The Woodland Park Zoo companion is an app proposal to provide an enhanced zoo experience. The primary goal of this application is to aid visitors in plotting their journey through the property and providing in-depth interactive education focused on the animals and locations on exhibit.

The approach to the application design was to create a visually rich interface that is easy to navigate and interact with at any age. Using large, high-quality imagery throughout the application my secondary goal was to create an emotional connection to the wildlife found on the zoo’s grounds. Breaking the content up into 2 easy to understand navigation paths of finding information by either geo-location or species the application wouldn’t only focus on the animals at the zoo, but also make heros of the environment and locations.

The goal of this design approach was to demonstrate that designing for Windows 8 does not have to be restricted to the square and rectangular based grid, but could rather be organic and explorative. Elements such as the large image mask illude to additional content while showcasing the approach that each section can have a unique layout appropriate for the content.

The long term vision of this experience would be to enhance the experience with more robust way finding features, personalization, and immersive interactive activities. In addition to enhanced features, it is my goal to create a scalable framework with easy to use CMS system to allow any zoo to implement a digital presence and ultimately replace or suppliment the physical information plaques found in zoos worldwide.