Theme Park Mobile Companion Experience
A large-scale mobile experience for a major entertainment studio, designed to connect real-world park visits with digital progression and community engagement.
00
problem
The studio wanted to increase both repeat park visits and in-park spending. While millions of guests visit each year, they come for very different reasons: families, thrill-seekers, collectors, and fans of specific franchises all have unique motivations and patterns of behavior. The challenge was to design a single companion app that could appeal to these diverse audiences, encouraging engagement, discovery, and purchases without disrupting the fun of being in the park.
solution
We developed a flexible mobile framework that rewards exploration and return visits. Guests could complete in-park quests and trivia to earn collectibles tied to their favorite franchises. These activities linked seamlessly with rewards, purchases, and seasonal events, creating a progression loop that encouraged deeper engagement. The system was designed to scale across multiple IPs, making it easy for the park to refresh content year-round.
As Experience Designer, I helped define the core systems and player flow that connected physical exploration with digital play. Working with the UX and product teams, I designed the progression loops, reward cadence, and quest structures that tied real-world actions to meaningful digital rewards.
Early in development, we visited the park to study guest behavior and mobile habits. We noticed consistent patterns in how visitors used their phones, often checking them while waiting in lines, resting in shaded areas, or eating lunch. These moments of downtime became our opportunity space. By designing quests that fit naturally into these rhythms, we could engage players without interrupting their visit.
To support longevity, I developed a flexible systems framework that could host seasonal events, rotating collectibles, and limited-time challenges without overhauling the structure. This allowed the experience to evolve with the park while maintaining consistency and clarity for returning players.
I created detailed system documentation to align creative, UX, and technical teams. My goal was to balance business objectives with player delight, ensuring every system supported both fan enjoyment and the studio's engagement goals.
The project is currently under NDA while it undergoes Beta testing.
see also
