Read more about Joe’s views on experiential design in his book Magic Moments: How to Intentionally Engineer Transformative Experiences. Available on Amazon.
QUOTES
“Understanding the human condition, I think, is number one. We hear, we smell, we see, we think. And then, just as we move through the world, how different lighting, spaces, colors, sound and smells affect us.” (Joe)
“Walt had one foot in the past and one foot in the future. That foot in the past was always about understanding the human condition and understanding those things that never change, who we are as human beings and what connects us as human beings.” (Joe)
“One of the commonalities with all of them is that sense of community, that they all feel like they belong to something bigger than them.” (Joe)
“When you think about designing for the oldest person and the youngest person, you’re going to create good design because it’s going to be design that considers both physical limitations and capabilities and how people understand it and interact with design.” (Joe)
“I believe simple design is elegant design.” (Joe)
“For me, bad design is when you haven’t done the hard work of understanding how your audience, your guest, your user is really going to engage this, what they’re coming with, what you have to provide them with.” (Joe)
“I am a huge advocate of human-centered design. And that means getting more human touch points into the experience from the very start.” (Joe)
“I don’t want to lose, and I try not to lose, my sense of curiosity.” (Joe)
“I want to take the time to be able to dive a little deeper, to slow down, to notice the wonder again in the world. When we’re little children, the world is filled with wonder. And then as we become older and older and all the responsibilities and everything comes, the world becomes less wonderful.” (Joe)
“I never chose to be a creative. It wasn’t a choice, really. As far back as I can remember, I loved to draw and build things and dream and come up with stories, and it’s just a part of who I am.” (Joe)
“Take a walk in the woods. Go to the opera. Read a great book. The world is filled with so much wonder. Age shouldn’t play into your ability to tap into that.” (Joe)
“Trust the process. No man is an island. We always are working with somebody else on some level. Allow the process to flow. All of us is better than one of us.” (Joe)
NOTES
Joe Lanzisero is a former Disney Imagineer who spent more than three decades creating immersive, story-driven experiences for Disney parks, cruise ships, hotels and other destinations. His work centers on human-centered design, storytelling and creating environments that build meaningful emotional connections with people.
Today, Lanzisero applies the principles he developed at Disney to a broader range of industries and experiences, including healthcare. He also co-authored Magical Moments, a book exploring how human-centered design and storytelling principles can be used to intentionally create transformative experiences in business and everyday life.
Lanzisero was part of what Disney Imagineers called the “handoff generation,” learning from people who had worked directly with Walt Disney. His career included designing Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland, helping develop Disney’s early cruise experiences and working internationally in Japan, China and Europe.
Great design begins with understanding the human condition and recognizing how lighting, color, sound, smell, space and other sensory elements influence how people feel and experience an environment.
Disney taught Lanzisero to use story as a foundation for design. Even when an experience wasn’t based on a familiar character or intellectual property, his teams developed a backstory that served as a shared creative framework and helped ensure every element supported the same emotional experience.
Universal design asks designers to consider people at both ends of the age spectrum. Designing something that works well for the youngest and oldest users often results in a simpler, more accessible and more elegant experience for everyone.
Bad design often results from assuming users have the same knowledge, expectations or understanding as the designer. Lanzisero believes designers need to understand what people bring to an experience, establish a simple and intuitive foundation, then layer in additional depth for those who want it.
Healthcare environments can reduce anxiety through relatively simple design choices. Adjusting lighting, managing the soundscape and thoughtfully using music can soften an environment while still meeting the functional and safety requirements of a medical setting.
Technology should support human-centered experiences rather than remove the human element from them. In healthcare especially, Lanzisero believes people want to feel heard, understood and cared for from the very beginning of their journey.
As he ages, Lanzisero wants to preserve his curiosity and rediscover the sense of wonder people naturally experience as children. Having more control over his time allows him to travel, learn, sketch and slow down enough to engage more deeply with the world around him.
Creativity has never felt like a career choice to Lanzisero. Drawing, building, dreaming and telling stories have always been part of who he is, and this stage of his life gives him the freedom to explore creativity with fewer deadlines and business constraints.
Lanzisero’s advice to his younger self would be to trust the process. Creative work is collaborative, and learning to ease off, listen to others and allow ideas to unfold can produce richer results than trying to control everything yourself.
