IPAD WEB APP CASE STUDY
Star Wars 'Galactic Starcruiser'
Guest Itinerary Application
OVERVIEW
Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with us to develop a groundbreaking application designed to enhance the experience for both Crew Members and guests aboard the Star Wars-themed Galactic Starcruiser resort.
Walt Disney World is launching a groundbreaking Star Wars-themed resort experience at Hollywood Studios—the Galactic Starcruiser. This fully immersive adventure places guests at the center of the Star Wars universe, where they take part in interactive missions and encounter legendary characters. With dozens of scheduled events and personalized storylines, Crew Members (Disney’s cast members) need intuitive, powerful tools to manage guest experiences, update affiliations, and provide real-time support. I partnered with Walt Disney Imagineering to design and develop a custom application that integrates seamlessly into the Galactic Starcruiser experience—enabling Crew Members to deliver truly personalized and unforgettable adventures for every guest.
ROLE & DETAILS
Lead Product Designer
Cross-Functional Team Collaboration, Wireframing, Design Exploration, Custom Star Wars UI, Documentation
Team
1 Product Designer, 2 Product Owners,
1 Project Manager, 1 Engineer
Timeline
December 2019 – April 2020
Tools
Axure, Sketch, InVision
THE CHALLENGE
"How might we design an application that adapts to evolving user stories, requirements, and designs in tandem with the rapid and dynamic development of a brand-new, world-class Disney resort?"
The challenge was clear: in just a few months, I needed to design, build, and deliver an application shaped by constantly evolving user stories—while also developing a design system that captured the distinct Star Wars aesthetic, all before the resort itself was even built. With goals and priorities shifting regularly, close collaboration with cross-functional teams was critical to staying aligned. At the time, Walt Disney Imagineering did not have a defined process for tackling this kind of fast-paced, adaptive work, so I took the lead in introducing and championing an agile, sprint-based workflow. This approach empowered the team to iterate quickly, respond to changes in real time, and build a scalable solution that could evolve alongside the resort’s development.
WIREFRAMES
After reviewing the initial requirements and user stories, I created a set of wireframes to align cross-functional teams around a clear, shared vision for the product experience.
Creating low-fidelity wireframes early in the process was essential for building momentum. Rather than focusing on layout or visual polish, these wireframes were designed to surface core components and functionality. Their simplicity—deliberately free of color, imagery, or refined visuals—focused the team’s attention on structure and purpose. Filled with open questions and placeholders, they became a collaborative tool that aligned product owners, project managers, engineers, and designers. This approach helped minimize distractions, encourage focused discussion, and clarify requirements before moving into more detailed design work.
DESIGN EXPLORATION
Iterating on the UI design was essential to achieving a polished and effective final product.
I was tasked with creating an entirely new design system from the ground up, and I approached it with deliberate care and attention to detail. Every component and pattern underwent close scrutiny. How should travel party details be grouped for clarity? Would a dropdown or text link offer a smoother way to navigate between itinerary days? A preference slider felt appropriately futuristic, but how could we clearly communicate that it offered only three distinct options—not dozens? I carefully evaluated each design decision, continuously seeking feedback from my internal UX peers to refine the system. Once iterated, I presented the refined concepts to the product team for further approval. It quickly became clear that the system had to do more than echo the Star Wars aesthetic—it needed to support an intuitive user experience worthy of the world it represented.
DESIGN SYSTEM
I aimed to create a design system that would honor the iconic Star Wars brand while seamlessly integrating with a resort still under development.
Drawing inspiration from concept art for the Galactic Starcruiser resort, I designed a UI system that felt both futuristic and grounded in its unique environment. The application was purposefully created in a dark mode palette, evoking the deep, infinite expanse of space. A vivid orange served as the ship’s primary accent color, anchoring the interface in its physical setting, while a bright blue offered high contrast and intuitive usability as a recognizable link color. The typography echoed the sleek, sci-fi design language of the ship, and custom iconography was developed to balance clarity with Star Wars-inspired style. To enhance immersion, I used layered opacity for visual depth and introduced stylized glyphs that added richness to the overall aesthetic.
USER FLOW 1
Rescheduling an event by expanding an event card.
The most compelling design challenge for this application was finding the perfect balance between providing Crew Members with the full functionality they need to perform their roles effectively, while protecting the immersive experience by not revealing too much to guests. For instance, when a guest requests to reschedule an event, Crew Members have the tools to accommodate the change seamlessly. But if a guest is simply seeking information, the app only displays what’s necessary, carefully avoiding unnecessary disclosures. To achieve this, I designed a layered, stepped approach with hidden information that ensured both operational functionality and the preservation of the guest experience worked together harmoniously.
When viewing a guest’s itinerary, a Crew Member can access the event description and a few basic actions with a single click. If that’s all the guest needs, perfect—they remain unaware that rescheduling is even possible. However, if the guest requests a change, the Crew Member can tap an expand icon at the bottom of the card to reveal the rescheduling feature. This layer includes a toggle to switch between days and displays the best available times, enabling quick and efficient event adjustments. If those options don’t suffice, the Crew Member can expand further to access additional rescheduling choices.
USER FLOW 2
Locating a character’s item and allowing a guest to scan it using their own device.
The entire two-night stay aboard the Galactic Starcruiser fully immerses guests in an interactive story that unfolds from check-in to check-out. One of the highlights is meeting and engaging with iconic Star Wars characters. At the end of each encounter, the character wirelessly transfers a special item to the guest’s personal phone—an item that advances their adventure’s storyline. Anticipating possible technology glitches, we designed a robust fallback system to ensure guests still receive their items, even if the wireless transfer encounters issues.
When a guest approaches a Crew Member for assistance with an item, the Crew Member responds using an in-character line like, “Who did you discuss that item with?”—keeping the guest fully immersed in the Star Wars narrative. On the iPad, once the Crew Member finds the relevant character, they can expand that character’s card to view a description, access additional actions, and see the character’s items. By tapping the “Scan” link, a QR code is generated for the guest to quickly and easily scan with their own device.
THE SOLUTION
Designed for an epic journey in a galaxy far, far away.
Launching in Spring 2021 alongside the debut of the Galactic Starcruiser resort at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this application empowers Halcyon Crew Members to deliver an out-of-this-world experience for guests. In close collaboration with Walt Disney Imagineers, I designed a Star Wars-themed app tailored to two unique user personas, featuring 15 screens and over 20 user flows. The result is a seamless tool that elevates the adventures of both guests and Crew Members in a galaxy far, far away.
WHAT I LEARNED
Constant communication and an agile framework—a stellar combination.
I discovered the vital importance of establishing a structured process that supported the entire cross-functional team. Clearly defining timelines, goals, and success metrics was essential to maintaining accountability and keeping the project on track. With requirements and designs evolving daily, I learned that continuous communication, daily scrum meetings, and transparency were key to sustaining momentum. Above all, I realized how exhilarating product design can be when it feels like the sky’s the limit.