Getting Ourselves Out of the Way

Designers bring talent, vision, and passion to their work—but they also bring assumptions. In theme park master planning, our expertise can unintentionally overshadow the people we’re designing for. The result? Environments that work beautifully on paper, but don’t feel intuitive, inclusive, or welcoming in practice.

To design better experiences, we need to get out of our own way. That means recognizing bias, embracing humility, and centering the guest—not the designer—in every decision.

1. Bias in Attraction Planning

Bias isn’t always obvious. It shows up in layout that assumes mobility, signage that assumes language fluency, or storylines that center one cultural lens.

Even well-meaning teams can default to what feels “normal” based on their own lived experiences. Recognizing this is step one. Planning must become an act of unlearning.

2. Inclusive Master Planning

True inclusion starts at the foundation. It’s not an add-on or a checklist. It’s baked into circulation paths, sightlines, comfort zones, and story choices.

Inclusive master planning asks: Who are we not seeing? Who can’t access this moment? Whose story are we leaving out? And how can we widen the circle?

3. Empathy-Driven Park Design

Empathy isn’t soft. It’s strategic. It pushes teams to design for emotion, not just function. It turns edge cases into core cases.

Empathy-driven design considers fear, fatigue, language barriers, cultural dissonance, and sensory preferences. It creates parks that feel emotionally safe, not just visually stunning.

4. Removing Expert Bias in Planning

Expertise is powerful, but it can blind us to what beginners feel. Designers may assume clarity where there’s confusion. Or celebrate innovation that overwhelms.

Getting out of the way means testing assumptions early. Walking the space like a guest. Asking the dumb questions. And accepting feedback that challenges our ego.

5. Designing for Non-Experts

Most guests aren’t architects, engineers, or storytellers. They don’t speak “design.” They trust instinct, signage, crowd behavior, and emotional cues.

Designing for non-experts means building clarity into every path, decision point, and interaction. Guests shouldn’t need a map or explanation to feel smart, welcome, and oriented.

6. Co-Creative Planning for Parks

Great experiences aren’t just built for people—they’re built with them. Co-creative planning includes guest voices early: through prototyping, focus groups, and community partnerships.

When real users help shape design, the results are more honest, surprising, and resonant. Co-creation invites participation. And that builds loyalty.

7. Theme Park User Diversity

Your guests are not a monolith. They include neurodiverse visitors, multilingual families, elders with mobility differences, and guests from every background.

User diversity is not a challenge. It’s an opportunity. Designing with this in mind expands the emotional range and accessibility of every space.

8. Listening to the Audience

Good planners don’t just talk. They listen. To surveys, to staff, to social posts, to guest behavior. They collect stories and spot patterns.

Feedback isn’t a threat to design—it’s fuel for refinement. Active listening reveals blind spots and unlocks small changes with big impact.

9. Authentic Experience Planning

Authenticity doesn’t come from theming. It comes from truth. Design grounded in real stories, cultural nuance, and community consultation resonates deeper.

This means building from lived experience, not just inspiration decks. It means reflecting, not reducing. And letting authenticity guide aesthetic, not the other way around.

10. Park Design for All Guests

The goal isn’t lowest-common-denominator design. It’s layered, multi-path, emotionally flexible design. Spaces that adapt to different needs, but still feel cohesive.

Design for all guests doesn’t mean bland. It means generous. Curious. Empathetic. And brave enough to build beyond what’s worked before.