NHM INNL

To celebrate the unveiling of the National Historisch Museum, a customized “automatiek” was installed in the Amsterdam location. It features the classic, self-serve vending machines (which are still wildly popular in the Netherlands) dispensing historical Dutch objects instead of fried foods.

This exhibit required extensive interactive design and testing to make sure each user went through all the steps (of which there are seven from card → object → video). On average, this process took 2 minutes including watching the video, and almost each user completed the process without hesitation. There were exceptions: Hackers in the form of Dutch grannies had discovered the tea towels in the Automatiek vending machine were euros cheaper than in stores. They often raided the Automatiek without completing the process, but they brought their friends so it was at least enjoyed by a broader public.