{"id":558,"date":"2020-01-08T08:51:55","date_gmt":"2020-01-08T15:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/talkingaboutdesign.com\/?p=558"},"modified":"2020-02-09T08:33:52","modified_gmt":"2020-02-09T15:33:52","slug":"designing-experience-a-case-study-of-disneylands-lines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkingaboutdesign.com\/designing-experience-a-case-study-of-disneylands-lines\/","title":{"rendered":"Designing experience: A Case Study of Disneyland\u2019s Lines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Which picture best matches YOUR Experience<\/span> of waiting in line at Disney? Let us know in the comments!<\/em><\/h4>\n
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Experience A:<\/h2>\n
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Image in the public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Experience B:<\/h2>\n
\"Serpentine
“Radiator Springs Racers Queue, Cars Land, Disney California Adventure, Anaheim, California” by Ken Lund is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Experience C:<\/h2>\n
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Photo from http:\/\/www.tipsfromthedisneydiva.com\/tips-for-what-to-do-while-waiting-in-line-at-disney\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Waiting in a line. Few other annoyances seem to have the same omnipresence for disturbing such a wide range of our lives more than waiting in lines. From paying for groceries to going on a bucket list vacation, we\u2019ve all had time and energy drained by these ubiquitous thieves that stand in the way of what we want. Typically, waiting in line is made bearable only by the promise of \u201cgetting\u201d what is at the end of the line. But sometimes, no matter what it is we \u201cget\u201d at the end, we can still walk away with different impressions just from the experience of waiting (or not) in a line. It was this particular problem of waiting in lines that plagued the designers of the self-titled happiest place on earth: Disneyland.<\/span>
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When Disneyland opened in 1955, Walt Disney introduced the world to a revolutionary type of attraction, one which brought the experience of movies to the physical world. The designers and staff (respectively known in Disney parlance as \u201cimagineers\u201d and \u201ccast members\u201d) put on a theatrical experience, or in other words, a show. However, this type of show required all sorts of pragmatic considerations such as parking, eating, going to the bathroom, and riding the main attractions\u2013all of which involve waiting in lines. <\/span>
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\n<\/span>The lines at Disneyland in the first year were a disaster; they turned happy guests into frustrated tourists. The booming United States\u2019 economy at the time led to more tourists visiting the country and, along with this, more guests at Disneyland. The increase in guests was indeed a good problem for Disneyland to have, but it created several other problems such as (surprise!) long lines. In response, the imagineers introduced a novel solution. They would move their lines from single and outstretched lines into a serpentine and compact lines, known as \u201cswitchback queues\u201d such as the one illustrated below.\u00a0<\/span>
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In a previous post<\/a> <\/span>we briefly discussed switchback queues:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Comparison of straight line (left) and switchback queue (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis simple change, revolutionary at the time (in fact, Wendy\u2019s, American Airlines, and Citibank all stake claim to the invention)2<\/a><\/sup>, did not change the actual length of the line or the waiting time. However, instead of one long line where guests don\u2019t see each other\u2019s faces, they redesigned it as several short-<\/span>looking<\/span><\/i> lines that fold around each other, with the added benefit of ‘people-watching’. This redesign made lines more conducive for interactions with other guests. In other words, despite waiting the same amount of time, the experience of waiting in line made guests happier because the imagineers disguised its length and provided opportunities to socialize face-to-face with other guests while waiting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Not only did switchback queues help present an appearance of smaller lines and provide more opportunities for interaction between guests, they also freed up more park space by fitting more people into smaller spaces. Reimagining what a line can do, however, did not stop at a switchback queue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the 1960s, as imagineers added more attractions that boosted overall attendance, they decided they needed to rethink the line experience. They made the experience of lines more comfortable and more informative by employing processes<\/span> and artifacts<\/span> such as locating lines indoors, introducing roving food carts, and placing signs with estimated wait times. More importantly, they reimagineered lines as <\/span>part of<\/span><\/i> the ride experience instead of a separate activity that disturbed the main experience. They did this by incorporating the line for a ride into the ride\u2019s theme. Some rides included lines in which guests progressed through a storyline as they walked. For example, the line for the haunted mansion ride started guests in an outdoor cemetery, then brought guests into an indoor pre-show, then finally into a haunted corridor for loading onto the ride. By the time guests boarded the main ride, they had been part of a show that built toward a climax: the ride itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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An example of a line experience at Disneyland: Guests in line pass four graves lay in the outdoor cemetery of the haunted mansion ride. Examples of the grave text include: \u201cBertie – Avid hunter and expert shot. In the end, that\u2019s what he got.\u201d Aunt Florence – \u201cNever did a dishonorable deed. Yet found face down in canary seed.\u201d “Busts of Doom (Haunted Mansion Interactive Queue, Magic Kingdom) ” by Hector A Parayuelos is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additionally, imagineers tweaked and tuned the line waiting experience to temper expectations. Humorous rides featured humorous line experiences<\/span>, such as a radio that told bad jokes before the jungle cruise ride. Even the colors of the waiting rooms hinted at the experience of the ride. Guests who waited in bright colored rooms and hallways could expect a kid-friendly ride. If the color scheme featured darker colors, guests could expect to be frightened or thrilled.<\/p>\n

This attention to detail illustrated how the imagineers perceived the problem of line experience design at Disneyland. The problem could have been framed as an efficiency problem (how can guests be moved more efficiently?) or an experience problem (how can guests be happier?). Eventually, the imagineers settled for framing lines as an experience to be improved on. To do so, the imagineers drew on psychological insights that helped them improve the experience of waiting in a line. For example, they no longer exclusively worried about wait-time, but also focused on <\/span>the perception<\/span><\/i> of wait time, approaching line-waiting <\/span>as part<\/span><\/i> of<\/span><\/i> the theme park experience. Some of these psychological insights came in the form of the four principles that created an \u201cideal queue\u201d<\/span>3<\/a><\/p>\n