Designing and implementing your first interactive design installation can be a nerve-wracking and stressful experience.

1. What are Interactive Design
Installations?
Interactive design installations are exciting combinations of
responsive technology, sound, and light used within physical
spaces and are extremely effective at engaging passive audiences
— instantly converting them to active participants. While they
come in many forms, interactive installations typically harness a
variety of sensors that, when combined with specialized hardware
and software, allow audiences to interact with the installation’s
digital elements. So, how are they used?
How Are Design Installations Used?
With modern consumers’ senses being almost constantly engaged,
marketers have had to up their game and explore methods
through which they can filter through the daily sensory barrages
faced by consumers and still deliver an effective message. Thanks
to their multi-sensory, interactive nature, interactive installations

2. generally have no trouble attracting and retaining an audience’s
attention — giving marketers plenty of time to deliver their
messages. In short, a big part of what makes interactive design
installations so effective is their power to create a much deeper
connection between brands and audiences compared to
conventional digital or print marketing methods.
They’re not all about marketing, however, and interactive
installations are often used as art pieces or simply as a way for
brands to give something back to their audiences in a fun, social,
and exciting manner.
What Goes into an Effective Interactive
Installation?
Digital installations and activations can be produced relatively
quickly and easily by an experienced agency; however, interactive
design installations take quite a bit more work and require a few
additional considerations including:
Interactive Elements
Interactivity is the foundation of an interactive installation. For
maximum effect, an installation’s interactive element should be
modern, creative, and something most audiences would be
familiar with; such as touch screens. Furthermore, you can
incorporate interactive elements such as motion capture and
microphones to make audience interaction easier and more
natural. Interactivity can either make or break an installation, so
it’s important that you do your research and explore the different
types of interactive elements available to you.

3. Visuals
Whether projection-mapped or built into a prop, interactive
installations naturally require a medium through which an
audience’s sense of sight can be engaged. In terms of visuals,
projection mapping has especially become common in modern
interactive design installations, and when combined with the latest
graphics technologies and projection hardware, can be used to
create stunning, immersive visuals.
Audio
Audio is unfortunately often forgotten when it comes to crafting
interactive design installations, despite the fact that it’s a vital part
of the overall experience. When planning out an interactive
installation, ensure that you use only high-quality audio and,
perhaps more importantly, make sure that it actually pairs well
with installation content — nothing kills an interactive installation
quicker than stunning visuals paired with horrible audio.
Getting it Right from the Start
Designing and implementing your first interactive design
installation can be a nerve-wracking and stressful experience.
Thankfully, UK-based interactive design installation
agency Untitled Project is here to help.
Visit www.untitledproject.tv to learn more about how Untitled
Project designed and implemented interactive installations for
some of the world’s top brands and find out more about how they
can ensure your next project is a success.