Immersive Design Experiences

Gamification And How They Amplify Experiential Pop-Ups 🎲 I saw this pop-up during the week, a campaign by Uber One which visited 15 college campuses across the US, to celebrate it's student membership program and I immediately thought, this is what brands should be doing on campus! I remember campus pop-ups when I started University, they usually entailed a branded van and a few brand ambassadors standing out in the rain trying to get students to sign up to a new bank or delivery service .......lack lustre and uninspiring to say the least. But this, this was a targeted activation aimed at driving Gen Z loyalty for the brand, and how better to do it than with gamification at the core! CNC Agency (Coffee 'n Clothes) created the experience which integrated arcade-style games into the bright yellow build, fuelling consumer engagement. At each stop, student could participate in nostalgic games developed with partners such as Taco Bell, Dunkin', and other campus favourites to collect virtual coins which could be redeemed for a goodie bag! Gamification works so successfully for Gen Z targeted activations because it aligns with this generation's core behaviours and expectations. But what does that mean? ➡️ Short Attention Spans → Interactive Engagement You only have seconds to capture Gen Z’s attention and gamified content is interactive, immersive, and goal-oriented which keeps them engaged longer than passive content. ➡️ Instant Gratification Gamification leverages points, levels, leaderboards, and rewards which equals immediate results for participation. The experience also included edutainment moments where the brand could connect with students, but still get their message across in a clever and meaningful way. So the key takeaway? Gamification..... ➡️ Increases dwell time ➡️ Promotes interactivity ➡️ Provides content worthy moments ➡️ Adds more purpose to swag and giveaways And finally, I'm rounding up what I also liked about this activation.... 💛 The bright yellow colour palette attracts attention but also sends a message of positivity, which in turn consumers can associate with the brand. 🛍️ Other brands were involved! By collaborating with brands like SEPHORA and Dunkin', students were surrounded with a lifestyle vs one brand and product. 🎮 It's nostalgic but still cool! It feels retro but speaks to a modern audience, an audience the brand are trying to tap into.

When you walk into a restaurant in 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 vs one in  𝗩𝗶𝗷𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮, what feels the same … and what doesn’t … tells you everything. Let me explain. Every city has its own flavour code. 𝗩𝗶𝗷𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗱𝗮, diners want ingredient-level transparency and a strong sense of local authenticity... if it’s on the plate, they want to know where it came from. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂, on the other hand, leans into experience ... craftsmanship, storytelling, and that ‘something extra’ that elevates dining into discovery. So before launching in any new market, we invite guests into flavour labs - immersive tasting sessions where locals co-create the menu with our chefs. We install real-time feedback loops, bring in regional connoisseurs, and fine-tune both our 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴  (which reflect our brand DNA) that define the brand and 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘦𝘴 (crafted to suit local palates) that resonate with the city. Then come what we call 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 - the bridge between comfort and curiosity. A very important element that binds the menu together. They help diners start with something familiar, then gently nudge them toward the new. This triad - 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 forms the backbone of a scalable yet hyper-localised restaurant strategy. That balance between global consistency and local intimacy is what builds true customer loyalty because the secret to scaling restaurants across diverse markets isn’t just great food but listening deeply enough to know what people hunger for beyond the menu. Our obsession with decoding customer behaviour locally ensures we hit the mark and stay globally consistent but locally relevant. While our signature dishes define the brand’s identity and I love them, it’s the local heroes and connector dishes that reveal the true character of each market. From 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 to 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻, these dishes often surprise me , teaching us more about our guests than any data ever could. They show how taste, culture, and expectation vary across regions, and how far diners are willing to travel with us on a culinary journey. Observing these nuances across continents not only deepens our understanding of customers but also shapes how we scale globally without losing the soul of the brand.

