Improving the attraction boarding experience.
Kilamanjaro Safaris, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park | Walt Disney World Resort
© Disney
How do you make loading a safari feel like part of the adventure?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park wanted to create a smoother, more intuitive loading experience for its safari attraction without losing the sense of adventure that made the experience immersive.
The loading process involved moving guests into safari ride vehicles efficiently, but the operational nature of the process could easily feel disconnected from the story. We needed a way to guide guests through the experience while keeping them immersed in the world of exploration and wildlife.
Working with the park’s lead graphic designer, I helped develop a low-tech, narrative-driven solution that turned practical guest communication into another part of the experience. The result helped bring clarity to the loading process while keeping guests in the story from queue to safari.
DESIGN CHALLENGE
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park needed to make loading safari ride vehicles feel more organized and efficient without breaking the immersive, in-story atmosphere of the experience. Guests needed clear direction about where to go and what to do, but traditional operational signage could easily feel out of place in a world built around exploration and adventure.
The challenge was to find a low-tech solution that could communicate practical information while still feeling like it belonged in the story. I collaborated with the park’s lead graphic designer to develop a narrative-driven approach that helped guide guests through the loading process while keeping them immersed in the wild environment around them.
MY ROLE
Site Walks & Research: Scoped out the attraction queue and observed how guests moved, gathered, and prepared to board the safari vehicles, identifying opportunities to make the loading process clearer and more intuitive.
Brainstorming: Collaborated with the park’s lead graphic designer to explore low-tech creative solutions that could solve the operational challenge without disrupting the immersive environment.
Writing & Story Development: Developed simple, story-driven messaging and color-coded loading zones that gave guests clear direction while keeping them immersed in the safari experience. The approach kept the storytelling intentionally simple—just enough to guide guests without adding noise to the environment.
RESULTS
Improved the guest experience by making the loading process clearer and easier to navigate.
Increased the efficiency and speed of guest loading by giving guests simple, intuitive cues for where to go.
Created a low-tech solution that blended seamlessly with the existing theme and décor, making the operational communication feel like it had always been part of the environment.