The Experience Factory: Where Engagement Becomes Revenue Protection

February 10, 2026    Bird on a Wire, Case Studies, Pro Tips, Tech Industry   

Reimagining Digital Engagement at the Museum of Discovery and Science

In 2017, Meredith Ray Feder and Joe Cox at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) made a strategic decision to invest in immersive digital engagement long before it became an industry norm. Recognizing that audience expectations were rapidly evolving beyond traditional exhibit experiences, they initiated a partnership focused on integrating 360° media, virtual reality, and interactive storytelling into the museum’s broader engagement strategy.

Over the past several years, that forward-looking commitment has expanded across desktop platforms, classroom integrations, mobile environments, and fully immersive VR deployments. Each phase was designed not as a standalone experiment, but as part of a long-term vision: to extend the museum’s educational reach, deepen visitor engagement, and strengthen institutional relevance in a digitally accelerated world.

As one of the region’s most visited and respected science institutions — welcoming millions of onsite visitors and engaging substantial online audiences — MODS faces a complex challenge: how to present a rich, multidimensional ecosystem in a way that is intuitive, scalable, revenue-supportive, and compelling across platforms.

The Experience Factory represents the next evolution of that vision — a unified digital framework designed to enhance engagement, drive retention, support venue revenue, and provide actionable behavioral insights at scale.

The Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) in Fort Lauderdale stands as one of the most visited and respected science museums in the region, welcoming millions of visitors annually and engaging tens of thousands of users online. With such scale comes a unique challenge: how do you present a vast, information-rich ecosystem in a way that is not only educational—but engaging, intuitive, and memorable?

The answer is The Experience Factory.

The Challenge: Complexity at Scale

Modern museums are no longer static spaces. They are dynamic environments filled with interactive exhibits, rotating installations, educational programs, immersive theaters, labs, and experiences that span multiple age groups and learning styles.

As digital touchpoints grow, so does the risk of:

  • Information overload
  • Fragmented storytelling
  • Reduced attention spans
  • Lower content retention
  • Traditional digital navigation tools—menus, lists, and static pages—struggle to keep pace with the richness of the content they’re meant to represent.
  • MODS required a solution that could:
  • Organize a large volume of content intuitively
  • Encourage self-guided exploration
  • Maintain engagement across diverse audiences
  • Scale efficiently over time

The Insight: Engagement Drives Retention

Educational research consistently shows that interactive and gamified learning experiences dramatically outperform passive content. Studies indicate that:

  • Gamification can increase learning retention by 30–60%

  • Interactive exploration significantly improves attention span and recall

  • Users are more likely to complete and revisit experiences when discovery feels playful and goal-driven

In short, how information is experienced matters just as much as the information itself.

This insight became the foundation for The Experience Factory.

Introducing The Experience Factory

Developed as an AI-enhanced, interactive digital experience, The Experience Factory represents a new approach to how museums guide discovery, encourage exploration, and increase learning retention—both onsite and online.
The Experience Factory is an AI-powered interactive learning ecosystem designed to transform how users discover, navigate, and engage with the Museum of Discovery and Science.

Rather than presenting information linearly, the experience is built around exploration, choice, and reward—inviting users to actively participate in their learning journey.

Core Components Include:

  • Interactive Spatial Navigation
  • Users explore the museum through interactive maps that mirror the physical space, allowing them to understand relationships between exhibits and experiences before they ever arrive—or while navigating onsite.
  • 360° Virtual Reality Experiences
  • Immersive 360° environments place users inside exhibits, labs, theaters, and learning spaces, bridging the gap between physical and digital discovery.
  • Immersive VR Video Content
  • High-impact 360° video brings science, technology, and exploration to life—supporting deeper emotional and cognitive engagement.
  • Gamified Learning Mechanics
  • Exploration is encouraged through playful interaction, discovery-based progression, and visual rewards—turning curiosity into momentum.
  • Impactful Visual Storytelling
  • Carefully curated imagery and motion-driven design elements keep users visually engaged while reinforcing educational outcomes.

The Experience Factory isn’t just an immersive digital environment — it’s a fully instrumented learning ecosystem. Every interaction, map tap, VR engagement, video view, and content pathway can be intelligently tracked and analyzed to reveal how visitors explore, what captures their attention, where they spend time, and where engagement drops off. This level of behavioral insight transforms the experience from a static presentation into a living feedback loop.

