We’re proud to announce the launch of a new virtual tour for our friends at Boston Children’s Museum. The thrill and delight (and many challenges!) of this project came from combining so many things: 360-degree panoramic photography, software development, user experience/interface design, storytelling, and of course, animation.

As part of our research, we looked at a ton of other museum tours. It quickly became clear that we wanted to do something different and special. It wasn’t enough to simply re-create the museum space. We wanted to make BCM’s tour an experience, something with a story that invites the user to explore, learn, and play. Most of all, we wanted to make something fun.

That’s where Penny and Pickles come in. They’re friends with very different personalities who introduce visitors to the tour and invite them to embark on a hunt for lost items in the museum.

Our heroes, Penny and Pickles, guide visitors through key exhibits in the museum by way of a treasure hunt.

Along the way, visitors learn about select exhibits from them via short animated videos embedded in the tour. These videos also provide hints about the treasures they can uncover.

Just one of the many items awaiting those who explore…

A key design principle was keeping the user experience simple and easy to use. While we wanted to promote exploration, we also wanted to make it easy for visitors to fast travel throughout the museum in just a few clicks. So, we built a custom map of the entire building that makes it easy to see where you are and where you can go.

We designed a bespoke map of all the museum spaces to enable quick and easy navigation.

The tour is now live, so go dive into the experience and tell us what you think!

I want to thank the team at Boston Children’s Museum who supported us throughout this very intensive creative and technical process. We couldn’t have done it without their input and guidance. We hope it brings joy to all who join Penny and Pickles on a grand adventure.