Most people think of design as something we look at.
But immersive designers often think about something else entirely: Behavior.
Where should guests look?
Where should they go?
What should they interact with?
How can the environment encourage participation?
According to Jamie DeRuyter, Entertainment Design Department Head at Ringling College of Art and Design, these questions play an important role in the design of themed environments. Designers aren't simply creating spaces for people to see. They're creating experiences that encourage people to engage.
Think about the last time you visited a museum, attraction, playground, or interactive exhibit.
What captured your attention? What made you stop and look closer What encouraged you to explore?
Those moments rarely happen by accident.
As DeRuyter explains:
"We want the guests to be engaged."
Immersive designers want guests looking around, exploring their surroundings, engaging with the story, and participating in the experience. The goal is not passive observation. The goal is active involvement.
One of the most powerful tools available to designers is the ability to guide attention.
Every environment is full of choices.
Guests can look anywhere. Walk anywhere. Focus on countless different things.
Yet experienced designers use composition, lighting, sound, color, and visual hierarchy to subtly direct attention toward the moments that matter most.
A spotlight can draw the eye toward a focal point.
A pathway can encourage movement in a particular direction.
A sound effect can prompt guests to investigate something they might otherwise overlook.
Most visitors don't consciously notice these cues. But they often respond to them.
Sometimes designers want more than attention.
Sometimes they want action.
DeRuyter describes the challenge this way:
"Sometimes we might want them to go over and touch a thing, or use a thing, or open a thing, or turn a thing on or turn a thing off."
Creating an interactive element is only part of the challenge. The harder task is encouraging people to actually engage with it.
That's why designers carefully consider visibility, accessibility, placement, lighting, and other environmental cues when creating interactive experiences. If guests don't notice it, understand it, or feel invited to participate, even the most impressive feature may go unused.
Good interaction design makes participation feel natural.
At Abundant Life Church in Overland Park, Kansas, interactive design plays an important role in the overall experience.
Throughout the environment, children encounter opportunities to actively engage with the space. Push-button effects, interactive displays, hands-on elements, and themed features encourage exploration and participation rather than passive observation.
These elements do more than entertain.
They guide behavior.
They invite curiosity.
They encourage children to move through the environment, discover new experiences, and engage with the larger story being told throughout the space.
The result is an environment that doesn't simply capture attention—it keeps it.
Behavioral design isn't about controlling people. It's about creating opportunities for meaningful engagement.
A museum may encourage visitors to explore an exhibit more deeply.
A children's ministry environment may encourage participation and learning.
A library may encourage discovery.
A healthcare environment may encourage comfort and cooperation.
A recreation facility may encourage active play.
In every case, the environment helps shape how people interact with the experience.
Thoughtful design can make positive behaviors easier, more intuitive, and more rewarding.
Engagement sits at the intersection of everything discussed so far in this series.
Story creates context.
Sensory design creates immersion.
Emotion creates connection.
Behavior turns those ideas into action.
When guests actively participate in an experience, they become more than observers. They become part of what is happening around them.
And that often leads to stronger memories, deeper learning, and more meaningful experiences.
In this fourth installment of What Themed Entertainment Can Teach Us About Designing Memorable Spaces, Jamie DeRuyter discusses how immersive environments use design, interaction, and environmental cues to encourage engagement and influence behavior.
Design influences behavior by guiding attention, encouraging movement, and creating opportunities for interaction through environmental cues such as lighting, sound, layout, and visual hierarchy.
Behavioral design is the intentional use of design elements to encourage specific actions, interactions, or responses from guests.
Engaged guests are more likely to participate, learn, explore, and form meaningful memories from an experience.
Designers use composition, lighting, color, sound, pathways, and focal points to direct attention toward important moments within an experience.
Yes. Schools, libraries, healthcare facilities, museums, churches, recreation centers, and many other environments can use behavior design principles to encourage positive interactions and engagement.
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This article was co-written with human creatives and AI tools, and the content was checked for clarity and accuracy. Photo/video credits: Wacky World Studios, and Abundant Life Church.