POI360
A Digital Home for Indigenous Stories
POI360 is a multi-layered interactive documentary experience funded by NZ On Air. It is the digital home for indigenous stories of the Poi. Through an interactive documentary, 3D map of New Zealand, 360° performance and much more, POI360 brings a collection of stories and perspectives that have never been told in the digital realm.
The website is based on a number of different features identified in a research phase. We defined target groups, their needs, wants and mapped out user stories that connect with the overall vision of the project. A 20-minute documentary can be watched straight through, or the viewer can select points along the video that bring up new overlaid information. The extra information provides additional
context to the story, sometimes facts or details, sometimes extended interviews or videos. For the first time ever there is also a 360 recording of a poi performance. This unique perspective puts the viewer in control of the video – moving around the beach to see the performance from different angles and get a real sense of the flow of the poi. An interactive 3D map of New Zealand shows the stories of different regions or iwi – from the passive resistance stories of the Taranaki region to the historical taonga housed at Te Papa Tongarewa. The site is user-centered, innovative and will bring value to young and old, anyone who is interested in this most recognisable icon of Aotearoa – the Poi.
DIGITAL STRATEGY • USER RESEARCH • UX DESIGN • UI DESIGN • PROTOTYPING • DEVELOPMENT • SUPPORT
THE PROCESS
At the start of the project, we facilitated a design collaboration workshop to create an overall concept and prototype for the interactive documentary. This enabled us to create a better user experience, it formed the basis of our design concept and it helped the project group visualise how the extensive video content would be presented within the interface.
Users can discover stories of the poi around New Zealand via interactive hotspots on the map. Smooth animation and fly-throughs connect the stories with the land and the people.
A VIDEO-RICH EXPERIENCE
An interactive video player allowed the user to explore deeper into the story through points of interest in the documentary
While the user is watching the 20-minute documentary they can choose to interact with different cue points in the video to explore deeper into the story with interviews and information about the poi.
THE IMMERSIVE WORLD OF POI
On the homepage, visitors are presented with three ways to start exploring the stories of poi in Aotearoa. In the background, a short video loop draws the visitor into the experience.
LEARN HOW TO POI
Visitors interested in learning the moves from the documentary and 360° performance can browse an extensive video library and learn the technique from the best of the best.
FULLY RESPONSIVE
By working closely together, our design and development team created a seamless experience across all major devices.
“As Maori storytellers, we’ve always been multi-layered through our customs, poetic language, and performance. Neu21's ability to create an engaging, interactive digital platform has now enabled us to share our stories in multiple ways online as well.”
Lanita Ririnui-Ryan
Project Owner