Opening a century of national audiovisual heritage to audiences nationwide

Selecting the right partner

Beeld & Geluid’s ambition was not only to make archive content accessible, but to create a digital experience that reflects the cultural value of one of the world’s most advanced media archives.

During the European procurement process, proposals were assessed on vision and design, delivery and project management, and long-term scalability. Rather than staying conceptual, we demonstrated how the platform would work in practice, allowing stakeholders to validate key decisions early. At the same time, our strength as a technology-driven partner proved decisive. Managing millions of audiovisual assets, each with complex metadata and rights structures, requires a robust and scalable foundation.

We brought together the “hyper” of design, creativity and user experience with the “solid” of technical depth, scalability and engineering expertise, thereby showing how the platform could evolve and grow for years to come.

Powering search and discovery

At the core of De Schatkamer lies a vast and complex archive spanning decades of Dutch media history. The archive was never structured for a modern streaming experience. Metadata is often incomplete, episode structures are inconsistent and rights differ per item. Even within a single series, some episodes may be available while others are not.

Rather than forcing an ideal structure onto the archive, the platform adapts to the reality of the data. Discoverability therefore became just as important as availability. Some users arrive with a specific program in mind, while others explore more freely. The platform supports both through search, browsing and metadata-driven navigation. In doing so, the archive evolves from a static collection into a dynamic, explorable experience.

This experience is rooted in the underlying data. Working closely with Oncore, responsible for data import and Elasticsearch indexing, Hypersolid translated complex source data into a model that supports both precise search and intuitive discovery.

Because the archive itself remains the single source of truth, the original data could not be modified. To enrich the experience without affecting data integrity, Hypersolid introduced a separate editorial layer. Through a tailored CMS, editors can add imagery, introductions and curated collections, creating a richer and more flexible experience without altering the underlying archive.

Building a platform that performs at scale

De Schatkamer is built to support both a large archive and a large public audience. With traffic peaks around major media moments, performance and scalability were critical from the start.

The system runs on a cloud-native, containerized architecture, allowing applications to scale dynamically based on demand. At its core is a middleware layer developed by Hypersolid, connecting the search index, CMS and personalized user features into a single, performant system. Drawing on our experience with high-traffic digital platforms, we also contributed to infrastructure decisions and implementation details in close collaboration with Beeld & Geluid.

Performance optimization remained a continuous focus throughout development. Caching strategies, optimized data flows and external media processing ensure fast load times and stable performance under pressure.

Security and rights management are deeply integrated into the platform. Every item carries its own rights metadata, determining whether content can be viewed, embedded or restricted. These permissions are enforced throughout the experience. The result is a platform that not only performs reliably at scale, but is also designed to grow alongside the archive.

Designing for discovery, familiarity and accessibility

The design phase was intentionally compact and focused, following a six-week waterfall-like process in which pages were reviewed and approved week by week.

Beeld & Geluid defined several audience personas, with a strong focus on older users reconnecting with programs from their past. At the same time, younger audiences often require more guidance in discovering unfamiliar content. The platform balances nostalgia with exploration.

Building on the identity of Beeld & Geluid, De Schatkamer introduces a dedicated digital sub-brand with a more approachable interface, refined for online use. Familiar interaction patterns, search is always visible, navigation is straightforward, and content is presented in horizontal swimlanes that support browsing and comparison.

Accessibility was another key focus. The platform supports keyboard navigation, screen readers and recognized accessibility standards, ensuring the archive remains usable for a wide audience across devices and abilities.

Validating through audits and user testing

Validation played a central role throughout the development of De Schatkamer. From early design explorations to the final implementation, both user testing and formal audits were used to ensure that the platform performs as intended across usability, accessibility, security and performance.

Early prototypes of the homepage and search experience were tested with users to confirm that core interactions felt intuitive. As development progressed, testing moved toward more realistic scenarios using actual data. These sessions revealed how users search, browse and discover content within a large and unfamiliar collection, leading to refinements in navigation and presentation.

Special attention was also given to inclusive testing. The platform was evaluated with people with visual and auditory impairments, users with low literacy levels, and individuals with very limited digital experience. These sessions provided valuable insights into how different audiences navigate and interpret the platform, helping shape both interaction patterns and content presentation.

In parallel, a series of independent audits ensured that the platform meets high standards across multiple dimensions. Performance, accessibility and security were each assessed in dedicated audits, with findings addressed iteratively along the way.

Together, these validation processes ensured that both design and technical decisions were not only well-reasoned, but also validated in real-world use.

Continuously evolving toward a richer experience

De Schatkamer was designed as a platform that can evolve over time. As metadata improves and becomes more structured, new possibilities emerge, from richer program pages to clearer episode relationships and improved navigation.

User behavior also provides valuable insight. Search patterns, browsing behavior and discovery flows are continuously analyzed to improve curation, navigation and personalization.

The platform is also built to respond quickly to cultural moments. Around major media events or renewed public interest in specific programs, editorial teams can rapidly curate and publish new collections through the CMS.

Hypersolid continues to work closely with Beeld & Geluid in this process, developing the platform step by step. This ensures that De Schatkamer remains adaptable, future-proof and aligned with both user needs and organizational ambitions.