Immersive spaces - the ultimate interactive experience
We talked about touchscreen experiences earlier and in this blog post we take it a step further. Besides traditional touchscreens combined with add-ons, there are other ways to create an interactive experience. An immersive space is a good example. It is the perfect way to bring an immersive and interactive experience to life. We'd love to tell you how it works!
What are immersive spaces?
An immersive space is a physical space, in the shape of a square or rectangle, with projection on the walls and occasionally even on the floor to create a total experience. A touchscreen is often placed in the middle to control the experience. You can think of it as an empty box that you fill with storytelling, content, light, sound and other elements to create an interactive experience.
Why an immersive space?
Even more important than the definition of an immersive space, is the added value of it. Why should you invest in an immersive space as a company?
1. Unforgettable, interactive experience
First and foremost, it is an unforgettable experience. You don't visit an immersive space surrounded by immersive projections and spectacular audio every day. This ensures that visitors will not forget the visit easily.
2. Multipurpose in terms of applications
Another advantage is the diversity of such an immersive space. It can be used for different purposes and target groups. On the one hand, it can be purely inspirational; on the other, it can play a more educational and informative role. It can serve to immerse students and/or companies in a particular subject and teach them something about it during a targeted training.
3. Communicating complex subject matter in a visual and interactive way
These rooms are perfect for explaining complex subjects in an accessible way. The combination of visual and interactive elements makes it easier for visitors to understand and remember the message.
4. Group experience: interaction and collaboration
While virtual reality is an individual experience, this is different with immersive space. You can compare it to VR glasses that are visible to everyone through projection on walls and possibly on the floor. This makes it a group event where you can focus on interaction and collaboration.
How do you build an immersive space?
Building an immersive space requires the same approach as creating a digital experience
- Define the objectives, target audiences and the message
First of all, it is important to think about your objectives, target audience and the message. Think about the following questions: where should this multimedia make a difference? Who should be triggered by it? What should that person remember?
A good digital experience makes an impact in one or more of these domains: to inform, to inspire, to teach, to stand out or to entertain. Every experience contains these aspects, although some emerge more strongly than others. - Let the space tell the story
Once your objectives are clear, you can start writing out your story. Storytelling is crucial for a successful immersive space.
After that, it's time to bring that story to life by creating content. Content is essential; it connects technology with your message. While we are not a content agency at Ocular, we work with experts who can make this step a success. - Choose technology according to the objectives and story
Last but not least, the technology. Multimedia obviously plays a major role in the success of an immersive space. The right choice of hardware and software ensures that the experience seamlessly matches your objectives and the message you want to convey. This phase translates the concept into a final design of the space.
References
We already created several immersive spaces for a variety of clients. In The Flax - House of AI, students from Vives University discover all about how AI will be in 2040. For Siemens, we built a Concept Center 4 Industries where ideas are exchanged, challenges are discussed and real solutions are sought and found.
Conclusion
An immersive space offers a unique opportunity to immerse, inspire and inform your visitors on a specific topic. The diversity of these spaces allows you to reach different target groups and achieve different goals with one design.
We will gladly guide you from A to Z in the development of your own immersive space. We have years of experience and knowledge of digital experiences ourselves and have a wide network of partners for storytelling and content, among other things.