Bringing a new land into Universal Studios Florida's park map, from blueprints and IP reviews to boots-on-the-ground wayfinding and a same-day cut-over on opening day.
Role
Project & Product Manager
Client
Universal Destinations & Experiences
Team
UX/UI · Web Development · Mobile Development · Creative · Map Vendor · Marketing · Sales · Legal/IP
Tools
Jira · Workfront · Universal GDS · Adobe Creative Suite
On the map
Leading up to openingRecreated for illustrationOpening day, same-day cut-over.
From the resort to the ride
The resortUniversal Studios Florida, land by landInto DreamWorks LandDown to a single attraction
The same map on desktop, built by a separate web team on the same timeline.
Current Universal Orlando app and website.
From blueprint to opening day
1
Kickoff
strategy session across the land's full digital footprint
2
Blueprints & scale
schematics from architects, planners, construction
3Constraint
Static map + IP review
3 rounds, live reviews, animation demo
4
Wayfinding & live data
GDS callouts, wait times built like every other land
5Constraint
Park walk
team walked the land and marked up the map
6
Launch
same-day cut-over, 50% → 100% by day 2
Project scope
DreamWorks Land replaced an existing area of Universal Studios Florida, and I managed its digital footprint: the landing page, dedicated site content, sales, print, and in-park needs, and the piece this page covers, getting the new land onto the park map. Over about six months, I led UX/UI, separate web and mobile development teams, Creative, the map vendor, Marketing, and Sales, with Legal reviewing for IP at every phase. The map had to match the existing park map's style, include every ride, restaurant, shop, and restroom in the land, and scale correctly so guests could find them from anywhere in the park. We built the static map first, got it approved, and released it for landing pages, in-park signage, sales, and marketing, then layered on wayfinding and the animated experience. Until opening day, the old area sat behind a "Coming Soon" block, and we cut over to the new land the same day it opened.
How I approached it
Kicked off with a strategy session covering every piece of the land's digital footprint, so map, site, sales, and in-park work moved on one plan
Hired the vendor who built the existing park map, keeping the new land consistent with every other land guests already knew
Worked with Universal's architects, planners, and construction teams to gather schematics and blueprints, so 3-D renderings were built to the correct scale
Built the static map first and released it for landing pages, in-park use, sales materials, and marketing sites before adding wayfinding
Used Global Design System components and iconography for attraction callouts, and built wait times and other live components with Dev the same way as every other land
Built a small animation demo for IP review, and moved to live review sessions when IP required three rounds instead of the two we recommended
Walked the park with the team and marked up the map by hand when blueprint-to-build differences shifted attraction positions
Kept the separate web and mobile development teams aligned on edits and deployment timing, so both versions of the map launched together
Planned launch-day bug watch into the deployment, with Dev ready for off-cycle code pushes, and throttled desktop to 50% of guests before opening to 100% on day 2
What made it hard
IP review
Three rounds instead of two. Live reviews and an animation demo kept revisions moving.
Blueprints vs. renderings
Small differences between plans and the build meant repositioning on the map, inside a fixed opening date.
Wayfinding accuracy
We walked the land and marked up the map so every attraction sat where guests would find it.
On the map, on the ground
The mapSame spotThe land
Paths, shops, and food, all mappedShows and landmarks guests navigate by
Photos from my walkthrough of the land.
Same day
Cut-over from "Coming Soon" to the live land on opening day
50% → 100%
Phased desktop rollout, full audience by day 2
7 teams
Plus Legal/IP, aligned from blueprint to launch
Released on desktop and mobile with launch-day fixes shipped off-cycle.