SkyWall

SkyWall is an 8-meter interactive wall where players become pawns on a digital-physical board. Nearly 500 holds respond to touch, and climbing games adapt to each player's skill level.

SkyWall

SkyWall was created out of the need to create an experience that combines physical activity with digital interaction in an inclusive way. The goal was to turn a static climbing wall into an unpredictable challenge that can change during the climb. The project is intended to encourage children and young people, as well as people of different ages and abilities, to spend time actively, developing coordination, reflexes and motivation to move, in a world where we spend more and more time in front of screens.

Challenges

• Ensuring safety: a proprietary solution for detecting whether the player is clipped into the rope, preparing the hardware for various failures (e.g., sudden power outage) and meeting applicable climbing standards.
• Creating an inclusive experience — taking into account different heights, arm reach, physical and intellectual abilities, people with fear of heights, on the autism spectrum, or in rehabilitation.
• Integrating physical climbing with digital interaction in real time.
• Designing climbing games so that climbing is an immersive play and game, not just physical training.
• Maintaining interaction intuitiveness and safety in an eight-meter space.

Project execution process

• Analysis of the needs of different user groups and inclusivity testing.
• Interaction design — ergonomics, intuitiveness, accessibility.
• Iterative prototyping of games and gameplay scenarios, including designing games tailored to different player motivations.
• Integration with nearly 500 movable holds that respond to touch and act as a display.
• Testing and optimization of the visual interface and difficulty level, a feedback loop with users, including climbing instructors.

Project results and achievements

• SkyWall operates at its first pilot location in Warsaw.
• Gamification allows children to break barriers and extend training; people with a fear of heights do not feel afraid, and children who avoid movement-based games engage in logic tasks.
• Instructors value the ability to individually tailor routes and training to the player's needs.
• Most children say: “Just a little longer,” which shows a high level of engagement and the attractiveness of the experience.

Conclusions

• Inclusivity must be a central element of interaction design — not only in the physical dimension, but also emotional and sensory.
• Gamification and personalization significantly increase user motivation and engagement.
• Iterative tests with real users are crucial to creating an intuitive, safe and engaging experience.
• Immersion in entertainment allows climbing to be a game and fun, not just training, which increases the enjoyment and effectiveness of physical activity.

SkyWall is an attempt to solve a socially important problem: getting children and adults away from phones and towards physical activity by using what draws us into the digital world — games, interaction, and challenge.