# Interactive History Walls: How to Turn a Company Timeline and Milestones into an Interactive Installation

> An interactive history wall turns a company timeline into something people operate: each milestone is a touch point that opens its date, photo and story in place, so several visitors explore different years at once. The four common formats are projection touch walls, touchscreen or LED walls, walk-through corridors and moving-screen timelines.

**Published:** 2026-11-04 - **By:** MLABART

## What is an interactive history wall?

An interactive history wall is a company timeline built as an installation rather than printed as a graphic. Milestones sit along a line on the wall; touching one opens its date, a headline, a photo and a short story right where it is, and sometimes plays an animation or a video. Because each milestone opens in place, several people can explore different years at the same time instead of waiting for one looping film.

Companies use them in headquarters lobbies, corporate exhibition halls, anniversary events and annual meetings -- anywhere the company's own history is the subject, and where a printed timeline would be the least-read surface in the room.

- ![General-principle diagram of an interactive history wall: a timeline across the wall divided into eras, with milestones as touch points. Touching one opens a panel with the date, a short headline, a photo and a 40-80 word story in place. Touch points sit inside a reach band of about 380 to 1,220 mm above the floor, the 2010 ADA Standards forward-reach range, and the right-hand end of the timeline is left open for next year's milestones.](https://mlabart.com/insights/interactive-history-wall-company-timeline/history-wall-anatomy.svg)

## Which format suits a company timeline?

Four formats cover most briefs. They differ in how touch is detected, how much light the space has, and whether the wall is for one evening or for years:

| Format | How it works | Best for | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Projection touch wall | A projector draws the timeline on a printed or painted wall; a 2D LiDAR ("radar") sweeps a thin plane in front of it to detect touch | Large walls, event venues, annual meetings, temporary builds | Needs controlled light; place the projector so visitors do not shadow their own content |
| Touchscreen or LED touch wall | A display with an infrared touch frame or built-in touch, used like a large tablet | Bright lobbies, dense archives, video-heavy content, permanent use | Seams between panels, glare, fingerprints, screen cost per metre |
| Walk-through timeline corridor | Floor and wall projection; a depth camera tracks people so the history unfolds as they walk | Entrances and arrival routes, where everyone passes | Needs length and darkness; it is a passage, so the story must work at walking pace |
| Moving-screen timeline | A screen slides along a rail over printed milestones and shows content for the year behind it | Permanent halls and headquarters | Rail, carriage and cable chain need maintenance |

- [Related: Interactive radar (2D LiDAR) for touch walls -- ranges, installation and faults](https://mlabart.com/insights/interactive-radar-lidar-installation-guide/)
- [Related: Projection mapping vs LED screens](https://mlabart.com/insights/projection-mapping-vs-led-screens/)

- ![General-principle comparison of four ways to make a company timeline interactive. Projection touch wall: projector over a printed or painted wall with a 2D LiDAR touch plane; best for large walls and annual meetings; needs controlled light. Touchscreen or LED touch wall: display with an infrared frame or built-in touch; best for bright lobbies and dense archives; seams and glare. Walk-through corridor: floor and wall projection with a depth camera; best for entrances; needs length and darkness. Moving-screen timeline: a screen slides along a rail over printed milestones; best for permanent halls; mechanical maintenance.](https://mlabart.com/insights/interactive-history-wall-company-timeline/four-formats.svg)

## What MLABART has built: two company-history installations

A history wall for a Dalian shipping company's annual meeting. MLABART built an interactive projection timeline titled, in Chinese, as the company's history of milestones. Dated milestones from 2016 to 2018 run along curved lines across the wall, marked with ship icons; touching a milestone opens a photo and a text panel about that event -- a new tanker launched, a shipbuilding contract signed, an acquisition -- beside it, while the rest of the wall stays live for other guests.

An entrance corridor for Vanke's annual meeting. For Vanke Real Estate, MLABART projected the company's development history along the entrance corridor every guest walked through. Kinect depth sensing tracked each guest, so their footsteps triggered effects on the floor and walls, and Unity3D drove the content in real time. The timeline was sequenced along the walk, so arriving at the event and reading the company's history were the same act.

