Mickey's Ten Commandments for the Setting

In yesterday's post the concept of the "setting" at Disney World was introduced. Going a little deeper, vice chairman Marty Sklar gave the following list of setting design principles (from "Be Our Guest" by the Disney Institute).

• Know your audience - before creating a setting, obtain a firm understanding of who will be using it
• Wear your guest's shoes - never forget the human factor; evaluate your setting from the guest's perspective by experiencing it as a guest
• Organize the flow of people and ideas - think of your setting as a story; tell that story in an organized, sequenced way
• Create a visual magnet - a landmark used to orient and attract guests
• Communicate with visual literacy - use the common languages of color, shape, and form to communicate through setting
• Avoid overload - do not bombard guests with information; let them chose the information they want when they want it
• Tell one story at a time - mixing multiple stories in a singe setting is confusing; create one setting for each big idea
• Avoid contradictions - every detail and every setting should support and further your organizational identity and mission
• For every ounce of treatment provide a ton of treat - give your guests the highest value by building an interactive setting that gives them the opportunity to exercise all of their senses
• Keep it up - never get complacent and always maintain your setting

What stories are your settings telling?