Where History Comes Out to Play

Discover Drenthe, Drents Museum web app

In ‘Discover Drenthe’, extraordinary stories and objects from the Drents Museum come to life across twenty different locations. Deep in the forest, in the city center of Assen, or beneath a dolmen, families discover hidden worlds using their own phones.

Client and Location

Drents Museum - Drenthe (NL)

Open Since

2024

Our Role

Interaction design, app development

Photography

YIPP

Face to Face with the Past

In Discover Drenthe, the past is brought to life at the exact locations where remarkable finds were made or structures once stood. Every experience begins with the location itself. For instance, the Yde Girl isn't only on display in the Drents Museum; visitors can also experience an interactive story at the very spot where she was sacrificed. A bit further along, art photos can be taken in the same landscape that inspired Van Gogh and other master painters.

Augmented Reality and other techniques

By adding a digital layer, guided by voice actors, games, and encouraging visitors to look at their surroundings differently through the lens of their own phones, the invisible becomes visible. With every experience, you discover more about the place you are in. Through the use of Augmented Reality (AR), historical figures or vanished elements of the landscape are placed back into the environment. A historical tram suddenly drives past the old tram depot again, or a forest arises in a meadow.

Designing with the target audience and stakeholders

To ensure the interactions feel intuitive for all generations, the app was developed in close collaboration with the target audience. Early interaction ideas were extensively tested with prototypes in our studio in Amsterdam. Next, we repeated user tests with the target group on location in Drenthe.

Extensive research

We investigated not only whether visitors understood what to do, but also how long an experience remained engaging, how families collaborated, and how much attention the screen required.

Improving by testing

The tests led to concrete design choices. For example, the duration of each experience is limited to about ten minutes, and collaboration is an intentional part of several interactions. Families can take on different roles: together, they can work as peat cutters in the Veenpark, act as assistant directors placing prisoners in the Veenhuizen prison, or work as archaeologists removing different layers of soil at the dolmen.

Immediate play

The use of a QR code, allowing the game to be played immediately without having to download an app, makes it accessible to use.

From Digital to Physical Heritage

The twenty experiences don't stand alone. Each location is connected to the collection of the Drents Museum as well as to local museums and heritage centers in the surrounding area. Staff members and volunteers from these institutions provided imagery, stories, and local knowledge for the development of the experiences.

Want to know more?

Our director Wouter would love to tell you more about this project! Send him an e-mail at wouter.vanderzouwe@yipp.nl

Related Projects