Dear Elitch Gardens: 5 ways to improve your experiential brand.

This weekend we headed to Elitch Gardens, an amusement park in downtown Denver.  We aren't really amusement park people, and one of us hadn't been to the 'new' Elitch's before (opened in 1995).  So we had pretty fresh eyes on the experience.

The biggest problem was a lack of partnership, a lack of interest in the experiential brand that every moment represents.

After a day spent - mostly - in line there, we have some ergonomic/design observations:

1.  Take a note from ski resorts, which put 'singles' into a separate line to fill out the lifts.  The Ferris Wheel had long lines because the operators would only put one party in a carriage, regardless of party size.  We live with each other on the lifts and in the lines, we can stand each other for one Ferris Wheel ride.  People who can't should have to wait separately.

2.  Put time indicators on the lines.  One ride had a sign at the 90 minute mark, but nothing else.  Estimates are helpful if people are trying to get to concerts or meeting spots and need to know if they can fit the ride in.

3.  Own the problems.  One ride had several broken cars, so a wait that might have been only 45 minutes was almost 2 hours.  Put up a sign that warns people of this - don't force them to stand in line until they have to leave, and then have them depart with a bad feeling about their experience and your brand.

4.  Be consistent.  There were all these signs up from the American Heart Association about exercise, healthy lifestyles, etc.  but it was impossible to get water at many food vendors.  When it was possible, you were punished for wanting to be healthy by getting half the liquid for the same price.  Let people pay to refill their souvenir bottles with water - what harm could it do you?

5.  Recognize that the whole experience affects your brand.  We came up on the train, and then made the huge mistake of taking the elevator up to the bridge over the tracks.  The only reason to take that elevator was to get to the park.  It was one of the most foul and disgusting public elevators I've ever been in, and that's saying something.  Not inside the park, but beginning our park experience by controlling our gag reflexes - and not in a good, adventure-ride way- was not fun and tainted the whole day.

Let there be light . . . the latest version

I am so happy about the Nokero solar bulb that I can't stop thinking about it.  It is a solar bulb, available as a replacement for the kerosene lamps that so much of world uses.  Those kerosene lamps are expensive, difficult to maintain, a fire hazard, and hard on the environment. 

Like the control of kerosene prices, I'm sure the solar lights will be controlled, and not necessarily by the most altruistic people.  Even the inventor sees the light as a money-making venture, not a charitable one.  But the life-improving potential of this simple design is stupendous.  This is a moment when you have to love design.


Engadget's article

The sugar canister

The best utilitarian designs are at once ubiquitous and invisible.  The sugar decanter is a prime example.  A lot of thought went into it - for cleanliness, unclog-ability, and simplicity of use.  We should take time to celebrate the wonders of these simple designs as well as those that take our breath away. http://bit.ly/9McURo

A dignified patient gown? With a cellphone pocket? Huh.

Hospital gowns with dignity - what a crazy idea! http://bit.ly/ceRTKm

I have learned from my mother that one of the main challenges to recovery in a long hospital stay is the lack of dignity and humanity of the experience.  You are prodded, rolled, poked, talked around, condescended to, belittled, and dismissed.  On top of that, you wear a demeaning gown with an open backend that constantly reminds you about just how low your life has gotten.  Anyone who isn't depressed by all this is either exceptionally strong, oblivious, or medicated.

So I love these new gowns for the NHS - they open on the side, so you aren't as exposed.  They come with a cell phone pocket for easy access to your support network.  And they have a soft fleecy blanket for extra comfort on a sensory level.  


Little design changes like this are comparatively affordable ways to improve outcomes, the end goal of all medical change.

Population Concentration?

http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/neighbourhood.gif
This is one of those ideas that seems so reasonable to someone in NYC, and makes people in Colorado go all twitchy and question 'comfortably.'  As a designer, I like the presentation but the idea catches in my throat.  Though a nation of unpopulated green is a great thought, there is a power in seeing the mountains from my window.  There is a connection to the world as I watch the coyotes play behind my house that I didn't get living in central London.  There is beauty in acres of farmland, held by families with histories and heartaches.  Giving people a little piece of wilderness inspires them to reach out and care for the big pieces they can't see as well.

Barbara Kingsolver, in High Tide in Tuscon, wrote:
Who will love the imperfect lands, the fragments of backyard desert paradise, the creek that runs between farms? In our passion to protect the last remnants of virgin wilderness, shall we surrender everything else in exchange?

Collaborative Art

http://art.othernet.com/index.htm
This is strangely addictive collaborative art.  It's also a testament to abstraction, which can be very emotive and tangible.  There is also something wonderful about the idea that beneath our humanity are these common threads.