L.A. Live Visitor Study
Providing a customer’s-eye view of a busy entertainment destination to its corporate sponsor.
The Challenge
Understand the current state of the visitor experience at an entertainment campus in downtown LA. Develop a strategic proposal to identify how digital design could address long-term improvements, as well as establish some quick wins.
My Role
I was the project lead for the study and conceptualization effort, both organizing and conducting research in the field, and facilitating design brainstorming back at the studio.This project was both an ethnographic field study and a conceptualization exercise to imagine the possibilities of the space. The goal was a smart campus that showcased Microsoft’s perspective. We walked the client through the process of sorting out current problems, to a vision of a digitally-amplified destination.
The trip spanned two in-depth field visits and additional desk research. Over two extended weekend visits, we interviewed visitors and staff, conducted surveys, and documented the space through video and photography. We observed and recorded quality control incidents, such as confusing signage or disorganized operations. In concluding the field research, we presented an organized matrix of these problems, along with solutions that would maintain a high volume of visitors while elevating the experience for each visitor.
We explored ways to use the brand equities of Microsoft as a lever to help users in the space. Microsoft's strengths in high-tech and enterprise software fed into a useful narrative of enabling a smart, connected entertainment campus.
Before visiting, we were warned that the site was chaotic. When we arrived, we observed several businesses scrambling to make their individual spaces work for their visitors, while leaving the common space a tangled web of lights, signage, and furniture that competed for attention. It was gratifying to prove the need for a design intervention to make the site usable for people.
This project was a bespoke deep-dive research and ideation effort. Beyond presentation some early prototyping of feasible concepts, we didn’t implement any concepts after the engagement wrapped. Microsoft did extend its naming rights and still is involved in elevating the downtown LA environment.