Brief
Historypin was a unique project brought to us by a very enthusiastic bunch at We Are What We Do, in partnership with Google. WAWWDO wanted a website that brought people together, connecting both the older generation, those with the memories and the younger generation who have the technical capabilities to upload these memories to the web.
Insight
We all know the older generation love to relive the past and the younger generation love to surf the net so what better way to bridge the generation gap than to create something like Historypin. A site where memories can live forever. We realised that we needed to design a site that was both user friendly and accessible but also had the functionality that would excite the savviest tech users.
Solutions
The site is still one of the most complex ever built on Google’s cloud computing platform Google App Engine, giving it all the scalability of Google’s infrastructure. And as well as App Engine, Historypin makes use of a number of Google APIs, including Google Maps and Streetview, geolocator, Picasa and OAuth to name but a few. By layering on to street view the site layered old images onto new ones, creating a window into history. Always wanting to keep to the brief we decided to keep the user experience as simple as possible. Four easy steps allow content to be uploaded on to the site, then dated, geo tagged and layered on to street view, allowing users to experience it all. Historypin is a global offering but we wanted to ensure users had a relevant and personalised experience. By building a search function that allowed users to search by place, time and story means the user experience is not only effortless but meaningful.
Results
It is a social proposition. A global map that has been able to bring people together in a way that no other photo mapping site has ever done before. It’s not about making money but about bridging the gap between generations. It encompasses some of the most complex and exciting pieces of technology out there, all with the aim of displaying images and stories in a way that is simple yet comprehensive. Over 51583 photos and stories have been uploaded so far, photos dating back to 1840 and covering historical events that have changed the very nature of the world we live in. From the Suffragette movement to the Queen’s Coronation, every historical moment has a place on Historypin.
