Universal Studios
The first project I worked on was with Universal Studios Creative. Universal Studios presented our class with a topic, and groups were formed to create new and innovative guest experiences based on that topic. Due to non-disclosure agreements, I am unable to discuss the specifics of the projects and the designs we created, but I obtained many skills and gained experience working in a professional, competitive, fast-paced environment.
Over the course of this project we overcame many challenges, including our client changing requirements three quarters of the way through the semester, communication challenges between artists and engineers, and creating designs that considered a number of regulations with which we were unfamiliar. We conducted research on safety regulations, crowd movement dynamics, and how to construct buildings and fixtures that could withstand extreme weather. One of my main tasks on this project was researching theme parks and crowds in order to optimize guest throughput, as Universal Studios puts heavy emphasis on minimizing wait times while maximizing guest experiences. Overall, the experience was incredibly positive. I was able to work with a diverse group of people, meet deadlines and constraints set by a client, and see how the things I learned in the classroom could be applied to new and interesting fields.
The skills I learned in the Universal Studios project proved to be invaluable in future courses and projects. This project had little structure from the instructors, so we had to make our own project timelines with deadlines given to us by the clients. I learned the importance of taking initiative in these situations in order to ensure that all team members had tasks to complete and deadlines to complete them by. Being able to create self-paced schedules for myself and my team has been useful for these Advanced Design Lab projects, both research projects, and any other course with large scale projects. Another skill I learned that I have been able to use countless times is how to find solutions to problems. Problem solving has been a very valuable skill to learn, whether that includes searching online, calling an industry specialist, or even finding a classmate with some experience. From web searching errors in Excel spreadsheets to contacting foreign government agencies, I’ve gained the confidence necessary to ask the right questions in any situation.