My Contributions
My involvement started early by creating a site-map and wireframes to show where all the information on the site would be displayed.
Working with the client, I created a few concepts and fleshed out the full site once the direction was approved. I designed brand assets on each page and stuck to the brand guidelines.
Design & Usability Testing for an Immersive Theme Park Experience
Challenge &
Business Goal
Universal Studios needed a dynamic, interactive website for Super Nintendo World, designed to capture the excitement of the theme park while maintaining the brand’s bold, colorful identity. The goal was to create an immersive digital experience that engaged users, showcased key attractions, and aligned with Universal’s strategic vision for Epic Universe and future immersive galleries.
Research & Testing Approach
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Information Architecture & Wireframing: Developed an initial site map and wireframes to define content structure and user flow, ensuring a seamless experience for both desktop and mobile users.
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UI & Visual Design: Designed high-fidelity UI concepts that adhered to Super Nintendo World’s iconic visual style, incorporating bold colors, animated elements, and engaging layouts to enhance user engagement.
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Immersive Gallery Optimization: Created brand assets and refined the layout for the immersive gallery component, ensuring brand consistency and an engaging, interactive experience.
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Usability Testing & Research: Conducted unmoderated usability testing across desktop and mobile, gathering insights on user behavior, interaction patterns, and navigational preferences.
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Mobile-First Design: Ensured that all interactive elements, including immersive galleries, maps, and media components, were fully responsive and optimized for performance on mobile devices.
Findings & Insights
✅ Users were highly engaged with the landing page, praising its bold use of color, imagery, and video elements.
✅ Immersive Gallery had strong visual appeal, but some users didn’t immediately recognize it as interactive.
✅ Navigation differences emerged between desktop and mobile users:
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4/5 mobile users navigated the immersive gallery via swiping or pagination dots.
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Desktop users preferred arrow buttons but expected more direct interaction (e.g., clicking POI objects to navigate).
✅ Mobile performance lags impacted usability for some participants.
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✅ Content placement issues:
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Some users mistook video content for the immersive gallery, leading to confusion.
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Users often interacted with the hero image, parallax images, and inline video before discovering the immersive gallery.
✅ Task Completion Rates:
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Finding the Toadstool Café: Most users succeeded, though some struggled with orientation within the immersive gallery.
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Finding Bowser’s Challenge: Users who completed the previous task had an easier time navigating to this section.
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Business Impact & Results
🎯 Stronger User Engagement: The optimized layout and UI enhancements increased interaction with immersive elements, making the experience more intuitive and enjoyable.
🎯 Improved Navigation & Discoverability: Enhancing wayfinding cues and affordances helped reduce confusion and streamline the user journey.
🎯 Optimized Mobile Experience: Addressing performance lags and usability issues resulted in a smoother, more accessible experience for mobile users.
🎯 Enhanced Brand Presence: By maintaining Super Nintendo World’s iconic branding and refining the immersive experience, the design contributed to a more cohesive and engaging digital presence for the park.
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UI/UX Design Considerations & Solutions
Refining the Immersive Gallery Experience
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🚀 Solution: Improve discoverability of the interactive component by incorporating visual cues and onboarding hints:
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Add subtle motion indicators or animated tooltips to guide users.
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Adjust placement of the immersive gallery higher on the page for better visibility.
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Introduce POI-based navigation (e.g., tappable circles or pins) to allow users to jump directly to attractions.
Enhancing Navigation & Mobile Usability​
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📱 Solution: Optimize mobile navigation by making affordances clearer:​
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Improve touch targets for swiping elements.
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Explore alternative navigation controls, such as clickable objects within the immersive gallery to jump to specific areas.
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Reduce performance lags on mobile by optimizing gallery rendering and preload strategies.
Addressing Content Confusion​
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📌 Solution: Clarify the difference between the video content and the immersive gallery:​
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Adjust spacing & layout to prevent déjà vu from repeated media placements.
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Add labels or section dividers to differentiate static and interactive content.
UI Design Process
Visual Style & Guidelines
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Style Choice: The UI reflected Super Nintendo World’s playful, high-energy aesthetic, using bold primary colors, dynamic layouts, and interactive elements to create a sense of excitement and immersion.
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Brand Consistency: Adhered to Universal Studios’ design standards while customizing elements to fit Nintendo’s brand identity.
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Typography & Imagery: Chose bold, legible fonts with strong visual contrast, ensuring accessibility across all devices. High-quality animated assets and parallax effects helped bring the experience to life.
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Platforms & Devices: The UI was designed for both desktop and mobile, with a strong emphasis on mobile-first performance optimizations.
UI Design Reflection
The Super Nintendo World immersive gallery project presented a unique challenge due to strict confidentiality and pre-launch limitations on usability testing.
However, through user observation, research, and iterative design refinements, I was able to improve interaction discoverability, optimize navigation patterns, and refine content hierarchy to create a more intuitive, engaging experience.
The final design successfully balanced brand alignment, user engagement, and interactive storytelling, helping Universal enhance their digital experience for theme park guests.
