Learning Experience Design: Using Disney Theme Parks as a Model for Narrative Learning Environments

Instructional design is a design discipline that bridges science and arts-based practices. It has a long history of borrowing from various fields of design. Experience Design (XD) is a relatively new field that holds relevance for instructional design because, as a multidisciplinary approach, XD focuses on creating meaningful user experiences and places great value on user satisfaction. While learner needs have long been a central focus of traditional instructional design, learner satisfaction is often not a priority. Therefore, instructional designers need to look to various experience design models. Walt Disney, often heralded as the first experience designer, provides a compelling model for the design of immersive experiences. Disney theme parks are rich narrative environments that provide engaging and immersive experiences. The purpose of this paper is to explore how Disney's theme parks can provide insight and models for the design of rich learning experiences and to present a design heuristic for learning experience design based on Disney design elements.