Description:

New Zealand virtual pavilion tour - designed to take visitors on a digital journey through the pavilion at the EXPO 2020. A showcase of creativity and innovation, the physical Aotearoa New Zealand pavilion experience combines sound, vision and other sensory inputs to bring to life its “Care for People and Place” theme. The virtual pavilion translates the physical experience into a cutting edge, immersive online experience for audiences around the globe to enjoy no matter their device.

The physical pavilion in Dubai wows visitors with immersive, multi-sensory and interactive
content, and it was a challenge to mirror this experience in the digital environment. The brief was to create a digital experience that allows everyone to visit the New Zealand pavilion. The solution had to be accessible, physical (based and inspired by the actual physical pavilion), intuitive, immersive and enhancing.

In times of a global pandemic creating an accessible experience for all to enjoy was front of mind. The web based 3D solution offers a free ticket for everyone - as long as they have a digital device and internet connection. No goggles or special equipment is needed, and subtitles and sound support accessibility.

Hero of the experience is the waka taonga, a building that is alive. Right from the start visitors are introduced to the building as a living and breathing being, pulsing from the centre where the mauri stone is housed. The user experience allows visitors to choose to follow the intuitive route through the rooms as if they were walking through the pavilion in Dubai, or adapt their online path by accessing the menu.

User testing sessions were conducted to refine the experience and make it intuitive and engaging. Visitors can engage as much as they like, click to find out more, or simply observe. By putting the journey in the hands of the visitor, their part in the bigger picture – their role as kaitiaki or guardian of nature – is reinforced.

The interface design is subtle and intuitive. The elegant design is sophisticated, alive and playful, but subordinate to the spatial design to support rather than distract from the story. A globally known design language makes the experience intuitive for anyone.

To craft an immersive experience a well balanced combination of sound, movement, distortion, hot spots and individualised content was created. Seeing your name within the experience enhances the concept of being in a physical space.

Throughout the development process, performance was continuously optimised to
guarantee a great online experience for a global audience. Visitors to the virtual experience can also share their experience on social media, by taking a picture of themselves in front of the virtual pavilion using an augmented reality add-on within the app.