Interaction design
Making a dataset of 20.000 archeological findings online accessible, insightful and fun.
Project
Client - City of Amsterdam
Collaboration - Fabrique and Q42
Duration - 10 weeks
Website
belowthesurface.amsterdam
Date
2018
Client - City of Amsterdam
Collaboration - Fabrique and Q42
Duration - 10 weeks
Website
belowthesurface.amsterdam
Date
2018
Role
Responsible for UX design
Working in a team with visual designers and (front-end/back-end) developers
Responsible for UX design
Working in a team with visual designers and (front-end/back-end) developers
Methods
Wireframing
Prototyping
Scrum
Wireframing
Prototyping
Scrum
Challenge
During the decade-long construction of a subway line through a riverbed in the city of Amsterdam, archaeologists found around 700,000 artifacts dating from 2005 all the way back to 3000 BC. The Municipality of Amsterdam had plans to present the findings in huge displays in the new subway stations. To reach the greater public, the Municipality asked Fabrique to design a new website presenting the archeologic findings in an innovative way.
In collaboration with Fabrique, the concept Below the Surface was imagined. The new site should show the multiplicity and variety of the findings. Additionally, visitors should be encouraged to collect and create sharable images with the findings, to engage people in learning about Amsterdam's history through its material remains. Finally, the displays in the subway station could be used as activation of the website. As UX designer, I was asked to design this new website, in collaboration with visual designers and developers from Q42.
Approach
Scrum
We designed and build the website with an agile approach. As preparation of the design sprints, in sprint 0, I defined the main user stories as input for the sprint back log. Additionally, I created the site map and designed the main wireframes of the website. The website is further detailed, designed and build in 4 sprints with a total duration of 8 weeks. During these design sprints my role was UX. I worked side by side with the visual designers and developers to make the concept design reality.
We designed and build the website with an agile approach. As preparation of the design sprints, in sprint 0, I defined the main user stories as input for the sprint back log. Additionally, I created the site map and designed the main wireframes of the website. The website is further detailed, designed and build in 4 sprints with a total duration of 8 weeks. During these design sprints my role was UX. I worked side by side with the visual designers and developers to make the concept design reality.
Making archeology accessible and insightful
Belowthesurface.amsterdam communicates archeology in an accessible and insightful way. The overview of the findings is designed to encourage viewers to scroll through thousands of years of Dutch history, with a clickable timeline and an intuitive filtering mechanism. Additionally, the visitor can take a tour through the virtual display shown in the subway station, to read more about the history of the findings.
Making archeology fun
As you scroll through the catalog clicking on various objects, the site invites you to save the objects you find most interesting. With these objects, you can create your own display, as a nod to the display cases on the subway stations.
Result
The goal was to make archaeology more interesting and relevant for the people of Amsterdam. Two weeks after the website was launched, belowthesurface.amsterdam already had 450K unique visitors, 1700 displays made, and the project was picked up by international media. We received multiple design awards for the website, amongst others a Webby Award in category Weird.
"Below the Surface isn’t just remarkable for the sheer amount of stuff the archaeologists dredged up, though. It unites the study of the past, often relegated to museums and books, with contemporary thinking on communication design. And well-crafted UX ties the project together: Each element, from the website to the exhibitions to a book about the found objects, is focused on making Amsterdam’s material history relevant to today’s city dwellers."
- Katharine Schwab, Fast Company
"As an archaeologist myself, I'm always on the lookout for innovative ways that my colleagues find to communicate their research to the public. Below the Surface is one of these: I've never seen anything quite like it, and will be spending a good chunk of time this weekend learning more about the history of Amsterdam through its material remains."
- Kristina Killgrove, Forbes
"Below the Surface isn’t just remarkable for the sheer amount of stuff the archaeologists dredged up, though. It unites the study of the past, often relegated to museums and books, with contemporary thinking on communication design. And well-crafted UX ties the project together: Each element, from the website to the exhibitions to a book about the found objects, is focused on making Amsterdam’s material history relevant to today’s city dwellers."
- Katharine Schwab, Fast Company
"As an archaeologist myself, I'm always on the lookout for innovative ways that my colleagues find to communicate their research to the public. Below the Surface is one of these: I've never seen anything quite like it, and will be spending a good chunk of time this weekend learning more about the history of Amsterdam through its material remains."
- Kristina Killgrove, Forbes