🚀 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🎮 . I'm all about innovation in corporate training. Last two years, I spent hours diving into the world of gamification. 💡 Why gamification? Because it's a game-changer in employee engagement and skill enhancement. 🌟 To support my thesis, I used two incredible resources: 🎯 Big Think's insights on gamification examples and techniques. 🎯 In-depth analysis from the Institute of Data and Designing Digitally. Find the souces in the Comments. Big Think blew my mind with their coverage of real-life gamification success stories. 👉 Did you know 83% of workers are motivated by gamified training? 📈 And the Institute of Data? Their psychological perspective on gamification is just chef's kiss. 👉 It's all about tapping into our innate desire for achievement and recognition. 🏅 So, how do you start creating gamified solutions for corporate trainings? Let me walk you through: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗕𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲: 1️⃣ Identify Your Training Goals: What skills or knowledge are you aiming to enhance? 🎯 2️⃣ Choose the Right Gamification Elements: Think badges, leaderboards, scenarios - the works! 🕹️ 3️⃣ Craft Engaging Storylines: Create narratives that resonate with your employees. 📚 4️⃣ Design Realistic Scenarios: Simulate real-world challenges for hands-on learning. 💼 5️⃣ Implement Reward Systems: Recognize achievements with digital or physical rewards. 🏆 6️⃣ Use VR/AR for Immersive Experiences: Leverage technology for a deeper learning impact. 🌐 7️⃣Measure and Iterate: Track progress, gather feedback, and fine-tune your approach. 🔍 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨; 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢��𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨. 🚀 Curious about the detailed techniques and success stories? Dive into the articles on Big Think and Designing Digitally. You won’t regret it! 🔗 🪓 And guess what? This is just the beginning. There's a whole world of possibilities with gamification in corporate training. 🌍 Stay tuned for more insights and breakthroughs in this space. And let’s revolutionize the way we train our workforce! 💪 Let's make learning not just effective, but fun and engaging! 🌟 #CorporateTraining #Gamification #EmployeeEngagement #InnovativeLearning #SkillDevelopment

If we were designing a Greek restaurant, there probably wouldn’t be a Greek flag, a giant map of Greece, or black and white photos of Santorini in sight. Why? Because hospitality design shouldn’t rely on telling people where they are. It should make them feel where they are. The best hospitality spaces don’t communicate through decoration. They communicate through experience. The texture of the materials. The warmth of the lighting. The sound within the space. The way guests move through it. The aroma from the kitchen. The atmosphere created when every element works together. That’s what transportive design looks like. Not themed. Not literal. Experiential. When someone walks into a Greek restaurant, we don’t want them to think, “This looks Greek.” We want them to feel like they’ve stepped into a contemporary taverna overlooking the Aegean. The same principle applies to every hospitality project we design. Because great hospitality design isn’t about filling a space with references. It’s about creating an experience people remember. Hospitality should be experiential, not decorative. #hospitality #interiordesign #commercialinteriors #restaurant

We were asked to design a restaurant with zero walls at Phoenix Mills with just windows and open space everywhere. When we got the brief for Foo at Phoenix Mills, we were immediately excited. After all, it's one of Mumbai's most prized locations, and we knew Foo has serious potential. Then we saw the space and went mad because there were no walls. Just windows and open areas everywhere! My first reaction would've been "panic" but after nearly 2 decades of designing uniquely challenging interiors, I went into a deep thought: > How do you create restaurant intimacy without any boundaries? > How do you control acoustics in what's one giant room? The solution came through architectural storytelling.  So we started working: 1/ Firstly, we created a series of arches that naturally divide the space into smaller, more intimate sections. These arches serve multiple functions. 2/ They break up the visual monotony of a large open space while creating distinct dining zones. Each area feels like its own little story rather than part of one massive hall. 3/ One arch doubles as a functional door, allowing the restaurant to close off sections when needed. The flexibility is what gives management operational control based on capacity needs. 4/ The thickness of each arch was an unexpected advantage for us. We built storage into these walls for back stock and equipment. Some service stations and others to show artwork. 5/ Acoustically, this approach solved the problem of noise traveling across a large space. The arches create natural sound barriers that make conversations more comfortable. Walking through Foo now, you experience a sequence of intimate spaces. Not 1 overwhelming room. I love how each section has its own character and maintains visual flow. This project taught us that limits lead to the most creative solutions. What seemed like a limitation became a defining feature that makes this restaurant special. Have you ever had to work on something that felt impossible? #restaurant #design #mumbai #architecture

