Beyond the Parks: Applying Theme Park Design to Everyday Experiences
Schreyer Honors College Thesis
Overview
This thesis, currently in progress, explores the enduring popularity of theme parks—focusing on the Walt Disney World Resort—and how their designers use psychological principles to create satisfying and memorable visitor experiences. Through a design case study, it examines the potential benefits of applying these strategies to enhance everyday commercial brands and experiences.
📌 Key Areas of Exploration
This thesis investigates how theme park design principles can be applied to an outdoor food and vending experience to foster emotional connection and engagement, showcasing their impact on everyday interactions.
Key areas of exploration in this study include:
Emotional Design
Examines how visual elements evoke human responses, including emotions and behaviors, especially in theme park environments
Mickey's 10 Commandments
Analzyes theme park deisgn principles through the lens of psychology and applies them
in a design case study
Audience Research
Defines research-based target users and their expecations through personas and journey mapping
Experiental Development
Considers the development of meaningful, interactive, and immersive guest interactions.
Design Development
Implements intentional, story-driven branding while considering vendor touch points and opportunities for engagement
Everyday Experiences
Analyzes the benefits of applying theme park and psychological design principles to everyday experiences.
This thesis will be available in April 2025––please check back then for the complete design research case study.​