Museums, science centres, and public spaces are no longer places where visitors quietly observe exhibits behind a barrier. Forget passive museum visits—modern museums, science centres, and public spaces are transforming into interactive and immersive experiences where visitors don’t just observe; they engage, explore, and become part of the story. But not all experiences are created equal.
Two buzzwords dominate this landscape: interactive and immersive. To some, they hold a remarkably similar meaning, but they create vastly different realities for visitors. Often when we get asked to describe the difference, we refer to a simple differentiator:
An interactive experience is a story directed by the visitor through different touchpoints, while an immersive experience places the visitor in the middle of the story, in a ‘new’ reality.
An interactive exhibit describes a single information pathway between a visitor and an installation. The visitor prompts a command, and the exhibit responds with a multisensory experience. An immersive exhibit, however, is a multi-sensory journey that places visitors inside the story, transforming them from spectators into participants.
Understanding the distinction isn’t just semantics—it’s about leveraging the most powerful tools to engage, inspire, and drive meaningful connections to global sustainability issues. That’s why we do what we do.
The Power of Interactive Experiences
Interaction isn’t just about triggering touchpoints; it’s about promoting personal agency and learning through the story navigated by a visitor’s actions. Interactive experiences demand participation—visitors must engage, make decisions, and influence outcomes. Unlike passive exhibits, these installations respond to users, turning them into active explorers of knowledge.
Take our Mishkat Renewable Energy Exhibit, for example—a digital playground where kids don’t just read about wind or solar power; they experiment with it. The exhibit offers a game that challenges children to power a darkened house using renewable energy sources—sun, wind, and geothermal heat—by placing foam props on designated floor hotspots. As they match the props with visual cues, renewable energy plants appear on the wall, lighting up the house and activating appliances. The game is won when all energy sources are correctly placed, fully powering the house. This is a clear example of how an interactive exhibit promotes personal agency to build a story.
How can interactive exhibits enhance learning in your space?
Stepping Inside the Story with an Immersive Experience
If an interactive experience is about control, immersive experiences are about surrender. They blur the line between audience and environment, pulling visitors into worlds where reality bends, and sensory perception is fully engaged.
At Wonderdal Kids’ Edutainment Centre, young adventurers learn about nature, nutrition, and life skills as they step into vibrant, digital learning zones. As children enter the centre, virtual guides (the Amuki) lead them through different ecosystems. Motion sensors track their movements, making them part of the environment rather than mere spectators.
The River of Grass at the Frost Museum of Science is a masterclass in immersive storytelling, transforming a room into a living, breathing Everglades ecosystem. Using 16 projectors and 7 motion detectors, the exhibit reacts to children’s movements, shifting lighting from dawn to dusk and bringing digital wildlife to life with unique behaviors. Young explorers can dam up flowing water with log props, altering the environment in real time, while seasonal changes and storm effects add depth to their journey.
What if visitors could step into a historical moment instead of just reading about it?
Rewriting the Rules of Engagement
So, what does all this mean for the future of science centres, museums, and public spaces? The line between storyteller and audience has dissolved. Visitors expect more than information—they crave experiences that make them feel they are part of something, something that gives them the opportunity to live a different reality.
Interactive exhibits let visitors shape their own learning journeys. Immersive experiences, on the other hand, place the visitor into the world of the subject matter, providing an opportunity to play a first-person role in historical events, remote environments, and future possibilities—all in a safe way.
The best learning happens when visitors don’t just read about history, science, or culture—but experience it firsthand. Interactive and immersive exhibits turn learning into a journey, making knowledge stick through unforgettable moments.
Want to create unforgettable experiences? Let’s reimagine engagement together.
