Product tour lessons from Disneyland | What keeps you asking for more?

The experience of Disneyland is always an awe-inspiring one. No matter how many miles you have walked, you are always up for another Pirates of the Caribbean adventure or Space Mountain ride for the last time before you leave. No wonder Disneyland has become the epitome of mass engagement. Your product tour can also leave a similar impression on user if done the right way. Of course, we are not suggesting to go about building theme parks, that’s not a practical advice. But we can draw lessons from Disney’s ‘Happiest place on earth’ when designing product tours.

Ensure a shortest possible journey to the ‘aha moment’

A picture of Mickey Mouse and — Image Credits: Peter Lee

The ‘magical’ moment when the user realizes your product’s value is often expressed as ‘Wow’ or ‘Aha’ moment. Early realization of the ‘Wow’ factor of your product gets user’s undivided attention. All because you valued their time and have aligned your product tour to their requirements.

Leverage small details for superior user experience

You don’t have to hold on to your trash for long when roaming on Disneyland’s streets. There is a trash can present at every 30 steps. The reason being, visitors tend to discard their trash before that, as observed by Walt Disney. Thoughtful details like these make for a great user experience. Some of the ‘trash can’ examples in product tours are:

Option to pause and resume tutorials
Option to exit a feature preview
Positioning hotspots for minimal distraction
Progress bars to be present

Use multiple channels of engagement

Picture of Fireworks at Disneyland castle

No one gets bored in Disneyland. The reason being that there is something for every visitor. The key is to keep the users engaged. Increase user-engagement by introducing ‘meet and greet’ for new features, options for personalized interactions via in-product messaging, or a short product video. Keep the options open for your users as well. Let them decide how and when they want to know more about your product.

Pitch your tutorial with a story

Statue of Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse in Disneyland

Stories have the element of emotion embedded in them. And emotions are the golden path of connecting with your users. Tell your growth story through a short video, or highlight common problems that your product solves. Usage of visuals will evoke emotion and tug the user to explore more of your product, just like you’re drawn to the emotional element of Disney movies even though the whole premise is CGI.

Maintain a theme and brand image throughout

The areas in Disneyland, all have their own thematic music, characters, and pavement designs. Your product tour should also be consistent with your app and website theme. Consistent theming will help in easy recognition of your product in crowded market. Core values highlighted in your tour will set the precedence for building your brand. We know it can be a daunting task to get users to interact with your products, the way you want them to. Let the product tour highlight the fundamentals of your product and leave the rest for your user to discover on their own. Just as we love to explore Disneyland by our own preference and pace. We actively work on aligning these principles with our client requirements to design unique and high yielding user experiences. Get in touch with us here if you’re looking to design an engaging experience for your product.