ParkApp
As part of my UX Certification Course, I designed a user-friendly mobile app which helps families and groups of friends navigate parks more efficiently.
The app includes various features such as - real-time wait times, personalized ride suggestions, itinerary planning and more.
Overview
Timeline
3 weeks
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
Goals
Improve park-going experience by reducing stress and planning friction
What's the Problem at hand?
Families and groups of friends visiting large amusement parks often struggle to plan their day effectively, leading to long wait times, confusion about ride suitability and stress navigating the park.
Goals & Objectives
Help users navigate parks in real-time
Reduce wait times and improve scheduling
Offer personalized ride suggestions
Simplify planning for families and groups
Design Process
While designing the product, I outlined user needs based on persona-based thinking and assumption-driven empathy to ground my design decisions.
Pain Points
Getting lost or disoriented in large parks
Lack of customization in typical park apps
Insufficient live wait-time
Absent detailed ride information
Structuring the Experience
My focus was to make the app feel like a digital park assistant - always one step ahead, reducing stress and helping users enjoy their time.
The designed focused on clarity, speed and spatial awareness. I wanted the users to feel in control of the app and not feel overwhelmed by a cluttered control panel.
The Rides tab presents users with a personalized list of rides based on their selected preferences.
Each ride is displayed in an easily scannable card format, including essential details such as ride name, zone, real-time wait times, distance from the user’s current location, and a quick checkmark feature for marking rides as “completed.” Each card also includes a direct link to navigation, making the experience fluid, responsive, and adaptive to their real-time needs in the park.
Detailed ride card where the user can learn additional information about the ride.
Easy access to ride and dietary filters.
Can sort the order of the cards by:
Distance, Shortest Wait Time and Ride Height
Live wait-time and distance from the ride
User can mark ride as "completed"
Ride filter tags
Detailed thrill levels and important safety information (including height requirements and if suited for pregnant women)
User can save the ride
Quick navigation to chosen ride
In the Navigation tab users are shown relevant attractions based on their live location — including rides and nearby food options. Whether accessed from the Rides page or directly from a ride card, tapping the “Take me there now” button initiates real-time directions in a simplified navigation view.
The design prioritizes clarity with reduced cognitive load, using iconography and arrows to lead the user with ease.
The user can also explore the map before choosing a destination
When the user clicks on a ride/food stall icon, a popup will appear giving basic information.
Once the user has chosen the ride/food stall they want to go to, the navigation process begins.
Visual Design Mockup
Once the experience was defined, I created a color mockup to demonstrate how the interface could be both engaging and functional - especially important in a family-friendly theme park context.
The color palette is vibrant but balanced to capture the excitement of the park while maintaining clarity and legibility.
Blue
Provides information in a clear and calm way to the user. Offering a variety of hues and visual hierarchy to the information on the card.
Red
Highlights important information, distinguishing it from the rest of the information on the card.
Green
Used for the CTA button to make it stand out and clarify to the user that green means "go".
Prototyping & Usability Testing
After completing the initial design I have conducted 4 Usability Tests with a range of participants — including strangers, friends, and family members across various age groups.
Each session began with a scenario: the user downloads the app while waiting in line with their group. These sessions surfaced several design improvement opportunities, including simplification of the ride cards and refinement of the filters tab.
Following these insights, I iterated on the design and validated improvements with seven additional usability tests, which confirmed enhanced user satisfaction and task flow.
First Version
Final Version
User Feedback
"I really enjoy the simplicity of this design. I tend to avoid most mobile filters because they're clunky and unclear. This design makes everything look smooth and clear. I feel like I know what I'm clicking on and what to expect"
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- From a Usability Test Subject (second round of testing)
"I love when products provide a progress bar! It helps me know how long the process will take and I'm much more willing to go along with the it knowing more or less how long it'll take. Especially given the questions are short and to the point which makes the sign up process even easier."
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- From a Usability Test Subject (first round of testing)
Reflection
This project was more than a course assignment, it was an amazing opportunity to design a functional and professional UX system. Designing this app required me to blend structured UX thinking with creative UI exploration and challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and try new and exciting things, including Usability Testing. I have enjoyed this assignment every step of the way and I'm excited for more future challenges.
