The PlaylandIA Portal Experience
Kidlandia began as an online map-making playlandia portal where kids and parents (aka creators) could interact with, edit, add or delete pre-placed assets on pre-designed starter maps. The creators had a plethora of pre-designed maps to choose from popular partner logos (Disney, Pixar, Marvel, etc...) before beginning their playlandia experience.
The above imagery captures situational scenarios where Kidlandia's Playlandia portal exists.
My role
My role was as UX/UI Design/Creative Director consultant where I:
- Helped extend the established UX with the base map design that users began with;
- Managed the workload of 6-10 independent and agency-affiliated freelance artists (illustrators and graphic designers) who created the base map;
- Liaised with contracted partner logos such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lego, Nickelodeon ... and curated appropriate assets users would interact with on the starter base map;
- Arranged the curated assets to create a beautiful design worthy to be printed as is as the starter base map that a user interacted with;
- Maintained the playlandia asset library;
- Updated the portal UX and the product CPX (customer purchasing experience) based on focus groups and customer feedback.
The Playlandia Portal UX Specifics
The Users
The play portal had three age groups it catered to: Kids (ages 8-12), Teens (13-18), and Adults (ages 20+). The portal was simple and fun for kids to play with little to no supervision, yet, easy and interesting enough for teens and adults to enjoy themselves.
The Journey
The user base was pretty established when I began at Kidlandia. My role was to provide a better journey and ease of use experience maintaining current customer satisfaction while developing new customer happiness.
The Portal
The Playlandia portal was accessible through the main website by way of a creator selecting a product.
Selecting a product launched the Playlandia portal which consisted of a full screen starter base map that had a narrow work bar — a slim, simple, vertical navigable form — located on the right side or the left side (initial-state) depending on the creator's dominate hand.
Creators would complete several input fields with text which would update in specified areas on the starter base map.
Next the creator could open the play drawers to add (via drag and drop) new assets to the map or the creators could edit existing assets already placed by clicking on each.
Each asset had a bounding box of adjustable nodes when clicked on.
Once the creator was finished with their masterpiece, they would add it to their shopping cart and proceed to checkout.
At checkout their creation was on its way to becoming a hangable piece of canvas wall art or a high-quality print poster.
The print on demand aspect is what set Kidlandia apart from other online play portals.
Kidlandia eventually pivoted away from printable products delivered to the creators home and steered more toward the gamification of their core IP, the Kreechurs.
Kidlandia became a very fun, very kid-friendly interactive play portal where kids learned more about the Kreechurs and interacted with them through games and toys.
The Kreechurs had a brief existence as a plush toys found only at FAO Schwartz that contained a special code to use when in the interactive play portal.
The PrinteD Product
Below are a series of photos showcasing the end product as piece of hangable canvas printed art or as a high-quality photo print generated by users from within the playlandia portal.
