Sessions

Much like the physical environment, the digital experience for the guests at Disney Parks is one that should feel personal and make their vacation unique. Our team at Disney Parks and Resorts Digital was challenged with that task: create a digital ecosystem as dynamic as all the facets of a Disney vacation, which encompasses a hotel, restaurant, eCommerce, transportation hub, photo service, and entertainment planner.

Improving an experience with a large feature set requires a strategy rooted in a growth mindset. Creating an intuitive ecosystem that both scales for the unknown and addresses a broad demographic requires alignment across multiple teams and tiers of leadership. Designers often play a crucial role in organizing and solving these challenges, but the greatest momentum is gained when a larger team can share a unified vision.

Two product design leaders at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Digital will show how a team can strategize, gain consensus and alignment, then execute a large scale update of the information architecture, navigation and visual design of the Disney Parks mobile apps.

This talk addresses and details a common problem in our discipline: How to use design techniques to gain momentum and alignment on a new, lasting shared vision.

• How strategic thinking, active listening, and holistic design builds trust with leaders and forges new paths for an organization.
• How regular alignment introduces system-wide improvements, without rebuilding an entire app ecosystem.
• How strong IA can address past mistakes, current needs, and the future ambiguity; all while empowering your team to put a strong, agreeable, stake in the ground.
• How breaking complex experiences down to simple design patterns can align business and user goals.