What Disney’s MagicBand is Missing
A proposal to make the magic more personal
When Disney announced the MagicBand in January 2013, they outlined goals for a piece of tech that they claim would enhance and simplify the experience for park and resort guests.
Although few companies can successfully force mass adoption of a new product or service, what Disney has created with the MagicBand will most likely cause an eventual mindset where people look back and joke about a time when they had to use credit card-like park tickets, or stand in line for a paper line skipping pass.
Of course, the MagicBand has its critics, with reasons like privacy and overt commercialism at the top of the list. An article by Ian Bogost addresses some of those points, but the standards for privacy will keep adjusting as technology changes so this article won’t get into that debate. Disney is in a unique position to make data logging and user tracking seem fun (to the extent it means you get to ride Splash Mountain sooner, or meet Mickey before your dinner reservation). The experience outweighs most people’s concerns.
Ask most anyone that has been to a Disney park and you’re likely to get an earful on their favorite experiences and best memories. Many adults remember going as a kid and, now as parents, hope their kids will develop their own fond memories. It’s that aspect of a trip to Disney that the MagicBand should address. Nostalgia is a powerful feeling and Disney knows this already. That’s partly why some things in a Disney Park look the same as they did 30 years ago. People can return time and time again and have a similar experience to the one they remember from past visits.
While the MagicBand is positioned to use technology to bring “the future” to a Disney experience, it also has the opportunity to commemorate that experience and make the memories even greater.
Maybe 30 years from now, a grandparent can share a digital retelling of his first Disney experience with his grandchild, thanks to the MagicBand. The technology already exists inside the device, so Disney most likely wouldn’t have to modify anything to make this a reality.
The blog AtDisneyAgain posted a teardown of the MagicBand and showed the hardware essentially consists of a RFID chip, long-range antenna and battery. All of these components are gathering and logging data on each of the MagicBand wearers, even if only anonymously as Disney currently claims. As an example, the long-range antenna can provide GPS-like location tracking of the wearer within Disney property. While that’s nice for allowing a server to deliver a food order easily or helping a cast member reunite a parent with their lost child, perhaps more people could benefit from the data they are creating with the MagicBand.
Why not give the collected data a second purpose and provide the guest with a nicely cataloged digital keepsake? A Disney Digital Diary.
At a base level, the Disney Digital Diary would chart the path of a guest’s journey through the park, show attractions visited, and even tie in purchases made using the MagicBand such as souvenirs or a delicious dining experience. All of these things combine to create a storyline that is unique to each guest. This storyline would be customizable with additional notes and other things the guest chooses to add. The technology supplies where the guest was, but the guest is able to contribute why they were there.
Disney also offers the PhotoPass service, where guests can have their picture taken by an in park photographer, then purchase the photo(s). These same photos could be made available to the Digital Diary as well. Beyond that, the guests could also post their own personal photos and videos. These would automatically be organized into the storyline because of the timecode already integrated into each photo or video file. To round out the visuals, Disney could also offer stock photos and videos of key attractions and shows for a guest to incorporate into their story.
Disney’s guidelines for the guest experience would help define where the Digital Diary would best be utilized. Disney already has ‘My Disney Experience’ which exists as a mobile app and a section on DisneyWorld.com. It allows a user to do things like plan itineraries/activities, check wait times and reserve FastPasses. While the app and website tie in nicely with the MagicBand, the features only benefit the user within a certain window of time, which is typically before and during their visit to Disney. That’s useful for planning, but becomes somewhat obsolete after the visit has ended. Maybe the Digital Diary could breathe extended life into My Disney Experience as users return to view their customized stories.
However it is implemented, the Disney Digital Diary would be a great addition to how guests interact with Disney and the MagicBand. Although this feature does add to the commercialism aspect, the core focus should be on the added benefit of allowing a guest to create and personalize a story of their visit to Disney. Technology will always change, but it’s the memories that will last. And helping to tell stories and preserve memories is one of the roles technology should play in our lives.
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I’m a UX/UI designer that designs digital products. I want to work with Disney on implementing this idea. If you can help me do that, or you would like to get in touch for another reason, email me at ‘contact[at]saycreative[dot]com’.
The statements and opinions in this article are my own and do not represent those of Disney or its affiliated properties. Disney, MagicBand, PhotoPass and other registered trademarks are property of the Walt Disney Company.
Cover photo credit: Allen Castillo (via Flickr)
