Balancing Technology & Story Telling In An Immersive Experience Design!

Entering immersive experiences or any experience for that matter, customers always have an expectation of what awaits them inside. Whether it’s being blown away by the use of technology or getting thoroughly immersed into the storytelling, there is always a fine line in an experience between the two. How does a team determine that the technology of an experience balances itself well with the storytelling and world building? That’s what the Superdough Tech Team, consisting of Johnny and Jin, set themselves out to do.

Implementing Technology Into Immersive Experiences

The first question the tech team must ask themselves when implementing technology during the design process is where do we start? 

“In implementing the technology for any new experience, we decided to look back at our older technology that was used for prior experiences.” said Jin.

They knew they had to look back and go through the “history” of their past work, to determine what sort of technology could be used for their future project. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will completely use every single piece of technology moving forward.

“We won’t always reuse the same technology from before. If it hasn’t worked smoothly previously, then we know it has to either not be used this time or be upgraded for later projects.” said Jin.

Not only is implementing older technology a way for the Tech Team to evolve their use of prior technology, it is also a way for them to evolve as a team.

“It’s not always easy, as there are times where the technology just refuses to work or cooperate. But, we don’t give up easily. Technology that refuses to work is just another challenge for us to overcome.” said Johnny.

But the tech team must always remember their goal, which is to give a fun experience to customers! The team always dreamed of designing an experience that goes all out with fancy and mind-blowing special effects and technology, so that customers can leave being excited or immersed. But things don’t always work that way as technology can be hard to implement or customers may end up not appreciating the fancy technology, but it’s a goal to always work towards this dream!

Things Can’t Go Wrong, Right?

Of course, with more and more technology being implemented, the chances of things going wrong also becomes higher. Not everything that is installed will go the way it should, as glitches, errors and wrong setups always cause more work for the tech team.

“Whenever we get the new technology, we test it to the best of our abilities before implementation, as we do numerous rounds of testing and retesting in the hopes that it will work well once installed,“ said Jin.

Even with many, many rounds of testing, sometimes the initial setup or trial runs highlight issues that weren’t obvious before. An example issue that the tech team faced was a speaker system that worked wonderfully during testing but faced issues when installed at the outlet.

How do the tech team tackle these unforeseen problems? They work together and try to solve it to the best of their skills and abilities.

“We operate on a timeline, so items must be fixed as soon as we can. If it cannot be fixed in time, the team must then determine if the technology should be removed or kept.“ said Johnny.

But to the tech team, the first choice would always be to keep the item and try their best to repair it. No satisfaction comes close to that of finally fixing the issue that has been plaguing the particular technological item!

Testing & Feedback!

Once the tech has been implemented and tested well, the next step is to do numerous trial runs to determine how well received it is by the audience. Unfortunately, not everything that is implemented gets a warm reception.

“In theory, everything that is implemented would work well and be loved by everyone, but we know that’s not the case. Not everything we plan to implement into Hauntu would work as we dream.” said Johnny.

That is why the Tech team must be fluid, learning to adapt to the situation and tweak as necessary. Rounds and rounds of testing during closed off trial sessions are done to determine whether a particular piece of technology can stay or should be removed. For example, there were a few trial runs of Hauntu The Curve with friends and family members, to determine what parts of the experience should be maintained and which should be removed.

How does the tech team feel about the use of technology for Hauntu The Curve?

“It’s a mixed bag for me. There are elements that are exactly how we planned it to be during the development phase, such as the use of projection mapping and the briefing room but there are some parts of the Hauntu experience that didn’t really end up being what we want, such as the use of the brain system.” said Jin.

That said, it’s always about improving from the last project and doing better and the tech team’s experience with implementing better and more advanced technology with each new project allows their skills and ideas to evolve further.

As Johnny said to close off during the sharing., “If you aim for the Moon and miss, you’ll still land among the stars!”.

Author: Aznir

Contributor : Johnny Ong, Co-Founder, Head of Operations and Experience Design

Contributor : Jin Lee, Electrician Technician

Date: 24th November 2023