Services

Experience Master Planning

At formula D_, every successful project begins with an experience master planning process – this is the first phase where your big idea, audience, space, content, and technology are mapped out to create a highly visible, clear, and actionable roadmap for your new exhibition, museum, urban space, or conservation center.

We help you align your vision with real-world operational, financial, and audience needs – ensuring your project has purpose, coherence, and long-term impact, before design and implementation begin.

Big Idea

What is the story at the core of your experience?

Our big idea is an umbrella concept that sits atop narrative, content and all other interactions, encapsulating the experience in a neat, exciting descriptor that may quite literally go above the experience door. It clearly demonstrates how the experience connects to audience, story and client objectives. The “big idea” leads the design going forward.

Engagement Strategy

What make your visitors listen up and engage with your offering?

Using our in-depth audience research, and by actively involving members of the target group, we develop an engagement strategy that speaks to the diverse mindsets and motivations, defining the perfect language and approach to reach your audience.

Behaviour design strategy

How can your spatial experience move people to action?

Our “experience to action” model structures narrative, content, and interactive elements into an emotionally engaging storyline that guides visitors through discovery, connection, and participation. By applying principles from behavioral science, our experiences nudge visitors to make better choices, creating measurable impact.

Technology Strategy

Where does technology have the greatest impact in your experience?

We assess where and how digital interactives, immersive media, and smart systems can enhance storytelling and visitor engagement. We will identify the right tools, platforms, and integration points, ensuring your interactive systems are future-proof, maintainable, and operationally aligned. This plan considers lifecycle costs, staff capacity, and visitor expectations for a sustainable, tech-smart solution.

Narrative & Theme development

What story are we telling, and what role does the visitor take?

Based on our big idea, the narrative and experience theme defines the world our story takes place, our protagonists and storytellers. Of central importance is the role we want our visitors to take and what wish the experience fulfils for them. The theme is the framework ensuring that every exhibit, interaction, and design contributes to a cohesive, immersive visitor experience.

Visitor Journey development

How will visitors experience your story step by step?

We design the arc of the visitor journey — from arrival to departure — identifying emotional peaks, key interactions, and transitions. By carefully mapping out pacing, flow, and visitor mindset shifts along the journey, we create experiences that feel intuitive, immersive, and memorable at every stage.

Spatial strategy

How do ideas translate into space?

We translate strategic concepts into preliminary spatial layouts, touchpoint locations, and experience zones. Our schematic designs balance creative intent with practical constraints like visitor capacity, operational flow, and technical requirements — providing a clear foundation for detailed design development.

Visualisation

How will the vision come to life?

We create high-quality visualizations — including renderings, concept art, and 3D flythroughs — that bring the experience to life before it’s built. These visuals help align teams, inspire stakeholders, and ensure everyone shares a clear and compelling vision of the future attraction.

Frequently asked questions

Can you help me understand what my project will cost, and how long it will take to make?

If you provide us with a project reference, we can consult with you and help you get a sense of the project scope and a realistic timeframe. This will help inform your decision-making process.

How do you make international collaborations work? We’re concerned about working with a company so far away.

We’ve successfully delivered high-profile projects for clients all across the globe.
Where needed, we partner with partners in our client’s region. With the help of widespread digitisation and tools for online connection, international projects have never been easier.

Will my project be too small or too large for you to take on?

We have an established network of global partners. This ensures we’re not limited in the scale of the projects we work on.
And while there’s no project too big, there’s also no project too small for big ideas.

Are you able to help me attract audiences to my exhibit, and get my key message across to them?

We conduct in-depth audience analysis during our design process and test exhibit concepts to see if they are resonating with real audiences.
This helps us to test the effectiveness of your messaging, and to ensure exhibits will attract visitors. It also increases the likelihood of bringing in broader groups of people, including non-typical audiences.

What is experience master planning, and why is it essential for museums and visitor attractions?

Experience master planning is the strategic foundation of any new exhibition, museum, or immersive space. It aligns the big idea, audience needs, content, flow, technology, and spatial requirements into one actionable roadmap. This ensures the project is coherent, feasible, and impactful before design and implementation begin.

What are the key components of an experience master plan?

A comprehensive master plan typically includes:
- Big Idea development
- Engagement strategy
- Behaviour design strategy
- Narrative and theme development
- Technology strategy
- Visitor journey mapping
- Spatial planning and experience zoning
- Visualisations and concept sketches

Together, these elements define the direction and structure of the entire project.

How do you develop a “Big Idea” for a museum or experiential project?

We collaborate with stakeholders to identify the core story, mission, and visitor promise that sits at the heart of the experience. The Big Idea acts as a guiding narrative lens — aligning content, design, engagement, and operational intentions under one memorable, emotionally resonant concept.

How does behavioural design improve visitor engagement?

Behaviour design applies principles of psychology and behavioural science to guide visitor actions. Using our “experience to action” model, we structure narrative and interactive elements that move visitors from awareness to emotional connection, and finally to action — creating measurable social, educational, or environmental impact.

How do you decide where technology should be integrated into an experience?

We analyse where digital tools can meaningfully enhance storytelling, accessibility, education, or operational efficiency. Our technology strategy considers lifecycle costs, maintenance requirements, visitor expectations, and staff capacity to select platforms that are immersive, maintainable, and future-ready.

What is the difference between narrative development and visitor journey design?

Narrative development defines the story world, themes, characters, and the role of the visitor. Visitor journey design maps how that story unfolds through space — identifying emotional beats, pacing, transitions, interactions, and flow from entry to exit. Together, they ensure the experience is cohesive, immersive, and memorable.

How does spatial strategy support the overall master plan?

- Spatial strategy translates concepts into preliminary layouts, zones, capacity plans, and functional requirements. This ensures the experience is operationally viable, accessible, and technically feasible early on — preventing costly redesign later in the project.

Why are visualisations and concept art important in early planning?

- - Visualisations help stakeholders understand the future experience long before construction begins. Renderings, mood boards, and 3D flythroughs align decision-makers, unlock funding conversations, and ensure that all collaborators share a unified vision.