As a frequent Disneyland visitor, I've observed several recurring pain points over the years. Initially, these issues were personal frustrations, but I soon realized that many others shared similar experiences. One of the most common problems occurs in high-traffic areas, such as the main entrance and restaurants, where guests struggled to navigate the existing Disneyland app. This not only causes frustration but also contributes to additional congestion in already crowded spaces.
This observation sparked an idea: What if the Disneyland app could be redesigned with a more intuitive, user-friendly interface that prioritizes ease of navigation and reduces friction for guests? Imagine an experience where park visitors could quickly access the information they need without the stress of searching through multiple menus or waiting for the app to load. By simplifying the app’s home screen and optimizing it for real-time needs, we could not only improve the digital experience but also ease the physical congestion in key areas of the park.
The goal of this project is to redesign the Disneyland app's home screen to create a seamless, intuitive experience for users. This would involve prioritizing the most important features that guests use regularly, making them easier to access in a more visually streamlined layout. Ultimately, the aim is to reduce unnecessary app-related delays, improve the overall guest experience, and help create smoother transitions through some of the park’s busiest areas.
What if the Disneyland app could be redesigned with a more intuitive, user-friendly interface that prioritizes ease of navigation and reduces friction for guests?
The current Disneyland app presents significant challenges when it comes to navigation, often leaving users frustrated and struggling to find the information they need. Its interface can be overwhelming, with essential features being buried within multiple layers of menus.
To address the navigation challenges within the Disneyland app, the solution lies in simplifying and streamlining the user experience to prioritize ease of access and speed. This redesign will focus on optimizing the home screen to provide an intuitive, efficient starting point for users, ensuring they can immediately access essential features without unnecessary complexity.
I conducted surveys with frequent app users—those who typically use the app at Disney parks about once a week. Prior to administering the surveys, I hypothesized that users might find the app challenging to navigate and would prefer quicker, more direct access to the most frequently used features. The survey included a mix of question types, such as scale, open-ended, multiple-choice, and single-select questions, including the following:
- How intiuitive do you find the navigation of the Disneyland app overall?
- Have you ever experienced difficulty finding any of the following on the app? (Select all that apply)
- How long does it typically take for you to find the information you need on the home screen of the app?
- Have you ever experienced difficulty finding any of the following on the app? (Select all that apply)
- What, if anything, would you like to see more prominently displayed on the home screen of the app?
- Do you find the icons and buttons on the app are easy to understand and use?
- Do you feel the current home screen layout is too cluttered or too minimal?
- What do you enjoy most about the Disneyland app?
- What is your biggest frustration when using the Disneyland app?
The 18 survey responses largely confirmed many of my initial assumptions, but also revealed some surprising insights. Half of the users (50%) found the app somewhat difficult to navigate, while the other half (50%) found it somewhat intuitive. Interestingly, no respondents rated the app as either extremely difficult or extremely easy to navigate. Additionally, 47.4% of users reported that it took them one to two minutes to locate the information they needed on the app. Another notable finding was that users expressed a preference for a complete redesign of the Home screen, suggesting it should display key, frequently-used features more prominently. Moreover, 88.9% of users felt the Home screen was overly cluttered.
Given these findings, it confirmed the direction in which I wanted to pursue in this project to redesign the navigation of the Disneyland app starting with the Home screen.
With the research conducted, I moved onto brainstorming by creating lo-fi wireframes.
Using the lo-fi wireframes, I created a high fidelity prototype which I was able to use for testing and interviewing users.
