The experience is more
than the ride.
Disney Imagineering asked frog to help generate new ideas using the latest technology to enhance park experiences.
Our team spent several days in the park in Anaheim. It was important to Disney that we experience everything the park had to offer and while they served as our guides, we stood in line like everyone else.
We documented these experiences with extensive notes, photos, and videos and came up with hundreds of ideas. We synthesized our research and generated even more ideas. Then we gathered colleagues to brainstorm additional ideas and cull the original set.
The work was grueling, but we persevered. :)
The visit to the park is meant to stay with you forever. We developed a framework to guide our work which was non-linear. Each experience at the park had three elements: anticipation, the journey, and the reward. Technology was to be used to enhance this experience with greater storytelling or unique delight.
After we returned to the studio, we set out our notes and photos from the research and spent two weeks just examining these experiences. Numerous concepts were generated but we also opened the ideation to everyone in the studio. Most were eager to help. We did three sessions to create new ideas and they were a joy to facilitate.
Everyone was excited to participate and we left our egos at the door. The sessions produced hundreds of ideas of which we curated the best 150.
At the time, AR technology was nascent, but this idea is now ubiquitous. The technology was ARchimede Mirror from a company called Augmented Reality.
This idea expanded on the old fun house mirror concept and could be implemented as a standalone exhibit, in line, or at park restaurants.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science is not 'EUREKA', but 'That’s funny.'" - Isaac Asimov
Taking a cue from the iRobot Roomba, we anticipated numerous bots with various functions roaming the park. Star Wars was also an inspiration. The next year Wall-E came out and of course now Disney owns Pixar. Drone photos, delivery, and cleanup would be both functional and fun.
One of the problems that each of the parks have is real estate. Stroller parking was problematic. Strollers were left at the entrance to each ride in a huge clump. Our solution was both vertical and subterranean stroller parking.
Our team came up with the idea for the Magic Band.
The IMPACT of this was a huge for both frog and Disney. Disney spent a billion dollars to implement and launch this experience and it meant a ton of work for frog in the early stages of the effort.