Project to Try This Weekend: Create a Gamified eLearning Experience in Articulate Storyline 360 🎮 Gamification in elearning development is always exciting! Throughout my journey, I’ve had the chance to design and develop complex gamified learning experiences, projects that felt more like real games while driving strong learning outcomes. These required advanced skills, creative logic, and deep integration between Articulate Storyline and JavaScript. While many of these were created for clients and government education initiatives, I wanted to share the logic and structure I use in my gamification builds with our elearning and instructional design community. So, I’ve put together a sample game project, complete with source files and reusable JavaScript code, for you to explore and learn from. In this project, JavaScript powers: ⚫ Smooth animations and movement ⚫ Object collision detection ⚫ Dynamic question control based on variable states Instead of fully depending on the Storyline JS API, I focused on clean, modular, and reusable JavaScript logic (in a 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙧.𝙟𝙨 file) making it easy to extend for multiple gamification scenarios. 📂 Download Source File: https://lnkd.in/dskmzC4Y 💻 Download JavaScript Code: https://lnkd.in/d_Q5YpWS #instructionaldesign #elearning #elearningdevelopment #instructionaldesigner #elearningdeveloper #learning #articulate #articulatestoryline #elearningcommunity #gamifiedlearning #storyline360

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭?” Last week, I visited a restaurant called 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗲𝗲 for the very first time. And while we were waiting for our food, something on the table 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘆𝗲. The placemats weren’t ordinary. They had 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 printed on them - Bingo, Tic-Tac-Toe, Sudoku, even a word puzzle. And right next to them, a small pencil that you could actually take home. Soon, everyone at the table was playing. We were competing, laughing, making words, drawing crosses and circles, completely forgetting that we were waiting for dinner. And that’s when it struck me - this is what 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 design feels like. The restaurant didn’t shorten the waiting time. They just changed how it felt. They turned an idle moment into an engaging one. They added 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - in the simplest, most human way possible. No screens. No apps. Just thoughtful design that understood one basic thing: 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. That’s the 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 of good UX. It doesn’t always need to be digital or complex. It just needs to make people feel something - joy, curiosity, or connection. You mee didn’t just serve food that night. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. And that’s the kind of 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 that stays with you - long after the meal is over. #UserExperience #UXDesign #Gamification #DesignThinking #CustomerExperience #Creativity #HumanCenteredDesign

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭… 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. Pick something comfortable. Match the vibe. Done. But in 25+ years of designing restaurants, I’ve seen that 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞. It doesn’t just decide how long guests stay—it also shapes the kind of conversations they have. Think about it: 🔹 A formal, upright setup invites more serious, business-like discussions. 🔹 A funky, laid-back arrangement sparks light, casual, even playful chats. Seating sets the tone before the first word is spoken. Here’s how we’ve seen different formats “speak” without saying a word 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 Curved booths that wrap around diners—semi-private yet connected. Says: “Stay longer. Share stories. Enjoy the moment.” 𝐐𝐒𝐑𝐬 (𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬) Tone-on-tone, lightweight, no-fuss seating. Says: “Quick bites. Quick chats. Back to your day.” 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐟é𝐬 & 𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐬 A mix of solo chairs, community tables, and cosy pairs, paired with warm lighting. Says: “Work. Unwind. Repeat.” 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 Swing chairs, boat-shaped booths, bold colours, deep leather sofas. Says: “Loosen up. Make memories. Be part of the story.” 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 Step seating, community tables, industrial flatpack structures. Says: “Bold. Honest. Open.” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲? Seating isn’t an afterthought—it’s part of your brand language, guest psychology, and even your revenue model. It can make guests stay longer (and order more) or help you turn tables faster—and it will influence the topics they talk about while they’re there. If you’re building a restaurant, café, or bar in 2025, ask yourself: What is my seating telling my guests—before my staff even says hello?

