Hersheypark App

I was the lead user experience designer on a full redesign of the Hersheypark® app, responsible for conducting in-depth UX Research, establishing design direction, and creating a seamless integration of the amusement park's new digital band feature.

The Problem

The Hersheypark app was outdated, confusing, and had an overall poor user experience that did not reflect the amusement park's brand or true lively identity.

The Ask

Create an elevated digital experience that outshines competitors and unveils Hersheypark's new modern rebranding and $150 million expansion project.

Responsibilities

UX Assessment

UX / UI

User Interviews

Prototyping

Experience Strategy

User Testing

Team

Paula Moniz, Senior Strategist,

Ben Cannon, Creative Director

The Hershey Company In-house creative team

UX Assessment

We started by taking an in-depth look at the current Hersheypark app and evaluated it against top in-market apps and out-of-market brands that blend in-person and digital experience seamlessly to inform our content strategy.

Overall App Insights

We surveyed 800+ park visitors about their in-park and app-related experiences and conducted focus groups with season pass holders.

User Feedback

40% of users mentioned map frustrations
Key information is missing / hard to get to
Features failed to work
Menu needs simplification
Inaccurate Map
Accessibility issues
Section Overview

Upgraded Map

HPGO Band

New Menu

Wireframes

UX Assessment

Upgraded Map and Filters

We partnered with a local Hershey, PA illustrator to design a new and improved map, while simultaneously customizing the park's Google Map features to allow for a seamless GPS transition.

New Map Features

Map and List view toggle option 
Sticky slider menu with popular filter tabs
Easy on/off option provides map clarity
Pins display details, like live wait times, ride heights, allergen menus, etc.
Pin cards feature a Bookmark and GPS option

Plan My Trip

A key takeaway during our user research was parents struggling to plan park itineraries and keeping track of their kids while in the park. To help alleviate these issues we created a My Lists feature.

Create curated Lists
Mark sites as visited
Organize lists by categories
(i.e. Dairy-free Foods, Kid-Friendly Rides, etc)
Share list with group (future additon)

HPGO BAND

To enhance the visitor's experience while in the park we introduced a new personalization feature that allows users to view ride stats, photos and connect a Fast Track Pass.

Ride Stats
Collect race times and track scores
Ride Photos
View and share in-Park photos
Dashboard
Share Leaderboard with group
Fast Track
Connect fast track pass to skip the line

New Menu Bar
& Homepage

We distilled the original overwhelmingly long side panel navigation down to 5 main menu tabs: Home, Map, HOGO, Hours, and More for Miscellaneous topics (Messages, Alerts, FAQ, etc).

Conducted high fidelity wireframe user testing
Changed home screen designs 2-3x
Share list with group (future additon)

Map Wireframe - Ride Flow

UX & Competitive Assessment

We kicked off the project by doing a deep dive into the competition, both amusement parks and brands offering wearable technology experiences (i.e. cruises, fitness classes, etc). Along with the research, we dissected the old Hershey park app and highlighted what works and what could be improved.

Overall Results

The new and improved app has received rave reviews and has a rating of 4.7 stars on both ios and google app store. Users now have a working, up-to-date map that offers navigation and live ride wait times. The new HPGO band features have increased season pass ticket holders, leading to new perk upgrades.