- [MLABART case: Vanke annual meeting -- immersive projection entrance corridor](https://mlabart.com/work/vanke-annual-meeting/)

- ![A man touches a milestone on an interactive projection history wall at a Dalian shipping company's annual meeting; dated milestones from 2016 to 2018 run along curved lines with golden sailing-ship icons, and a photo and text panel has opened beside the milestone he touched.](https://mlabart.com/cases/airasia-annual-meeting.jpg)
- ![Two guests walk through Vanke's immersive projection entrance corridor: glowing circles and text are projected onto the dark floor, and projected panels with text line the walls on both sides, so the company's development history unfolds along the route.](https://mlabart.com/cases/vanke-annual-meeting.jpg)

## How do you turn a company chronology into touchable content?

The hardware is the easier half. Most history walls succeed or fail on how the archive is edited:

- Choose milestones, not everything. A wall works when each era has a handful of moments a visitor can understand in seconds; the full archive can sit one layer deeper.
- Give every milestone the same card: a date, a headline of a few words, one photo, and a short story of roughly 40-80 words, with video only where it adds something.
- Group milestones into eras with a visible label, so a visitor can find "the year I joined" or "when we went overseas" without scrolling through decades.
- Write for people standing up. Short sentences, large type, and no text that needs to be read while the panel is animating.
- Clear the people in the photos. Historic photos of employees, executives or customers need the same consent checks as any other publication.
- Plan the languages early. If the wall will be seen by overseas visitors or partners, every card needs a second language from the start, not as a retrofit.

## Placement, reach and light

General practice for walls people touch:

- Reach: keep touch points inside a comfortable reach band. The 2010 ADA Standards set the unobstructed forward reach at 15-48 inches (380-1,220 mm) above the floor; it is a sensible default even where the ADA does not apply.
- Light: projection needs controlled ambient light on the wall; a sunny lobby or a spotlight on the surface usually points to an LED or touchscreen wall instead.
- Several users: one LiDAR can be blocked by one person's arm; wide or busy walls usually need a second sensor, and the software must handle several touches at once.
- Event or permanent: a wall for one annual meeting can be a projection build; a wall that stays for years needs commercial-grade displays, scheduled power on and off, remote support and parts that can be replaced.

## How do you keep a history wall up to date?

A company history never ends, so the wall should not either. Design the timeline with space after the latest milestone, and keep the content in a content management system so the communications team can add a year, correct a date or swap a photo without calling the developer or reprinting the wall. On a projection wall over printed artwork, keep the printed layer to the structure -- eras and lines -- and put the milestones themselves in the projected layer, so new entries do not need a new print.

## Sources

The two installations are described from MLABART's project records, photos and videos. The reach range is from the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Formats, content structure and planning points are general practice, not a specification of a particular build.

- [U.S. Access Board -- ADA Accessibility Standards, §308 Reach Ranges](https://www.access-board.gov/ada/#ada-308)
- [MLABART -- Interactive radar (2D LiDAR) guide](https://mlabart.com/insights/interactive-radar-lidar-installation-guide/)
- [MLABART -- Electronic-ink interactive walls for exhibition halls](https://mlabart.com/insights/e-ink-interactive-wall-science-museum/)


## FAQ

### What is an interactive history wall?

A company timeline built as an installation: milestones along the wall are touch points, and touching one opens its date, headline, photo and short story in place. Several people can explore different years at once, so it is used rather than walked past like a printed timeline.

### Projection or LED for a company history wall?

Projection over a printed wall suits large walls, event venues and controlled light, with 2D LiDAR for touch. An LED or touchscreen wall suits bright lobbies, dense archives and permanent use. A walk-through corridor suits entrances; a moving screen on a rail suits permanent halls.

### How high should touch points be on an interactive wall?

Inside a comfortable reach band. The 2010 ADA Standards give an unobstructed forward reach of 15-48 inches (380-1,220 mm) above the floor, a sensible default for walls used by adults, children and wheelchair users.

### Has MLABART built interactive history walls?

Yes. MLABART built an interactive projection history wall for a Dalian shipping company's annual meeting, where touching a milestone opens its photo and story in place, and a projection entrance corridor for Vanke's annual meeting, where the company's development history unfolds as guests walk through.



## Related Pages

**See also:** [Digital Exhibition Halls & Showrooms](https://mlabart.com/solutions/digital-exhibition-halls/) | [Projection Mapping](https://mlabart.com/solutions/projection-mapping/) | [Interactive LED Walls & Big Screens](https://mlabart.com/solutions/interactive-led-walls/) | [Interactive Software Development for Installations](https://mlabart.com/solutions/interactive-software-development/)

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**MLABART** -- Interaction - Imagination - Innovation

MLABART is an interactive installation and interactive software development studio. We design, program and deliver interactive installations -- motion-sensing games, touch and AI experiences, interactive LED walls, projection mapping, naked-eye 3D and kinetic sculptures -- for mall and New Year's Eve countdown campaigns, trade-show booths and launches, and brand pop-ups, from concept and custom software through fabrication and on-site delivery.

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