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1. Fine Tuning
the
MAGIC
Version 2.0
Joe Lanzisero
WUC 19

2. In over 40 years of creating
user experiences for Disney
and others I learned:

3. When working in prototype design it’s often hard to
guage how users/guest will respond and engage with an
experience. Disney story-driven attractions are a complex
combination of art and technology. Finding a balance of
these elements that connects with the user/guests can be
tricky. Somtime we missed the mark and needed to adjust
and/or change elements or an entire experience based on
direct user/guest input. We had to “Fine Tune the Magic.”

4. What we thought user/guest wanted or how they would
interact/ respond was often wrong or off base
Falling victim to “the Curse of Knowledge”
What and how we learned from the user/guest response
How we fixed it and what bigger lesson/learning did we
gain
I’ll use Project Case Studies to
explain:

5. The Curse of Knowledge
“It Ain’t What You Don’t Know That Gets You Into
Trouble. It’s What You Know for Sure That Just Ain’t
So”- Maybe Mark Twain?
The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when an
individual, communicating with other individuals, unknowingly assumes
that the others have the background to understand.
The “Tap Test”

6. Case Studies

7. Monsters Inc. Ride and Go Seek
Tokyo Disney
“A game is a game.”

8. What we thought user/guest wanted
or how they would interact/
respond…..

9. We thought guests would be satisfied to “just discover “
hiding characters with their flashlight- with no “game”
implied.
Thought strength of IP (Story and Character recognition)
would carry the experience.

10. What we learned…

11. Guests didn’t know what to do with the flashlight- what was the
objective? What’s the “game?”
Don’t assume just because a movie or other property is “well
known” that everyone will come with complete knowledge of and
emotional connection to it.

12. How we fixed it and what bigger
lesson/learning did we gain…..

13. Re-tooled entire experience and made it a defined game with clear
objective and response- Find as many characters as you can hiding
under clearly marked “Hard hats.”
Make the core base experience fun and entertaining without the
need to be familiar with the IP

14. Another Case Study

15. Buzz Lightyear Astro-Blasters
Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland
“Did I hit that target?”

16. What we thought user/guest wanted
or how they would interact/respond…

17. Original instillation of attraction had a fixed “Blaster”
with only a small laser “dot” to identify your target
Assumed guest could easily identify their target like a
traditional “Shooting Gallery”

18. What we learned…

19. Unlike a static “shooting gallery” user/guests were in
moving ride vehicle making it almost impossible to
distinguish their target “hits” from the other players.
There was no clear “cause and effect” to identify a “hit.”
Guests left frustrated and unsatisfied.

20. How we fixed it…

21. Made the Blaster free tethered and not mounted
Added strong laser pointer to easily identify “your target”
Added Haptics -lighting, sound and vibration to identify “Hit target.”

22. What bigger lesson/learning
did we gain…

23. Video game generation brings their expectations to any
perceived game-like experience. They want clear cause
and effect and strong haptic responses
Don’t assume a different format from a traditional video
game will change these expectations

24. yet another Case
Study

25. but first, let’s pause to enjoy a
cute puppy photo

26. okay, now back to our case
study

27. Disney Cruise Lines
Upper Decks Water Play and Shade
“We just need more water play and shade…right?”

28. What we thought user/guest wanted
or how they would interact/
respond…..

29. Our guest said “there wasn’t enough shade and water
play activities on the upper decks.”
We responded by adding dedicated shade areas for
adults and dedicated water play areas for children.
We thought “kids will want to play (activities) and adults
would want to relax (shade areas)

30. What we learned…

31. The guest/user wanted shade and water play but
wanted these as shared family areas/activities.

32. How we fixed it………

33. We created new areas with shade and water play for the
ENTIRE family, not specific to children or adults
Areas previously segregated were open for use by
everyone

34. What bigger lesson/
learning did we gain…..

35. Really understand your guest/user dynamic!
Listen to your guest/user but be sure you know what
they are really asking for
At it’s core the Disney audience is family and they want
to share as much of the experience together as possible

36. Yes, here’s ANOTHER
Case Study

37. Sinbad’s StorybookAdventure
Tokyo Disney Sea
“It was well executed, but I didn’t feel a thing.”

38. What we thought user/
guest wanted or how they
would interact/respond…..

39. We set out to create a new “Classic” Disney attraction
by combining the swashbuckling adventures of “Pirates
of the Caribbean” and the charming sweetness of “It’s a
Small World.

40. What we learned…

41. It was neither “Swashbuckling or Charming/
Sweet. Guest/user didn’t know what to make of it,
and it left them cold with not emotional response.

42. How we fixed it…

43. We focused on the Sweet/Charming
Added a side kick to add warmth and heart
Composed a memorable theme song to create emotional
connection

44. What bigger lesson/
learning did we gain…..

45. No mater how well executed without a single clear thematic
focus and emotional hooks guest/user will leave unsatisfied,
cold and confused.
Find the “emotional core” of every experience and use
whatever devise necessary (cute character, engaging theme
song) to deeply connect your guest/user

46. how about one final
Case Study…

47. Before finishing up let’s enjoy this
photo of a yummy Ice Cream Sundae

48. Yummy.
Now back to the
Case Study

49. Disney World Miniture Golf
Courses
We thought EVERYONE could play that hole….

50. What we thought user/guest wanted
or how they would interact/respond…

51. “Research” told us that the guest wanted a high level of
golf play challenge
thought this high challenge element would differentiate
this course from others in the market
Created very steep putting greens to increase challenge

52. What we learned…

53. Design proved difficult for many of our younger guest/
users
Overall experience was frustrating and unsatisfying

54. How we fixed it…

55. When designing our second course we reduced the
difficulty of play and try to “level the playing field “for
players of every age.
Many holes were designed to give you a “Hole in one”
adding to a high level of satisfaction, especially for our
younger guests.

56. What bigger lesson/
learning did we gain…

57. Know your audience!
The Disney “family audience” needed an experience that
leveled the playing field so people of all ages could have
a satisfying experience.

58. So what are the big take away
learnings from my ”fine tuning?”

59. Don’t depend on IP to carry an experience- the core activity should be
fun and entertaining without having to know “the story and
characters.” (Monsters Ride)
When creating a “game “experience make sure it really is a game with
clear objectives and positive feedback (Monsters Ride)
Know your users expectations and ask yourself if they are really being
addressed? (Buzz Lightyear Shooting Ride)
Don’t think changing the format (video game to ride) will change users
expectation. (Buzz Lightyear Shooting Ride)
When designing for a group make sure you understand their collective
dynamic.(DCL Water Play and Shade)

60. Listen to your users wants but be sure you understand
what they are really asking for. Don’t fall victim to “the
curse of knowledge.” (DCL Water Play and Shade)
Experiences need a single clear thematic focus (Cute or
swashbuckling) (Sinbad Ride)

61. Find the “emotional core” of every experience and use whatever devise
necessary (cute character, engaging theme song) to deeply connect your
guest/user (Sinbad Ride)
Know your Audience! Who are you designing for! (Miniature Golf)
When designing for a broad spectrum of ages and abilities, make sure the
experience works for and satisfies everyone. (Miniature Golf)

62. and finally…

63. Everyone loves Puppies and Ice Cream Sundaes!

64. Thank you for your
kind attention.