Creating a sense of discovery

There are lots of wonderful things to say about Phantasialand. The park, not far from the heart of Cologne, is well known for the exquisite scenic detailing of its lands. It is a rare breed among theme parks, one where even the big thrill rides are decorated fancifully. But one of the most wonderful things about that park is how it creates a sense of genuine discovery as you explore.

Exploration

Each of Phantasia’s lands redefine the meaning of immersive environments, by being so ...Awesome. Phantasialand is not a geographically large park, but it sure feels it, with winding pathways that seem forged through the ages and just… Overwhelming scenery, with tall structures detailed from floor to roof. Uncovering attractions you never knew existed along the way, Phantasialand rewards exploration. So much so, that simply crossing the boundary into a new land can be emotive, like a very personal achievement unique to you. Built into the park’s design are cleverly confined viewpoints giving explorers a glimpse into the next world, but with no obvious path to get there. This should be frustrating, but somehow this game the park teaches us from the start, easing us in with the open Berlin themed main street, makes every new journey and accomplishment all the more pleasing.

One particularly brilliant example are a row of small square windows. When you peer through the windows, the dramatic ride Talocan (a Huss Topspin with a row of seats facing forwards and back) flips and spins, confined in a box, fire exploding behind it. You're actually looking in through the ride's backdrop. But how do you get into this room?

Onlookers peer through windows on Talocan's backdrop to watch the spectacular show. Photo by author, 2008.

And from Mexico, as you watch the spectator friendly flume ride Chiapas - whose facade is alive with music (by IMAscore) and rushing water - your eyes are drawn up the shoot to admire the steep finale drop sat amongst rockwork and waterfalls… And past that, you can just about catch a glimpse of the park’s signature roller coaster, Black Mamba. But how do you get there? Your journey leads you over the Mexico bridge, through the huge gateway and it’s as if you stepped into the next level of the game.

Black Mamba is just visible over Mexico's backdrop. Instead of navigating around Chiapas, guests are encouraged through the facade itself. Photo by author, 2014.

 Experiential enhancements

What Phantasialand’s design demonstrates is that alongside the main attractions - the marketable stuff that gets people through the gates - enriching the overall guest experience pays off. It connects the guest to the space by giving them a personal sense of discovery - a meaningful, memorable experience. More than they came for. More than they expected. Value. There are hundreds of ways in which a guest's day can be supplemented. Highly detailed theming and meandering pathways are not the only way, nor are they the answer for every visitor attraction. Animal exhibits, play areas, walkthrough exhibits, interesting shops, restaurants, arcades, gardens, mazes, model villages, shows, animatronics, entertainers… All of these can be used as rewards for discovery, as little extras. Phantasialand just goes the extra mile by including its main attractions in the discovery game.

Whilst we're on the subject of Phantasialand, would you take a look at this...

Photo by Phantasialand.

Their new for 2016 attraction Taron is looking pretty spectacular. The ride hardware, produced by Intamin, is a multi-launching knot of a coaster, dynamically interacting with both itself and the scenery around it. (Rockwork artistry by Universal Rocks.) The park's official blog about the attraction's design is a great read. It is in German, but Google Translate can help you out if you don't speak the language. The thing that really stood out to me is how the coaster itself was designed to operate in temperatures as low as -10°C (that's 14°F), enabling the park to make full use of the ride throughout their winter opening schedule. 

Making information relevant to guests

I recently watched a TED talk about changing behaviour through design by Edward Gardiner. I’ve been interested guest psychology for quite a few years now and that came from working in a customer facing role. As hours rack up working in any given space, you start to notice patterns in customer behaviour caused by the design of the space they’re navigating. I would experiment with different ways of positioning myself, using different words or even changing the environment by moving trash cans and such. You would not believe how powerful some changes can be.

I’ll probably be talking about designing for behaviour on this blog a lot in the future, but today I just wanted to talk about a couple of things Gardiner discusses and some initial thoughts on how these ideas could be implemented within theme parks.

Make information relevant to people

When provided information about calorie content in foods, customers responded best when the data was displayed as the amount of minutes exercise they would have to do to burn it off. Linking the information to their daily life, making it relevant to them. I wondered, could guest behaviours that negatively impacts the efficient loading of rides, for example, be partially combatted by such methods? Could signage in queue lines aimed at the bored, stationary, captive audience feed information this way? “Help us reduce your queueing time by preparing for boarding” followed by simple instructions relevant to that specific ride, maybe. There are existing examples of this, usually in video format throughout queue lines or when boarding, aiming to both entertain guests and teach them how to board, what to do with loose items, etc. But I’d love to see more examples attempt to make the information relevant to individuals by telling them that it affects them.

 Discover the problem

What behaviour are you trying to change and why are people behaving that way? As an extreme example, why do guests do unsafe things like climb fences into restricted areas? There will be a reason - retrieve a lost hat, for example. Often people are so caught up in their need that despite understanding a closed gate means they shouldn’t enter, they will still try because in that moment they believe their issue is unique. So, if you have a situation where guests are routinely doing something they obviously shouldn't, identify what the reason is. Solve with well designed signage placed at eye height in appropriate communicative colour and font designed to demand attention. But also, inform them of information that is relevant to them - “danger of death” or “a member of staff will be with you shortly” or “please visit guest services to report lost items” etc. This way, they have information that hopefully answers their question and prevents them feeling alone and having to solve the issue themselves, right now.