What I Wish More Clients Understood About Interactive Experiences

A reflection on what makes them work, and what gets in the way

“Can you make it interactive?” We hear this often. It’s a fair starting point, but rarely the most useful one.

Over the years we’ve worked on all kinds of interactive experiences. Public installations. In-store demos. AR activations. Playable Christmas campaigns. Some were beautifully simple. Others were technically complex. The ones that worked best were the ones with a clear purpose from the beginning.

Here’s what we’ve learned along the way.

Interactivity is not a feature

When interactive experiences fall flat, it is almost never because the technology failed. It is usually because the idea was unclear, or the behaviour was not thought through. Strong interaction starts with a question. What do you want people to do? What response are you hoping to trigger? Is there a moment of reward? If that thinking comes first, the technology fits. If it comes last, the experience tends to feel bolted on.

Simple works

One of our most effective builds was Telstra’s Big Christmas. We installed a walkable, oversized keyboard in a public space. Each step played a note. Lights responded. People gathered. No app. No signage. No instructions. Kids jumped on it. Adults joined in. Strangers made music together. It was built on a simple idea: fun is contagious. And it worked because no one had to be told what to do.

That’s what makes something truly interactive. It invites participation without explanation.

Good interaction needs purpose

If the only brief is “make it interactive,” the outcome usually feels hollow. There might be movement. There might be clicks. But without intention, it rarely lands. The strongest briefs begin with clarity. We see better results when the first conversation is about:

• What do we want people to feel?

• What should they do next?

• What do we want them to remember?

When that is clear, the rest follows.

Not everything needs to be digital

Some of our favourite builds used no screens at all. A light that responds to motion. A pressure pad that triggers sound. A space that feels different when you enter it. Interactivity does not mean technology. It means response. It means action and reaction. When someone steps in and something changes, they are part of it. That’s what matters.

Final thought

The word “interactive” gets used loosely. But when it is done with care, it can transform how people feel about a space, a brand or a moment. Not because it is clever. But because it responds to them. That is the kind of work we want to do more of. Thoughtful, behaviour-led, and built with purpose.

If you’re thinking about building something like that in 2026, we would love to talk.

Send us your problem. We will come back with ideas.

hello@wtsagency.com