UN COVID-19 Response Creative Content Hub Case Study

We are living in an unprecedented time due to the impact of COVID-19. Much of the world is still under lockdown due to the pandemic. However, at the same time, we have been able to deepen our connections more than ever before. In such difficult times, it is essential to bring about change, no matter how big or small.

 

We were able to work on creative content on the United Nations COVID-19 response site, and were able to process thousands of posts faster and more safely every day, and support in the best way possible.

 

#UNCovid19Brief At the United Nations (UNCovid19Brief), we need your cooperation to create artwork that transcends different cultures, languages, communities, and platforms in order to translate important public health messages and provide information.

1. Issues at the United Nations

Previously, the United Nations had built their website using the Scala + Play framework. However, the technical debt in the codebase made simple changes difficult, resulting in longer testing and release times and ultimately leading to more bugs. Additionally, due to the structure of the site, only standard layouts and designs could be applied.

 

Due to the long implementation time for the new feature, Talenthouse was exploring alternative solutions. However, Talenthouse was already using the Jamstack approach for other projects within TLNT.

2. Rescue with Jamstack

This project aims to create a content hub where artists from all over the world can share their works with a focus on COVID-19 topics such as prevention, engagement, and support. Thanks to the support of the United Nations, a huge number of works were posted on the hub from the first day, and it was expected that there would be a high volume of traffic. Even with a large amount of traffic, a technology stack was needed to display the latest art works.

3. Only 6 days left until MVP

We developed the first version in just 6 days. At this stage, anyone can download and use a vast amount of works created by hundreds of artists around the world. Instead of building everything from scratch and maintaining the infrastructure, we focused on providing a user-friendly app. Thanks to the Jamstack ecosystem, we were able to achieve great results in a very short time.

 

 

Next.js as SSG 3-1

We have chosen Next.js as our static site generator to ensure high performance and the ability to handle frequent updates. To avoid completely rebuilding the website every time new artwork is added, we have implemented incremental static regeneration and fallbacks to generate new pages in the background.

 

3-2 Basel as CI/CD

We chose Vercel for our CI/CD solution. The same team that created Next.js provides hosting for Next.js websites with almost no configuration required. In the end, it was best to deploy to a platform made specifically for Next.js, and it worked particularly well with incremental static regeneration and fallback mode.

 

3-3 Use Fauna as a database

We chose FaunaDB to store all of our works. FaunaDB is a great DB solution that fits very well with the Jamstack web development architecture. In their official description, Fauna explains very clearly what it is.

 

"FaunaDB is a global serverless database that rethinks the relationship between clients and servers. With a web-native GraphQL interface that supports custom business logic, a consistent data and compute fabric with the latest security, and complete freedom from database operations, FaunaDB enables simplified code, reduced costs, and faster releases."

 

FaunaDB is a highly reliable platform with excellent scalability that can be connected from anywhere without any time lag, and is secure by default.

 

Cloudinary as a 3-4 image CDN

One of the other great tools for this project is Cloudinary. This allows us to efficiently manage the delivery of images and videos. It covers everything from uploading, storage, manipulation, optimization, to delivery.

 

Cloudinary delivers media through an optimized high-speed content delivery network (CDN). Therefore, it was a great fit for our project. Cloudinary provides client libraries for all popular development frameworks.

 

3-5 Save Posts on Airtable

One of the key features of this project is the ability to request downloads for each displayed work. In order to get approval for the download, information such as name and intended use of the work was required from the user. Airtable is similar to Excel, but has more functionality than a simple spreadsheet.

 

Airtable can also be used as a database to link records together and create many features for data input.

 

3-6 Search for Algolia

Algolia has been helpful in quickly searching through all items when looking for specific words in titles or descriptions.

 

We have been requested by the United Nations to support the response to Covid-19, and we provide a content hub to manage approved works that partners and people around the world can download, while also calling on the community. Thanks to the 24-hour support from Denis and Bejamas teams, this project was completed in response to our urgent request from the United Nations. Bejamas, who has taken responsibility and worked together to build and evolve the hub, is an invaluable partner for the United Nations.

 

Clare McKeeve
TLNT Holdings SA CEO

4. Results

The website is now twice as fast and thanks to the stability of the Jamstack solution, it is able to handle over 5000 artworks without any issues.

You can also participate in support.

#Important message summarized concisely to work with #UNCovid19 creators.
・You can prevent the spread of COVID-19 with simple personal hygiene measures.
・Maintain physical distance.
・Recognize your symptoms. Stay at home when you are feeling unwell.
・Let's cooperate to strengthen global solidarity and build a contagion of kindness.
・Do not believe rumors. Fear and misinformation are two major challenges we must overcome.
・Get more involved and donate.

 

If you are a creative person, send a message to #UNCovid19Brief and spread your community. And even if you are not, share your work with others as an example and inspire them with #UNCovid19Brief.

 

Even in such a crisis situation, by doing what we can and becoming a voice to share important messages, we can support each other until the end.