Follow the white rabbit of experience design

🐇 Follow the white rabbit: A magical guide to experience design

Oh, hello there — fancy finding you here. If you’ve stumbled across this page, congratulations. You’ve followed a clue, clicked a curiosity, or got handed this by someone who thinks you’re the kind of person who should absolutely know about this world.

I’m Shaena — your curious guide, professional Wing Woman, connector of humans, and collector of weird and wonderful experiences. I believe in the power of beautiful chaos, serendipitous connections, and that one perfectly-timed moment that can change everything.

This is not a textbook. I’m no stuffy professor… though maybe I am — a professor of connection, curiosity, and showing up for people. But I am someone who’s wandered through a few secret doors and met a few wild minds, and I made this guide to share what I’ve learned so far.

Welcome to the rabbit hole of experience design — where spaces are alive, stories are felt, and reality occasionally melts (on purpose).

Whether you're a creative looking to be inspired, a producer chasing new formats, or just a curious soul who wants more magic in their everyday — this is for you.

Let’s go...

🌍 What is experience design, anyway?

It’s part theatre. Part tech. Part art. Part ritual. Sometimes marketing. Sometimes protest. Always intentional.

Experience design is the act of creating environments and interactions that make people feel. It’s where you walk into a space — and walk out slightly changed.

And the best part? There’s no one right way to do it. But here are a few people, places, and books doing it really well.

🧠 Meow Wolf (US)

Psychedelic fever dream meets interactive art meets storytelling. If IKEA and Burning Man had a baby raised by aliens.

🎭 Punchdrunk (UK)

Immersive theatre pioneers. Famous for Sleep No More. You wander. You watch. You feel like you’re inside the story.

🚂 You Me Bum Bum Train (UK)

One person at a time. You are the main character. Zero spoilers. Maximum intensity.

🐺 London Experience Week

A celebration of all things immersive, interactive and experimental. A playground for creators and curious humans alike.

🎓 The College of Extraordinary Experiences (Europe)

A castle. A gathering. A school for worldbuilders, designers, and idea-shapers who use experience as their medium.

🪩 Virtual Serenity (SE)

128 strangers, biometric sensors, and one big group consciousness experiment. Like Black Mirror meets spiritual group therapy.

🏛️ House of Beautiful Business

A global collective reimagining work, systems, and human connection. Where business meets art meets humanity.

💡 Nowhere Festival (EU)

Burning Man’s euro cousin. Radical self-expression in the Spanish desert. No spectators, only participants.

🧬 Future of StoryTelling (US)

Summits, talks, and showcases dedicated to the evolution of storytelling and immersive technology.

🎨 teamLab (JP/Global)

Digital art experiences that respond to your movement. You don’t just look — you become part of it.

🎭 Civic Theatre

Where immersive performance meets public systems change. Theatre that doesn’t just entertain — it transforms.

📚 Books to fall down the rabbit hole with

📘 The Experience Economy

The OG manual on designing memorable, meaningful experiences. A must-read for any experience creator.

📖 The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

Why the way we come together matters. A powerful framework for designing intentional, unforgettable gatherings.

📕 The Power of Moments by Chip & Dan Heath

A practical, inspiring look at how to create standout moments — in life, in work, and in the experiences we shape.

📗 Designing Experiences by J. Robert Rossman & Mathew D. Duerden

A more academic but deeply insightful breakdown of the process of designing meaningful experiences.

📙 Rituals for Work by Kursat Ozenc & Margaret Hagan

A collection of simple, powerful rituals that create connection, meaning, and magic in the workplace.

📙 https://www.amazon.se/-/en/Mariano-Tomatis/dp/B08DSYSYXH

AMAZE isn’t just a book—it’s a spellbinding manual for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Blending science, art, and magic, it teaches you to think like a magician and craft moments of wonder that leave friends, colleagues, and even strangers awestruck. Get ready to hack reality and gift the world a little more awe.

🌟 People to follow (a.k.a. brilliant minds building magical things)

• Claus Raasted – Experience architect, co-founder of the College of Extraordinary Experiences, and general wizard of wonder.
• Steve Usher – Experience design meets people and purpose. Creator of the PX Podcast and all-around human-centred connector.
• Nelly Ben Hayoun – Designer of extreme experiences, founder of the University of the Underground.
• Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg – Artist and researcher exploring synthetic biology, technology, and society.
• Brian Eno – Composer, producer, and pioneer of ambient experience and generative art.
• David Rockwell – Architect turned experiential storyteller.
• Annemie Ress – Innovation and future of work champion, expert in meaningful organisational change.

🎥 Films & documentaries to feed your brain and bend your reality

• The Meow Wolf Origin Story (YouTube)
• Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy doc)
• Fantastic Fungi (Netflix)
• Spaceship Earth (communal living & systems)
• The Great Hack (design, influence & ethics)

🧠 Concepts & playgrounds for your mind

• Liminal space – The magic that happens in the in-between.
• Participatory culture – Not just watching, but shaping.
• Emotional design – Designing for feeling, not just function.
• Story architecture – Letting narrative drive space.
• Theatricality in everyday life – Make the mundane magical.

✨ Little invitations to experiment

• Try hosting a dinner where no one can sit next to the person they came with.
• Design a “mini ritual” before your next meeting: light a candle, play a sound, stretch.
• Go to an event where you know no one — just for the adventure.
• Say yes to something weird without googling it first.
• Send a voice note instead of a text.
• Give someone a compliment that has nothing to do with how they look.
• Make a playlist for a feeling instead of a genre.
• Ask someone: “What’s the most magical thing you’ve experienced lately?”

✅ Your experience explorer checklist

💌 Final thoughts

This guide isn’t definitive — it’s just the beginning. Experience design is a living thing. It’s built in basements and castles, deserts and boardrooms, museums and kitchens.

Follow your curiosity. Say yes to weird invitations. Walk through the door even if it looks a little sketchy.

And if you’re lucky — or brave — we might bump into each other in a hallway that doesn’t quite exist.

My joy comes from connecting people — and if this guide helps you find your people, place, or purpose, then it’s done its job.

See you out there. 🌀

With wonder,

Shaena

🪩 Your unofficial rabbit hole tour guide

Happy connecting.

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