Designing the Future of Disney Magic
Disney Imagineering, the creative force behind Disney’s parks and attractions, launched the $1B MagicBand project, an RFID wristband system that replaced tickets and payments while streamlining the guest experience.
As part of this initiative, the Story Maker Website served as the pre-park experience, enabling parents to plan and personalize their family’s visit.
Role
UX Design Lead
Timeframe
12 months, 2014
Tasks
UX design, design management and vendor management
Industry
Entertainment
Product Category
Consumer Products
Challenge
Long wait times – One of the biggest guest complaints was the hours spent waiting for rides, impacting overall park enjoyment.
Fragmented guest experience – Managing tickets, payments, and hotel access separately created frustration and inefficiencies.
Lack of personalization – Guests wanted a customized experience, with interactions tailored to their preferences.
Operational inefficiencies – Park operations relied on manual tracking, making it difficult to optimize guest flow and resource management.
Objectives
$1B investment to keep guests entertained with immersive, location-based interactions.
Reduce wait times in queues by introducing virtual reservations and interactive experiences.
Streamline payments, reservations, and park entry for frictionless visits.
Collect valuable guest data for personalization and operational improvements.
Increase guest satisfaction and lifetime customer value.
Park Guests
Primary Persona
A mom in her late 30s to early 40s, traveling with her spouse and two kids under 18. She’s planning to celebrate one of her kids’ birthdays at Disney and values creating memorable family moments. She personalizes Story Maker to ensure the experience is special and tailored for the celebration.
Secondary Persona
A dad, part of a family with two kids, is visiting Disney for the first time with his children. He’s focused on making the experience unique for the family and is open to personalizing the Story Maker to enhance the adventure.
Experience Map
An experience map was created to visualize the guest journey before, during, and after their visit, identifying key touchpoints, devices, and engagement needs.
It helped facilitate communication with stakeholders and provided a clear overview of the overall guest experience and necessary considerations.
Feature list
Using the MoSCoW prioritization method, the Feature List became a comprehensive document outlining all Story Maker features across platforms, serving as a communication tool to keep vendors informed of the latest updates.
Wireframes
Wireframes were created to facilitate communication with vendors, especially for more complex sections like Settings.
Responsive Website
The Story Maker website was designed to be fully responsive, ensuring an optimal experience across devices.
Designed in 2013, it embraced the emerging trend of responsive design, adapting seamlessly to smartphones, tablets, and desktops for diverse user needs.
Story Maker, Mockups
Collaboration with various vendors, including Frog, the design studio behind the StoryMaker website, was crucial to the project’s success.
Aligning with Disney’s vision, managing design direction, providing feedback, and facilitating communication between the internal team and vendors ensured the final product met both user needs and business goals.
Story Maker, Muppets
Muppet-o-Matic was one of many attractions guests could personalize, giving children a unique and fun experience in the park.
Outcomes
Revenue Increase - MagicBand’s ability to track guest purchases has been linked to a 15-20% increase in average per-capita spending.
Guest Experience and Satisfaction - A 2016 survey found that over 90% of MagicBand users said they were satisfied with their experience, citing ease of use, convenience, and personalization as key benefits.
Lessons Learned
Managing Multiple Vendors - Regular check-ins and centralized documentation kept vendors aligned and on track.
Aligning Multiple Departments and Attractions - Cross-department meetings ensured cohesive integration across attractions and alignment on goals.