Attraction Design for the Themed Entertainment Industry
Gaining an understanding of the product development process.
THE BRIEF
Develop an end product with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, designers, and animators to iteratively pitch, develop, and present to industry leaders. This end product was designed to be an E-Ticket attraction or ride experience centrally focused, themed or inspired by music or song.
THE CLIENT
Work in conjunction with industry leaders in an exclusive course designed to teach how to develop an end product for the consumer market.
throughput capacity
2,000
guests
target budget
$150
million
target open
2023
memorial day
MY ROLE
Implementing our knowledge of animation, graphic design, industrial and mechanical engineering, and user experience to create the following:, create attraction beats, storyboards, 3D renderings, ride vehicle designs, and project budget.
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Attraction beats and storyboards outlining the guest experience
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3D renderings through PlanetCoaster
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Ride vehicle and facility design
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Project budget and show list
Along with this, my individual assignments were as follows:
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Serve as an interaction designer, paying particular attention to the user experience
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Design storyboards of a guest's experience from queue to post-show
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Create designs for the attraction's exterior and interior
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Present findings to upper management of leading themed entertainment industry
METHODOLOGY
Our goal was achieved through the completion of the following steps:
PROJECT FOCUS
Pitch was assigned based on a subset of winning pitches selected by industry leaders. Teams were assigned at random and tasked with the goal of designing all aspects of an attraction based on the given pitch.
ORIGINAL ASSIGNMENT
Daft Punk Helicopter Ride
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Indoor suspended coaster
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Futuristic helicopter ride vehicle
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3D immersion screens
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Family thrill
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Rockstar experience
Revised Concept
Guests take on the role of Featured Artists as they are whisked away in a helicopter and join world renowned EDM DJ Steve Aoki to escape crazed fans and go on a high-flying adventure to his signature sound.
Attraction Key Art
Queue
Guests pass advertisements for the music festival, walk through dressing rooms, and experience their own chance with the press through an interactive opportunity to create their first branding material as Featured Artists.
Pre-Show
The festival crowd goes crazy and storms the stage. The pre-show room reflects this chaos through the lighting, visuals, and effects. A team member acting as a member of security then orders the Featured Artists to leave immediately -- prompting them to board their own helicopter.
Vehicle Design
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Open helicopter ride vehicle
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Stadium seating
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Suspended vehicle with controlled rotational capabilities
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Heads up display (HUD) of Steve Aoki on front windshield shows visual from trailing helicopter
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18 guests per vehicle
Attraction
Riders will fly past the festival watching as the crowd shrinks below, a carnival, and a billboard featuring the images taken during the attraction pre-show. The ride vehicle will then travel through a hot air balloon festival before landing in Berlin Germany to watch the resolution projected using 4K POV Domes.
3D Rendering
Post-Show
Riders will unload from the ride vehicle and and enter backstage where they'll have the opportunity to play onstage with DJ Steve Aoki using interactive DJ soundboards. They will also have the chance to take photos with Steve Aoki using photobooths.
For a full list of all Findings & Recommendations, explore the following:
TAKEAWAYS
By taking a project from blue-sky development to a high fidelity prototype, a full understanding of the product development process was gained. The opportunity to work alongside industry leading professionals helped teach the constraints and limitations that must be overcome when working with large budgets and for a diverse audience of users.
Working with a multi-disciplinary team of engineers and artists taught key communication skills and provided insight into the different types of expertise needed to developed a themed attraction.