Interactive projection mapping is a projected picture that changes when people touch it or walk past it. Sensors such as lasers, tracking cameras, RFID tags or QR codes tell the software what’s happening, and the content responds in real time. We’ve used it for a doughnut game on the side of a building and on IKEA Wembley’s walls.

Interactive projection mapping is far more versatile than you may realise; so much can be done with the right know-how and specialist equipment in the hands of an experienced team. In this post, we’ll take you through interactive projection mapping, how it’s achieved, and some excellent examples to inspire your next project. Whether it’s for a showstopping marketing campaign or a retail store centrepiece where the aim is to impress, interactive projection is always an innovative option.

What is interactive projection?

An interactive projection is a projected display that can be interacted with, either by movement, proximity, or touch. It provides a unique and exciting experience for those who interact with it, as it moves beyond a passive visual projection. You don’t simply view an interactive projection; you control it. They are fantastic marketing and retention tools, ideally suited to draw customers, visitors, or passersby in and leave a lasting impression they won’t soon forget.

How is projection mapping made interactive?

Interactive projection is created with the use of sensors, such as lasers, tracking cameras, and RFID, and specialised software. The project concept will use creative projection triggered by a swipe of a hand, the push of a button, scanning a QR code, touching a surface with a sensor, and much more.

It’s complex work with endless opportunities, which is what makes interactive projection so exciting. An example of how interactive projection elements can work is a display piece we created for the VM&Display Show. We built a kitchen setting with a small shelf for recipe cards, complete with projectors and sensors. Once a card was placed, the RDIF sensor read the QR code, which triggered a projection onto the countertop with the first steps of the recipe. By gently touching the arrows on the cupboard door above the countertop, users could flick through the ‘pages’ of the recipe being projected – this was done with touch sensors which triggered the ‘page’ transitions. This fun display showed how different sensors and triggers can be utilised in one project for maximum impact.

To ensure the best experience for both you and the display users, our team will work diligently with you to understand your goals for the project and identify the best course of action to make it happen. This could be one single type of sensor for a simple yet satisfying proximity trigger visual, to combining multiple tech methods to bring something truly impressive to life.

What are the benefits of interactive projection?

Interactive projection mapping offers benefits in spades, whether you’re using it to engage museum or gallery visitors, as part of a unique giveaway to drive traffic to your website, or to increase customer dwell time in store (and everything in between!).

Highly engaging

Projected visuals alone are already spectacular enough with the right design and intention, but making them interactive adds an entirely new level of appeal. By encouraging users to actually control the visuals or play a part in what they’re seeing, it engages their minds differently. It’s no longer passive viewing, but actual involvement – this captures attention and focus in a new way, while drawing people in to engage.

Impactful and memorable

When the viewer is engaged, the experience becomes memorable. If you want to make an impact on people, then interactive projection is a powerful method of doing so. Getting involved and controlling the display, be that by walking through a doorway, hanging something on a wall against an invisible reader, or any other sophisticated trigger, creates a lasting impression. Ideally, you want your projection project to stick with people, and either retain them as customers or visitors, or plant the seed of your brand in their minds. Transitioning from passive viewing to active interaction is an excellent way to achieve that.

Offers creativity and innovation

If you’re looking for a way to truly expand your horizons in terms of advertisement and marketing campaigns, adding interactive elements to projected designs is the way forward. Here’s an example – a simple retail display stand can be made to truly stand out by incorporating projection, instantly creating something new and different. This concept is capable of stopping people in their tracks, compelling shoppers to come and see what’s happening.

With so much possible thanks to specialised projection technology, interactive visuals give you the opportunity to get creative and design without the limitations that come with passive projection.

Who could benefit from an interactive projection project?

This style of projection is so versatile that it can work for any industry when done well.

When used in retail stores or product stands, you can capture the attention of shoppers and influence their decision to buy. Use it in supermarket aisles to create a journey that draws the shoppers to your product and impresses them into purchasing. Museums can bring entire passive displays to life, actively encouraging engagement that gets them excited, furthers their learning, and creates dedicated visitors who will recommend you and return. Why not use it to project a model onto an interior shop wall, where a customer can hang a piece of clothing on a hook that triggers a sensor to change the projection to the model wearing said piece? The possibilities are truly endless.

There are so many ways in which interactive projection mapping can be utilised; it’s all down to your ideas, your goals, and how our projection mapping team can achieve them. We’re committed to making the impossible happen, and our mapping experts will work with you every step of the way to ensure your ideas come to fruition.

What are some strong examples of interactive projection mapping?

If you’re interested in bringing interactive projection into your marketing strategy but don’t know where to start, let us offer you some inspiration to show you what can be done.

One of our favourite memorable interactive projection mapping projects was a giant doughnut scratch card game. We designed a fun and colourful match 3 game that we projected at a large scale onto the side of the building, featuring a large QR code. Passersby could scan the code with their phone to access a web page where they could play the game. The projection would change to reflect their play actions, which could result in a prize of free doughnuts.

Another example of utilising interactive projection to the fullest is the projection work we did for IKEA’s Wembley store. They asked for a character to run through various displays to take shoppers on a journey and inspire them along the way. Customers were able to touch surfaces to switch visuals, giving them decorating ideas based on what they were looking for. This was achieved with lasers – the motion of the hand touching the surface would ‘break’ the laser’s pathway, triggering, in this case, a visual transition in the projection. IKEA said of the projection: ‘’Really engages our customers and has been a huge success. Motion Mapping really understood what we needed and brought our furniture to life.’’

For more of our interactive projection mapping examples, take a look through our curated pages of case studies and project galleries.

Interactive projection mapping by Motion Mapping

Feeling inspired? We’re ready to make your projection goals a reality. From stimulating interactive displays to showstopping OOH visuals, we have the equipment, expertise, and experience to work with you in building something engaging and memorable.

Get in touch today, and let’s start talking about how we can bring the WOW factor to your project.