Interaction - Bachelor

Brisbane Sunny Shores Campaign

trophy Awarded

The Brisbane Sunny Shores Campaign is 10 mini games scattered on stanchions (airport line ropes) throughout the Immigration Hall at the Brisbane International Airport Arrivals Terminal. The campaign aims to teach families with young children about the importance of sun safety in Queensland, especially with our Australian climate. It's aimed at providing children an interactive activity to engage with while waiting in the long lines at the airport.

Ashley Grant

The Design Concept

Have you ever been stuck in an airport line for what feels like hours? Nothing to look at but the blank white walls and black stanchions with ropes, and young children in the line looking bored and miserable.

With international travel becoming more popular than pre-COVID levels, the number of tourists travelling through the Brisbane International Airport is expected to skyrocket, especially with the upcoming 2032 Olympic Games. This means wait times in airport lines will get longer.

But what is something tourists may not know about coming into Queensland? Our harsh sun. Queensland has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. In 2024, 45% of adults and 47% of children in Queensland reported being sunburnt in the previous 12 months (Queensland Government, 2025).

What if there was a way to create an interactive, engaging experience for primary-school aged children and their families, while also educating them about the importance of sun-safety in Queensland?

Exploration of Liminal Space

Empty Hallway
The design project began with a fascination of liminal spaces, known as in-between spaces, not a starting point or a destination. You pass through these spaces every day: a hallway, staircase, elevator, train station, bridge or even an airport terminal.

Most of the time, you pass through these spaces without a second thought. But what happens when you get stuck in these places?
Picture a time you have been stuck in a liminal space. The frustration building as the line in front of you is at a standstill.

The space is not designed for prolonged occupation. It is covered in blank white walls, white flooring and harsh luminescent lighting.

You may turn to your phone as a distraction. But that won’t last if you have children with nothing to do? What would you do?

The Airport Experience

The average wait time for the Brisbane International Immigration Arrivals Hall is anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours.

After enduring the long international flight to Queensland, passengers are required to wait in line with airport regulations limiting phone usage in immigration and customs areas.

Young children struggle with the perception of time when the space around them lacks interactions or experiences that engage their attention. Children can become miserable, restless, and bored.

How can we redesign the Brisbane International Airport Immigration hall to provide an engaging, interactive experience for children aged 5-7 years old?

The Design Opportunity

Brisbane Sunny Shores Campaign is a sun-safety educational story delivered to children aged 5-7 as an experience. The narrative is about Kenny the Australian Koala getting ready to go to the beach. In order to pack the right items, children must interact with 10 mini-games to help Kenny pack important sun-safe items such as hats, sunscreen, water and a beach umbrella. The story continues as Kenny arrives at the beach, ensuring the koala makes sun-safe decisions to avoid getting sunburn.

The 10 mini-games are placed on top of the airport stanchion poles and are positioned to face the children as they walk through the immigration line. The games automatically reset to ensure each child moving through can experience the same narrative. Additionally, the games require no audio or special lightning to work which ensures it is optimised for the airport setting.

The Design Process

The project was split into five main phases: research & low-fidelity development (top row), storyboarding & medium-fidelity development (middle row), and high-fidelity development (bottom row). Multiple prototype versions were made for each level of low, medium and high-fidelity prototyping. Prototype versions were continually improved with user feedback from numerous testing sessions.

Infographic of the Design Process Steps

Future Developments

The Brisbane Sunny Shores Campaign has potential opportunities for growth in the future. For example, new campaigns can be introduced about road safety or Australian animal safety to educate the generations of tomorrow. The more we can facilitate educational experiences in liminal spaces, the more we can help tourists understand how to be safe in our beautiful country.

The upcoming Brisbane Olympic Games is another opportunity to provide engaging, immersive experiences in the airport, which will be people’s first touchpoint when entering Queensland. Additionally, I foresee this campaign being integrated into other liminal spaces such as concert lines or even healthcare clinic waiting areas.

A collage of people playing the mini games

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”

– Benjamin franklin

References

Queensland Government. (2025). Skin cancer explained. QLD Gov. https://www.qld.gov.au/health/staying-healthy/preventing-skin-cancer/skin-cancer-explained

Pixabay Images:
ClickerHappy. (n.d.). Airport, Walking, Waiting image. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/airport-walking-waiting-gate-walk-4120835/
Ronin, J. (n.d.). Hospital, Hallway, Corridor image. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/hospital-hallway-corridor-exit-6139216/
Wal_172619. (n.d.). Train, Railroad, Station image. Pixabay. https://pixabay.com/photos/train-railroad-station-passengers-7859021/

Ashley Grant

Ashley Grant is an Interaction Design and IT Information Systems student with a passion for creating interactive educational experiences for public liminal spaces. She hopes to educate and empower communities across the world to understand the importance of safety associated with cybersecurity, natural disasters, health and transport.