An Uncomfortable Truth
A large proportion of installations marketed as "interactive" are running fixed, pre-programmed sequences that simply trigger on a basic input — a button press, a proximity sensor, a timer. The lights, sound and movement play out identically every time regardless of what the participant actually does beyond that initial trigger. This isn't dishonest exactly, but it's worth understanding the difference before commissioning one.
True interactivity means the system's output genuinely varies based on ongoing participant input — how long someone stays, how they move, what choices they make mid-experience. Pre-programmed sequences dressed as interactive simply start a fixed show once triggered.
Why This Distinction Gets Blurred
Both approaches can look identical to a passing audience member, which is exactly why the distinction matters for people commissioning work rather than experiencing it. Our experiential development builds both types depending on what a brief actually requires — the point isn't that pre-programmed is inferior, it's that clients should know which they're buying.
- Pre-programmed sequences — reliable, cheaper, easier to test exhaustively, identical every time
- Genuinely interactive systems — variable, more expensive, harder to test comprehensively, different every time
- Cost difference — reactive logic typically costs 40-80% more to develop than an equivalent fixed sequence
- Reliability trade-off — fixed sequences fail less often because there are fewer possible states to break
When Pre-Programmed Is the Right Choice
A brand activation that needs a consistent, polished, camera-ready moment often benefits from a pre-programmed sequence — every participant gets the same high-quality experience, and there's no risk of an edge case producing something awkward on camera.
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When Genuine Interactivity Justifies the Cost
Installations where repeat visits matter, where participants compare notes with each other, or where the whole point is personal agency within the experience need genuine reactive logic — a pre-programmed sequence would be found out immediately by anyone who interacted with it twice, using our sensing and tracking capability to deliver real variation.
Asking the Right Question When Briefing
Rather than asking for "an interactive installation," it's worth being specific about whether the experience needs to vary meaningfully between participants or between repeat visits. That single question, addressed early through our partnership process, changes the engineering approach and the budget substantially.
