Design Thinking Scenarios

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School

Western Governors University *

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Course

D428

Subject

Geography

Date

Jan 9, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

1

Uploaded by ElderRiver10416

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Scenario 1: Building a New Ride SmokyWoods Amusement Park is a large, regional theme park situated in the mountains approximately 30 minutes from a major interstate highway. The amusement park would like to build a new, large roller coaster, but it has a limited budget and an attendance base which is composed primarily of families with younger children. The budget would only allow for the building of one large roller coaster. However, if a roller coaster is not built, the budget would allow for the building of multiple smaller rides meant for families. A new roller coaster would expand the park’s attendance base by bringing in people looking for more thrilling rides, but it risks alienating the park’s current attendance base of families. The design team has received mixed feedback from park attendees regarding which type of ride they would like to see added to the park. Some attendees have stated that they will not return to the park since it lacks thrill rides, while others have stated that they prefer the park’s quaint atmosphere, which is directed more towards families. There is also concern about how a roller coaster will look in the park. Space in the park is limited, requiring the roller coaster to wind throughout park. Limited space is also an issue for the building of multiple smaller rides, which may require the removal of existing rides to provide enough space for the new rides. The design team must consider many factors as they choose the rides(s) that will be built. First, they must consider the cost of building and maintaining each ride. Roller coasters have high costs to build and operate, but they have the potential to increase attendance and revenue to cover increased operating costs. Multiple smaller rides may be cheaper to build, but they may be less likely to increase attendance to cover their operating costs. Second, the design team must consider the materials which will be used for each ride. Supply shortages of steel and other technological components have the potential to increase costs and delay completion beyond the intended timeframe. Finally, the design team must consider how the new ride(s) will be perceived by potential guests. The team could attempt to attract new guests with the construction of a roller coaster, or they could provide additional, less-thrilling rides to cater to their existing guests. Scenario 2: Balancing Interests SmokyWoods Amusement Park is a large regional theme park nestled in the mountains. The park was recognized as the fastest growing theme park in the country 10 years ago with rides based on major pop music icons. The theme park quickly became a destination for social media influencers and fans alike, as these stars were known to make surprise visits to the parks or perform concerts there "unannounced." It was a win-win partnership that promoted fan merchandise royalties and increased popularity for the pop stars while also growing attendance numbers and profits for SmokyWoods. Like many other theme parks, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the park to temporarily cease operations and retool significantly before reopening with new policies and facilities to ensure proper social distancing and touchless payments. But while most amusement parks have regained much of their attendance after fully reopening, SmokyWoods' location and specific pop music icon theme of the park has led to only a modest increase in attendance growth in the last year. Attendance projections for the upcoming season are still almost 25% less than pre-pandemic levels. To help strengthen the park’s financial position due to low attendance, SmokyWoods entered into multiple sponsorship agreements with national and local businesses. However, there is speculation that the park's heavy use of sponsorships has strained its relationships with the pop stars that the park promotes. This has put both the interests of the park and the pop stars in an awkward position. Several big-name stars have requested that their branded merchandise and namesake be removed from SmokyWoods, with many stars refusing to perform again in the park until their requests have been met.
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