A park-based service design experience that helps kids and families engage with urban wildlife conservation at Horner Park through interactive signage, mascots, and a collectible activity passport.
Highlights
My Role: Physical UX • Service Design • Field Research (Collaborated in a 4-person team)
The Core Challenge: Evolving a one-time cleanup event into a sustainable, park-wide passport adventure and translating broad team brainstorming into a clear, engaging experience for kids.
Tools & Methods: Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Physical Prototyping (Foam Core), Expert Interviews (Shedd Aquarium, Urban Rivers), Observational Field Research, Service Design
The Problem & Project Impact
Local Chicago urban life is facing severe, negative health impacts due to widespread trash and litter in community green spaces.
Goal
- Use the natural curiosity and deep empathy kids have for animals to teach them why protecting local ecosystems matters.
- Replace boring lectures with a self-guided “park-as-a-zoo” passport adventure where kids actively hunt for local urban animals and collect mascot stamps.
- Encourage families to get out of the house and physically explore local parks, transforming the way people coexist with urban city animals.
Research Methods
We conducted field research by auditing signage at Horner Park and interviewing environmentalists from Urban Rivers, Shedd Aquarium, and local cleanup organizers. Our goal was to learn how to communicate the importance of urban wildlife to both kids and adults, encouraging peaceful coexistence with local ecosystems.
To understand how families engage with urban nature, we conducted multi-layered field research:
Observational Research
Audited current signage at Horner Park and participated in a community cleanup with my little brother to observe how kids naturally interact with nature and what keeps them engaged.
Environmentalist Interviews
Interviewed organizers and experts at Cleanup Club Chicago, Urban Rivers, and Shedd Aquarium to understand how litter affects local urban wildlife and how experts communicate conservation to the public.
Article Research & Inspiration
Analyzed environmental articles and real-world conservation campaigns to see how successful initiatives build awareness and encourage action.
The Design Pivot: Non-Linear Navigation
We originally planned a storytelling scavenger hunt where a specific path of signs would guide families through the park. But when we looked closer at Horner Park, we hit a major roadblock: the park has four different entrances! If a family started at entrance three, our entire story would be completely out of order and make zero sense.
Throughout constant creative workshops to test our designs, we decided to create a passport and signage to get the full experience!
The Final Service Solution
Since standard park cleanups won’t keep kids engaged for long, we turned it into an open-world experience. We created a quick Google request form so families can easily grab cleanup supplies whenever they want. Then, kids use a physical park passport to read facts, track their progress by collecting stamps at mascot signage stations throughout the park.
Team Dynamics & Lessons Learned
The Challenge – Breaking Out of Idea Fatigue:
With the four of us throwing out ideas, it was honestly difficult to decide which path to take. We had all these great concepts but lacked a single clear focus, which left us stuck going in circles by creating design templates and re-editing them over and over without making real progress. We needed to step back and focus on our core goal: creating an engaging way for children to learn about urban wildlife.
Pivot Point – The “Park as a Zoo” Concept:
Everything clicked when we sat down together and re-aligned on keeping kids genuinely engaged. A teammate brought up how kids are always looking for animals in the park, which led to our lightbulb moment: treating the park like a zoo experience! This led us to the “Park as a Zoo” concept, where we transformed a traditional park visit into an interactive discovery experience using mascots, signage, and activity passports.
Future Iterations – Improving Activity Accessibility Through Testing:
Early testing helped us identify areas where the passport interaction, especially the stamp-rubbing mechanic, could be clearer for younger users. If we had more time, I would’ve done more testing with children and families at Horner Park to refine instructions, improve accessibility, and ensure the activity feels fund across different age groups.