Copenhagen Zoo Experience
UI/UX - Game Design - Experience Design
Copenhagen (CPH) Zoologist Experience
The Copenhagen Zoologist Experience is designed to engage and educate visitors about animal conservation in a fun and immersive way. Through interactive gameplay and on-site activities, users can explore the zoo, learn about endangered species, and participate in conservation challenges. By designing the game to be accessed outside of the zoo also can help promote sustained interest past the initial zoo visit.
Context
Case Study
Graphic Design Final
Overview
Background
During my time abroad, my graphic design class challenged us in designing for the Copenhagen Zoo.
Due to Denmark's cold temperatures and limited sunlight for most months, the zoo sees few visitors outside the summer months. As an outdoor facility, it struggles to maintain steady business and popularity throughout the year. The zoo challenged us to help them address this issue.
This experience hopes to encourage interest and learning in the zoo's conservation efforts as well as promote sustained interest in the zoo all seasons of the year.
How might we create an educational experience that encourages visitors to learn about wildlife conservation and become more actively involved the Copenhagen Zoo?
Research
The Copenhagen Zoo Experience
At a glance...
Looking online and at the CPH Zoo website, the zoo seems like a fun and great place for families and children. They have many planned activities for children to come to and fair packages for schools and institutions.
The zoo excels at
Hosting a wide and diverse range of habitats and animals
A good amount of engaging on-site visitor interaction spaces
Promoting their conservation efforts to all customers
But upon closer inspection...
Drab, dreary, and bleak...
Staff Insights
We were lucky enough to be able to speak with a worker and learn about the zoo first hand. After being given basic background information about the zoo and their conservation efforts, we were given some grievances the zoo would like addressed.
He believes the main problems are:
Difficulty in Subject Matter
Kids prefer to be entertained, not educated
Lack of interactivity and engagement
User Interviews
Along with staff insights, I conducted 2 short interviews with families visiting the zoo.
Gemma
Mother of 2 small children
She wants to cultivate a sense of wonder and curiosity in animals and in animal conservation, however she thinks its hard to do so by just bringing her kids to the zoo. She has never brought her kids to any zoo-sponsored events.
"He's (12yr old) not really interested in animals, but still thinks its fun, especially during the feeding times. "
Andrea
Mother of an 8 yr old
She had plenty of time to do activities with her children, but would only visit the zoo up to twice a year. Her kids enjoy going to the zoo because there's a lot to see and they're still young enough to go to the zoo as if they are visiting for the first time.
"It's a nice place, maybe not the best day to visit though... Summer is the best time."
Opportunities
Based on the feedback, I honed in one three approaches to help address the main pain points and hopefully help the zoo with their problems.
Gamification
By using gamification, I can make learning an experience that encourages active participation and a deeper understanding of concepts.
Incentivization
Through incentivization, kids are encouraged to stay engaged and motivated in learning about the zoo's conservation efforts.
Accessibility
By providing resources at home, kids can continue learning about the zoo's animals and conservation efforts beyond their initial visit.
The Design Process
The Experience
It was essential to carefully map out the entire user journey of the Zoologist Program, from the first point of interaction to the final reward, to ensure a smooth, engaging, and rewarding experience for visitors.
Information Architecture
Visual Identity
The Zoologist Program visual identity mimics construction paper art, like what kids create when they’re young, to evoke a sense of playfulness and creativity, aligning with the program's educational and engaging purpose.
Color Palette
The Zoologist Program at the CPH Zoo is an exciting program designed to spark curiosity in kids and foster a deeper appreciation for wildlife and conservation efforts.
Final Designs
The Landing Page and Home
Explore
Games
Live Camera
Q&A
Daily News
Profile
Reflection
Looking back...
This was my first time designing a game-like project, so at times, it was challenging to balance engagement with educational content.
Due to time constraints, I couldn’t fully prototype or design all game interactions so I couldn't take this back to users to test before I left Denmark.
Sustaining engagement with users in one-time experiences, like zoos, is challenging. For me, creating a whole experience system was the best way to address this.
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