When product teams copy-paste gamification, it can do more harm than good... Gamification is often applied by copying what’s been used elsewhere in other domains or by other apps. This mostly looks like points, levels, rewards, progress bars. This copying happens without asking if these are the right levers for the behavior or the context of your users. Research shows that these “default” elements dominate most apps, while potentially richer elements (like cooperation, unlockable content, or open-world exploration) are rarely used. Even more worrying, the design of techniques often doesn't align with what the broader health behavior literature tells us works best and rarely is it grounded in behavior change theory. The result is that design teams put effort into surface-level game mechanics without first defining the behavioral outcome they want, or the mechanism of action. From my experience, this is not because of a lack design skills, most designers I have worked with are fantastic, however they may lack understanding on how to frame challenges from a behavioral perspective, which is what my consultancy helps teams with - we work side by side product and design teams, building systems to make it easier for them to incorporate the behavioral layer into the experience. If your team wants to use gamification, they need to ask: -What exactly are we trying to help users achieve? -Which psychological drivers are in play? -Which evidence-based techniques actually fit this behavior? If they don't, your gamification can end up causing unintended consequences like undermining intrinsic motivation, trivializing serious conditions, encouraging cheating, discouraging users through social comparison, and even exposing private health data. Since we can’t work with every product team, I’ve shared 6 principles in the carousel you can use when applying gamification in health design (and really, gamification more broadly). If you could apply just one of these principles tomorrow, which would it be and why?

What comes first: Experience Design or Interior Design? I see it too often: brands, hotels, and restaurants commissioning interior design first, beautiful finishes, curated furniture, grand aesthetics, and then trying to layer an experience on top. The result? You’re boxed in. Forced to design experiences that bend to the décor… not the other way around. That’s backward thinking. The interior must serve the experience, the narrative, the emotions, and the purpose. Design should be instrumental, not decorative. The problem? 1.You trap your imagination: When structure, flow, and materials are decided before you map the guest journey, flexibility disappears. You end up trying to fit human emotion into architectural constraints. 2.You miss opportunity zones: True experience design reveals where guests linger, pause, or connect. If the interior isn’t responsive to those micro-moments, countless opportunities to delight, or to drive revenue, go unused. 3.You weaken coherence: A cohesive story, from first impression to last farewell, requires alignment. If the interior is designed in isolation, it risks clashing with the brand’s promise, emotional tone, and desired memory. And here’s the bigger issue on why so many hotels and restaurants feel predictable, they sound, look and feel identical. Spaces are created by the book, by what ���standards” dictate, not by what the story demands. A hotel must have a reception desk. A restaurant/boutique must have a cashier. But… why? Who said it has to be that way? Why can’t we imagine something different? Perhaps what luxury needs most today is unlearning the rules. Now, there is evidence that supports this: - 30% of hotel floor space remains underutilized daily, areas that could become high-value experiential zones if they were designed from the journey outward. (Cornell Center for Hospitality Research) - Hotels that integrate sensory and emotional design principles see average check growth of 12–18% in F&B and length of stay increases up to 40% (Sources: STR Global, Boutique Hospitality Report 2024.) - Up to 70% of new hotel openings replicate existing brand templates, leading to faster construction but lower guest retention and repeat booking potential within 18 months. (Hospitality Net) - Re-aligning design strategy to start from the experience phase adds less than 5% to total CAPEX, yet typically increases guest spend per stay by 15–20%. (Design Hotels & Deloitte) How we do it differently: 1. We start with the experience. The narrative, the behaviors and emotions we want to evoke. Then we translate it into space. Every wall, texture, and scent must serve a purpose. 2. We question everything. From the reception desk to the flow of movement, nothing is sacred unless it adds meaning. When interior design leads, the experience becomes captive. When experience design leads, the interior becomes a canvas for emotion, story, and human connection. Don’t let your spaces cage your guests (or your ideas)