Six Degrees of Interactivity
Innumerable Possibilities
In any discussion about media for destinations and attractions with our clients, our consultants, and even our internal design teams, the topic of Interactivity inevitably comes up. But what does someone mean when they say, “We want to make sure this experience includes Interactivity, or some kind of Interactive Media?” Initially, the possibilities seem endless, if not a bit daunting.
To focus the conversation, it may help to think about Interactivity in terms of scale (and scalability), rather than a singular grand solution that uses Interactive Media as the perfect anecdote to immerse your guest in an experience.
And so, we present…
Six Degrees of Interactivity:
1st Degree: Touch Screens
I touch a screen to navigate something, or to discover more information. It’s simple, intuitive, and so commonplace that even toddlers know how to use an iPad, which has pros and cons.
2nd Degree: Screens Read the User
The screen can 'see' what I'm doing and allow me to interact with or navigate the content without touching anything. This degree of Interactivity features touchless screens that read the user’s body, as seen with interactive guides at museums, or using the Xbox Kinect at home, which happens to have generated a legacy beyond the living room.
3rd Degree: Interactivity Curates the Real-World Experience
My interaction with the screen changes my experience in the physical world. The Unboxed App at the Warhol Museum allows you to curate your visit, learn more about your favorite pieces through digital content, and take home a related collection from the gift shop. It continues to send follow-up links that encourage at-home learning and exploration. The ArtLens Gallery at the Cleveland Museum of Art reads user’s gestures and body positions, allowing them to curate a digital tour of related art and interact with the museum’s collection. What makes this degree of Interactivity so appealing is that the user’s interaction with the screen provides them with a physical ‘reward’ or outcome.
4th Degree: Immersion in a Virtual World
Wearing glasses or a headset, I become totally immersed in a virtual world, and can interact with it virtually. My avatar can interact with other people’s avatars. This degree of Interactivity has become more accessible to the everyday user with the introduction of consumer versions of Virtual Reality, like Oculus, HTC Vive, and Playstation VR. While total immersion in a virtual world presents incredibly exciting opportunities for users and guests, it’s not without its pitfalls.
5th Degree: Merging of Virtual and Physical Worlds
Wearing glasses or a headset, I navigate a virtual world, but can interact with things in the physical world. I see a virtual lever, reach out to grab it, feel it in the physical world, and can actually pull it to make something happen in the virtual world. The VOID used this degree of Interactivity to create incredibly immersive experiences with Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Marvel. Although now closed in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic, the VOID’s immersive experiences were once seen as potentially reviving dying spaces in shopping malls.
There’s another, perhaps more exciting, approach to this degree of Interactivity: I see the virtual world super-imposed on the physical world (Augmented Reality) and can interact with physical objects to change the augmented virtual world. The visual connection between the virtual and the physical provides Augmented Reality with a level of engagement that can get lost in a totally Virtual world.
6th Degree: Physical World Interaction Changes Experience with Media
Achieved while wearing or (possibly more exciting) without wearing glasses or a headset, my interaction with something in the physical world changes my immersive experience with the media. This degree of Interactivity can replicate the experiences of playing a video game, but with real-world effects and outcomes. Disney’s Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, which allows a crew of guests to pilot an interactive, motion simulator version of the “fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy,” is one of the best examples of this to date. And Super Nintendo World in Japan is pushing the boundaries on this degree of Interactivity with their Mario Kart Koopa’s Challenge attraction.
Choose Wisely
These degrees of Interactivity have numerous implications for designers of attractions. As the degree goes up from one to six, so does the level of investment, of technical complexity, and of effort in fabrication, installation, and integration. Before you dive into the deep end of Interactive Media, you may want to consider just how deeply you’d like to tread. There may be a simpler, more cost-effective solution that meets your vision of an Interactive experience.
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