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Educating Visitors through Hands-On Palm Oil Interactive

  • Writer: Gecko Group
    Gecko Group
  • Feb 22, 2022
  • 3 min read

Updated: Jun 13


A family engages with a touch-screen display embedded in a tiger conservation exhibit. The exhibit design incorporates bold interpretive design elements, including angled wood framing and conservation messaging, enhanced by interactive design.

Click below to watch a video walkthrough of the Palm Oil Touchscreen Interactive


A new exhibit focused on palm oil helps communicate a complicated story, while inspiring action for visitors at the Nashville Zoo.


The newly opened exhibit Tiger Crossroads at the Nashville Zoo presents some of the most pressing threats to tiger populations, including palm oil. Through front-end and focus group evaluations, we knew that many visitors to the Zoo didn’t understand much about palm oil, its prevalence, its production, or its negative impacts on wildlife. The exhibit team knew we would need a way to communicate the many aspects of the palm oil story in a meaningful way that inspired action.

Palm oil is ubiquitous in foods and cleaners; most people use it every day without realizing. Palm oil is also not well regulated: it is difficult to tell where it comes from, and how it is produced. Our challenge became: how do we educate visitors on the problems with palm oil while giving them the tools to become smarter shoppers?

The interpretive development team worked to brainstorm and storyboard what should be included in a touchscreen interactive about palm oil. Communicating the complex, layered issues involved with palm oil production required the creation of a multi-layered interactive experience. We decided to frame the beginning experience as a trip to the grocery store, to help visitors make meaningful connections to their everyday lives.

You can visit Tiger Crossroads now at the Nashville Zoo!




A full-screen view of the digital palm oil display in a retail-style setting. This interactive design supports the exhibit’s conservation message by helping visitors learn through familiar product visuals and exhibit design strategies.

Most people encounter palm oil unknowingly in the grocery aisles, so the team decided to create a shopping experience where people could learn which products might have palm oil in them. All of the items on our grocery shelves contain palm oil in one form or another. Some are made with certified sustainable oil; others are made with oil from unknown origins.



A magnified product display showing ice cream ingredients and a label indicating the product uses certified sustainable palm oil. The interpretive design uses graphic overlays and interactive design to teach visitors about industry practices.

The interactive uses large, easy-to-read graphics to indicate whether or not palm oil is sustainable, according the RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). Since membership and status is constantly changing within the RSPO, we created a content management system that can be updated. The Zoo is committed to monitoring the companies and making updates as changes happen.




A close-up digital exhibit view of a frozen pizza label, explaining that the product only partially uses sustainable palm oil. This interactive design component uses interpretive tools like magnifiers and color-coded rating systems.

Some companies have made the commitment to transition to sustainable palm oil, but aren’t 100% sustainable yet. The product page reflects this middle ground.




A digital display explaining that a dessert product contains palm oil from unknown sources. The exhibit’s interactive design highlights brand accountability and encourages better consumer choices through clear interpretive messaging.

Some companies were not part of the RSPO, and their product page showed that their palm oil was of unknown origin, and should be avoided. It also offers better choices, by RSPO-member companies.




A digital exhibit screen introduces endangered species of Sumatra impacted by palm oil farming. Featuring lush environmental backdrops and photographic icons, the exhibit design combines interpretive content with interactive prompts to inspire conservation action.

Once visitors understood how to spot palm oil, and where to look for sustainable palm oil, we wanted to give them more information on why it is so important. The interactive allows visitors to explore the impacts of palm oil expansion on 5 species living in Sumatra.




Two tigers rest in dense undergrowth, part of an interactive design element in an exhibit focused on the environmental impact of palm oil; a powerful example of interpretive design and conservation storytelling.

The slideshows provide concrete examples of how tigers, and other forest species, are negatively impacted by palm oil production.




A Sumatran elephant feeds on leaves in a naturalistic image used in exhibit design to interpret the environmental effects of habitat loss through interactive digital storytelling.

Visitors can explore slideshows of each species, and learn more about how expansion of palm oil impacts each one.




A baby orangutan appears tethered, featured in a graphic panel as part of an interpretive and interactive design about illegal wildlife trade within an environmental exhibit.

Compelling images captivate users and help create empathy, and inspire action to help.




A quadrant-style interactive design screen invites users to explore where palm oil is grown and its impact; this exhibit design blends interpretive content with digital interaction.

Simple, impactful infographics help visitors quickly digest the basics of growing palm oil trees.




A visually engaging panel explores the ancient and modern uses of palm oil, part of the interpretive design within an exhibit focused on sustainable agriculture and environmental impact.

The graphics help visitors understand why palm oil can be such an efficient and affordable resource.




Bright green exhibit design panel explains the benefits of sustainably grown palm oil; combines interpretive messaging with interactive navigation for visitors.

The interactive goes one step further to present the need for sustainable palm oil.




A red-tinted interpretive design graphic illustrating how unsustainable palm oil production increases carbon emissions and damages habitats, featured in an interactive exhibit experience.

The interactive also presents the other side of the coin, presenting the negative impacts palm oil production can have.




Interactive design screen from an exhibit encouraging visitor engagement with palm oil advocacy actions, blending exhibit design with environmental and interpretive storytelling.

Our final experience helps visitors understand the impacts that one person can make, and hopefully encourages each person to make the switch to sustainable palm oil products whenever possible.

 
 
 

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