Experience design
Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter creates a believable and authentic experience
W Building worlds Shawn McCoy Vice president, JRA
Worldbuilding means visitors become part of the story
120 CLAD book 2018
hile theme parks and attractions have always tried to immerse visitors in engaging ways, recent themed lands such as Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Disney’s Pandora – The World of Avatar have raised the bar to a new level. By blending highly detailed thematic environments, state-of-the-art ride technologies, live shows, immersive retail and themed restaurants into a thoughtfully cohesive experience, these lands represent one of the more significant trends of the attractions industry: worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is about ensuring that everything a guest sees, hears, touches or even tastes is authentic to the story upon which the overall experience is based. Ensuring this thematic continuity means
that the font featured on the land’s environmental signage is as just as important as the media featured within its dark ride, for any detail that breaks the guests’ suspension of disbelief may undermine their personal commitment to the story and ultimately detract from their overall experience. Today’s guests don’t just want to walk through a themed land, they want to become a part of the story and have an effect on the overall environment. New techniques and technologies are allowing us to immerse our guests like never before. By inviting our guests to not only explore the fantastic worlds we create, but also become central characters in our stories, we can attract new audiences, encourage repeat visitation and create lasting memories for visitors and their families. cladglobal.com