A Common Framework for Audience Interactivity

Abstract: Audience interactivity is interpreted differently across domains. This research develops a framework to describe audience interactivity across a broad range of experiences. We build on early work characterizing child audience interactivity experiences, expanding on these findings with an extensive review of literature in theater, games, and theme parks, paired with expert interviews in those domains. The framework scaffolds interactivity as nested spheres of audience influence, and comprises a series of dimensions of audience interactivity including a Spectrum of Audience Interactivity. This framework aims to develop a common taxonomy for researchers and practitioners working with audience interactivity experiences.