visualization, Data Normalization, Information Architecture

PROJECT OVERVIEWThe Smithsonian Gardens Orchid Collection contains over 3,000 records, but like many institutional datasets, its existing interface prioritizes taxonomic search over public exploration—making it difficult for non-experts to browse, learn, or form meaningful connections.

This project reimagines how institutional data can be experienced by the public. Starting from the perspective of a curious, non-expert visitor, I transformed fragmented Open Access records into an exploratory generous interface that invites discovery, learning, and wonder.