Värmland Digital Design Students Test 'Alstret' App Prototype in Aveiro
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Between February 17 and 19, 2026, the CULTURALITY team at the University of Aveiro welcomed two design students and their tutor from the Swedish school Brobygrafiska, alongside Region Värmland researcher Stefan Barkman. The visit marked a cross-cultural testing phase for “Alstret,” a digital prototype developed by the students to digitally narrate the stories behind traditional crafts.
This exchange builds upon a previous academic module structured by tutor Jonatan Rist-Christensen at Brobygrafiska, where students explored Värmland’s cultural heritage through design (more on this project can be read here). The visiting duo’s project, Alstret, was selected by an international jury to be developed alongside the CULTURALITY team. Having initially tested the app’s framework with the work of Swedish textile artisan Therese Henner, the primary goal of this Portuguese mobility – proposed and organized by Barkman – was to test the prototype’s adaptability within a different cultural landscape.
Organized locally by Portuguese CULTURALITY researchers Gonçalo Gomes, João Monge Coutinho, and Matilde Guedes, the three-day itinerary included fieldwork and prototype development. After an initial day exploring the city and the University of Aveiro campus, the Swedish and Portuguese group traveled to rural Tondela. There, they visited AmaCastelões, a traditional linen workshop run by local women and a central focus of the Portuguese team’s field research. This immersive visit allowed the students to gather fresh media and narratives, providing a new context to stress-test the app’s storytelling capabilities.
Rosa, an artisan at AmaCasteões, presented the linen process to the Swedish group.
The AmaCastelões association workshop, based in an old primary school.
Digital Design workshop with Brobygrafiska students.
Physical prototypes for a new user experience flow being tested for the app.
The final day was dedicated to a hands-on digital design workshop back at the university. The teams collaborated to critically evaluate and refine the user experience for Alstret’s media submission and story creation workflows, ensuring the platform remains intuitive for artisans from diverse backgrounds. To conclude the visit, the students presented their ongoing work to researchers at the Aveiro offices of ID+ (Research Institute for Design, Media and Culture), taking the opportunity to get feedback from researchers working in diverse fields.
Beyond the work sessions, the mobility provided a much-appreciated opportunity for the Swedish team to enjoy a brief, warm escape from the Scandinavian winter. This exemplifies CULTURALITY’s core mission: bridging European realities to co-create innovative tools for heritage preservation and rural tourism.
Photograps: Stefan Barkman
