Kids Finally Get a Real Magic Wand at Disney OK it’s not a wand, it’s a wrist band, but it still…

Kids Finally Get a Real Magic Wand at Disney

OK it’s not a wand, it’s a wrist band, but it still feels
magic. Called the MagicBand, it is the central part of Disney’s MyMagic+
system. MyMagic+ is a tool for planning and enhancing guest experiences. It is
built around three technologies: a smartphone app, the FastPass+ system and the
MagicBand. With typical Disney colourful style and stamped with their
ubiquitous Mickey Mouse logo, the band is wearable technology – a bracelet –
that contains a Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tag to uniquely identify each guest
that wears one. RFID is the use of
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Kids Finally Get a Real Magic Wand at Disney

OK it’s not a wand, it’s a wrist band, but it still feels
magic. Called the MagicBand, it is the central part of Disney’s MyMagic+
system. MyMagic+ is a tool for planning and enhancing guest experiences. It is
built around three technologies: a smartphone app, the FastPass+ system and the
MagicBand. With typical Disney colourful style and stamped with their
ubiquitous Mickey Mouse logo, the band is wearable technology – a bracelet –
that contains a Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tag to uniquely identify each guest
that wears one. RFID is the use of radio waves to read and capture information
stored on a tag attached to an object, in this case the magic band. A reader
sends a signal to a band essentially asking ‘who’s there’ and the band then
replies with ‘I am’. Often RFID tags don’t have any power of their own but pick
up power wirelessly from the reader. In fact, this is not the case with the
MagicBand. It has a battery and a powerful antennae, which means it doesn’t
have to be right next to a reader, so readers spaced around the park can tell
where the guest is at any time. This can be used to give each guest a seamless
experience. It can reduce or eliminate all paperwork and guest wallets. To do
this, the MagicBand acts as the guest’s park ticket – wave it in front of the
gate on the way in and the gate opens. It can be linked to a guest’s credit
card so there’s no need to bring a wallet – the band can be used to pay for
food and merchandise. The smartphone app can be used to reserve tables at the
restaurants and even preorder food. Then a reader close to the restaurant door
alerts the maitre d’ and the chef that you are coming – you personally. Staff
will greet you by name, allow you to choose your own table and a few moments
later, if you have pre-ordered, your food arrives – all as if by magic!

The bracelet links to FastPass+, a queue management system.
Visitors can beat a limited number of queues by holding their band near
FastPass+ readers, then come back later in the day (the app will remind them of
times) to go straight to the front of the line. (The app itself also contains
links to FastPass+ and can allow guests to use the system without having to go
to a reader.) Also included is an interactive map that lets guests see where
they are in the park at all times. The app could potentially show guests which
are currently the shortest ride queues, although Disney has not done this yet.
Lastly, the Magic Band also acts as the door key in the Disney hotels. For
visitors, the MagicBand integrates several aspects of being in the park –
dining and FastPass+ – into one paperless devices, full of Disney whimsy. For
Disney, the MagicBand allows for speedier service at rides and restaurants, and
should allow guests to be tracked through the park. This is useful for park
planning and could be used to identify and respond to bottlenecks in real time.
It could also identify areas as opportunities for new content.

Questions

1. Why a bracelet and not a magic wand? How else could the
RFID tag be packaged?

2. What could Disney do with data on how people move around
their parks?

3. What could another organization do with this technology?

4. Why do you think Disney does not identify the current
shortest ride queues on the app? Is there any way they could introduce the
feature, but deal with any objections you have listed?

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