Stress is a widely experienced feeling which is becoming increasingly relevant, especially in the lives of young adults. However, understanding of stress as a component of mental health literacy often remains superficial. Existing approaches to communicating knowledge about stress frequently rely on text-based formats that may not adequately support meaningful comprehension or long-term recall. Exhibition settings is one arena that is visited to learn, yet information is often presented in ways which do not promote retention. Stress itself is an inherently abstract concept and therefore particularly suitable for visual, spatial, and experiential forms of explanation.

This thesis explores how immersive and interactive physical experiences can be designed to support understanding and retention of knowledge about stress among young adults. Adopting a design-driven and exploratory approach, the project investigates how design methods such as physical prototyping, visual and spatial abstraction can be used to present information about complex mental health concepts. The project further aims to propose a design framework for communicating information to support retention of the material in physical learning environments, particularly exhibition-like settings.

The research combines a literature review, expert interviews, field visits, case studies, and user research to establish a foundation for the design framework. This is followed by an iterative design process involving ideation, prototyping, user testing, and refinement of physical installations that communicate key aspects of stress.

The findings indicate that supporting information retention in physical experiences requires three key conditions. First, users must feel safe, welcomed, and cognitively prepared to engage, enabling them to cross the threshold of engagement. Second, active and focused engagement is essential, facilitated through interactive, multisensory, and personally relevant experiences. Third, opportunities for memory rehearsal either consciously or subconsciously are necessary to reinforce retention, achieved through mechanisms such as physical takeaways or the distinctiveness of the experience itself acting as a cue.

The thesis proposes a design framework and a set of prototypes that demonstrate how immersive and interactive environments can enhance mental health literacy about stress. It offers design insights to communicate complex, abstract, and emotional topics in ways that promote both understanding and long-term retention.