For museum leadership and marketing teams, that means data-driven decision making: optimizing exhibit placement, refining messaging, increasing retention, improving educational impact, and aligning digital engagement with real-world foot traffic and revenue performance. In an era where institutions compete for both attention and funding, measurable engagement is no longer optional — it is essential. The Experience Factory turns curiosity into actionable insight.

AI at the Foundation—not as a Gimmick

Artificial intelligence plays a strategic role in The Experience Factory—not as a novelty, but as infrastructure.

AI integration supports:

  • Content organization and scalability

  • Performance optimization and best-practice delivery

  • Future personalization opportunities

  • Operational efficiency for long-term growth

This ensures the platform can evolve alongside the museum—without requiring constant redevelopment.

Key Features of the Experience Factory:

  1. Fully Responsive Design:
    The experience automatically adapts to any device—desktop or mobile—ensuring a seamless user journey wherever it’s viewed.

  2. 360° Virtual Tour with Advanced Features:
    Includes auto-rotation, a pop-out map, and a photo-sharing option, making exploration both engaging and educational.

  3. Integrated VR Venue Assistant:
    Showcases rentable spaces and provides booking info, helping drive event revenue by letting users envision their own events in the museum.

  4. Interactive Pop-Out Map:
    Allows visitors to jump directly to key points of interest, enhancing navigation and engagement.

  5. AI STEM Chatbot (Beta):
    A customized AI assistant that answers questions about the museum and STEM topics, offering an interactive educational layer.

  6. ‘Otters at Play VR’ Experience:
    A 360° VR video that educates users about otter care and local ecosystems, blending fun with learning.

  7. Progressive Web App for Offline Use:
    Users can download the experience for offline exploration, letting them revisit the tour anytime.

  8. Share Bot for Social Media:
    A floating share tool that makes it easy for users to spread the experience on social platforms, expanding its reach.

  9. User Behavior Tracking Tools:
    Built-in tracking provides insights into user interests and interactions, serving as a valuable data-driven marketing tool.

  10. Sticky Design and Layout:
    The engaging design and layout increase user retention, encouraging visitors to stay longer and explore more thoroughly.

Designed for Modern Audiences—and Modern Institutions

The Experience Factory was built with multiple stakeholders in mind:

  • Visitors and learners, who benefit from clarity, engagement, and memorable discovery
  • Educators, who gain a structured yet flexible learning framework
  • Marketing teams, who can present complex offerings in a compelling, shareable way
  • Executive leadership, who require scalable, future-ready digital infrastructure
  • By unifying storytelling, technology, and strategy, The Experience Factory serves as both an educational tool and a digital asset.
  • The Result: Discovery, Reimagined

The Experience Factory transforms a large, information-dense environment into:

  • A guided journey rather than a content dump

  • An interactive learning experience rather than static browsing

  • A memorable digital touchpoint that complements the physical museum

It represents a shift from simply presenting information to designing experiences that people remember.

Looking Forward

As museums, educational institutions, and cultural organizations continue to evolve, digital experiences must do more than inform—they must engage, adapt, and inspire.

The Experience Factory at the Museum of Discovery and Science demonstrates what’s possible when AI, immersive media, and thoughtful design come together with a clear educational mission.

This is not just a digital experience.
It’s a new model for discovery.

Want to discuss your model for discovery?

Contact our studio directly and we would love to hear about your ideas.

Contact Direct > Christopher Hooper 
 Marketing & AI Strategy Specialist
 hooper@blueravenstudios.com
 888-899-5322 |  (909-255-2164)
 Studio Website | BLUERAVENstudios.com

Core Strategy & Executive Tags

#DigitalTransformation
#ExecutiveLeadership
#InnovationStrategy
#FutureOfEngagement
#ExperienceDesign
#RevenueStrategy
#StrategicGrowth
#InstitutionalInnovation
#DigitalInfrastructure

Museum & Education Sector Tags

#MuseumLeadership
#MuseumInnovation
#ScienceMuseums
#STEMEducation
#CulturalInstitutions
#EdTech
#LearningExperience
#ExperientialLearning

AI + Immersive Tech Tags

#ArtificialIntelligence
#AIinEducation
#ImmersiveTechnology
#VirtualReality
#360Video
#XR
#SpatialComputing
#InteractiveMedia

Data & Performance Angle (Important for C-suite)

#DataDriven
#BehavioralAnalytics
#EngagementMetrics
#CustomerInsights
#PerformanceOptimization
#DigitalStrategy

Revenue + Growth Angle (High-Value Attention)

#RevenueProtection
#AudienceGrowth
#VisitorExperience
#MonetizationStrategy
#EngagementEconomy