A virtual experience – The Baltic Sea heritage exhibition

John Nurminen Foundation, a protector of the Baltic Sea, wanted to highlight their important work that promotes maritime culture and environment into an informative and easy-guided virtual experience. 

In spring 2023, John Nurminen Foundation initiated the project by reaching out to All Things Content, known for their expertise in museums and exhibitions. Recognizing the need for concept planning, design and development, A.T. Content enlisted Indevit as a partner.

Three collaborating entities, each bringing their expertise

The project launched with three collaborating entities, each bringing expertise in their respective fields. Meetings took place both onsite and online. Visiting the John Nurminen Foundation physical exhibition in Helsinki also provided valuable inspiration for the project.

John Nurminen Foundation provided visual and textual content showcasing the cultural and environmental narrative of the Baltic Sea.

A.T. Content focused on crafting a coherent narrative from John Nurminen Foundation's material, carefully selecting highlights and generating written content and translations. Crafting a unified narrative from diverse content was no easy task, but A.T. Content succeeded admirably.

Indevit concentrated on both front and back-end development for the virtual exhibition. Indevit handled UI/UX design, concept planning, visual content and development, ensuring compatibility across various platforms.

The process, from sketch to development

Indevit and A.T. Content began by drafting ideas. A prototype was created in Figma to visually represent the final concept. Throughout the process, John Nurminen Foundation could review and provide feedback on layout and functions. The prototype served as a tool throughout the project, facilitating communication and ensuring alignment on details before coding and development began. It kept all parties informed of the progress at all times.

Once all parties were satisfied and the final prototype was approved, coding for the web application started. The process proceeded smoothly, with only a few updates required to the pre-coded exhibition.

Reflecting on the process from beginning to end, all involved can affirm that the end result aligns perfectly with the conceptual framework. The exhibition content incorporated diverse features, including articles and interactive elements like quizzes and word clouds. 

“I learned a lot in this collaboration as it was a completely new platform for me with unfamiliar tools, possibilities, limitations and workflow needs. All this was incredibly rewarding because I love learning about and understanding processes. One specific thing I will never learn, however, is how to think about content in a mobile-friendly format. Fortunately, like everything else about UX/UI design, I don't have to learn it because it's in the backbone of Indevit.”

– Jenny Ingman, All Things Content

Looking back

Every project brings valuable lessons, and this one is no exception! Throughout our collaboration, we gained a lot of knowledge about the Baltic Sea. Diving in to the cultural and environmental facts was truly eye-opening, and the mythical maps of the Baltic Sea stayed in our memory. Did you know that old maps were associated with beliefs and myths of their time, but they also reflected the political, economic, and religious messages of their era?

Moreover, the project's emphasis on multilingualism was a noteworthy feature. Addressing language barriers (Swedish and Finnish) from the outset was essential. Multilingualism not only fostered confidence but also encouraged innovative thinking beyond conventional boundaries.

Working alongside John Nurminen Foundation, the guardian of the Baltic Sea, was an absolute pleasure. Their dedication to spreading awareness about the sea's importance is admirable, and we are proud to have contributed to their mission through this collaboration!