What is it?

A comprehensive, step-by-step guide for creating immersive experiences that bring the stories of residents and staff, as well as the systems they interact with, to life through immersive theatre. The guide walks through five key phases: defining goals, mapping context, capturing user journeys, making it immersive, and putting it all together. It includes practical templates, examples, and suggested activities that can be adapted for different contexts and audiences.

Why did we create it?

We developed this guide based on our experience designing LOTI’s Local Authority Sandbox – London’s first immersive event of its kind that aimed to break down silos in health and care. Through that process, we learned that immersive experiences can be powerful tools for:

• Building genuine empathy by letting participants experience situations first-hand
• Making abstract systems and processes tangible and relatable
• Sparking meaningful conversations grounded in real human experiences
• Reframing complex challenges in ways that open up new solutions

This guide is meant to serve as a practical resource to help others design their own immersive experiences.

Who could use it?

While we developed this guide through our work in local government, it’s designed to be theme-agnostic and cost-effective, making it accessible for anyone looking to create immersive experiences, including:

• Public sector organisations looking to bring resident experiences to life for stakeholders
• Service designers and user researchers who want to communicate insights in more engaging ways
• Project teams trying to build understanding across different departments or organizations
• Anyone interested in using immersive techniques to create more impactful workshops and events

The guide is structured to be accessible for those new to immersive design while providing enough depth and practical tools for more experienced practitioners. It can be scaled for both small workshops and larger events.