Switchbacks

Here’s a little bit of everyday magic.

When airport staff need to line people up efficiently in front of a ticket counter, they make a switchback out of short poles and nylon straps.

A “switchback” is a path where people walk one way, switch, walk the other way, switch, walk back, and so on. 

This is so efficient that a 30 x 30 space (30 feet is 2 car lengths) can hold a 300 foot path. That’s as long as a football field. And that’s just a short one.

Now imagine instead of poles and straps, the switchback is made of tall walls. We can’t see around the next corner. We can’t see the exit. We only see what’s in front of us. Everything else is hidden.

A switchback made of walls is called a “hidden switchback.”

Thankfully, airports don’t use walls. But you know who does?

Haunted house operators.
Corn maze … uh … people.
Disney.

Disney is a master of the hidden switchback. The combination of spatial efficiency and surprise at every turn is theme park magic.

Here’s the thing:
A hidden switchback layout can turn a small gallery into a long, delightful exhibition experience.

And that’s a magic trick that shouldn’t only be left to Disney.

Warmly,
Jonathan

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MtM Word of the Day:
Hidden switchback. A spatial layout of walls that conceals a winding queue or pathway, often using angled or offset partitions. Common in themed attractions and exhibitions, it maximizes space, enhances immersion, and maintains the illusion of continuous narrative flow.