With over 22 parks and dozens of activities possible at each, the goal was to help visitors find the right park for whatever they wanted to do that day. The intent was to grant visitors a “Choose Your Own Adventure” digital experience. The attempt was to make the site interactive and immersive. We wanted to build a site that was practical and valuable during the user’s planning stage as well as upon entering the park.
A search tool was put in place that responded to the prompt “I would like to…” and it tells the user the best parks in the district for that activity. If you want to hike, there are parks for that. If you want to fish, there are parks for that too. No matter what outdoor activity you select, the site will automatically guide users to the right destination. Each individual park has a page dedicated to letting people know which activities and amenities are available and even provides geographic coordinates, so park goers can find their way around the old-fashioned way. We created an area on the site called “Ask a Naturalist” where a Geauga naturalist can answer any questions that one submits about a species that they came across in the park that they aren’t quite familiar with. Resources that connect users to a staff naturalist and allow them to select volunteer activities enhance the feeling that they are not only a visitor to the park but are a part of the experience. Merging tech with nature, the Geauga Park District now has a progressive online experience, and it is ready to take visitors on an adventure they’ll never forget.
The site also has a full listing of all upcoming activities and events at each of the parks. There are calendars to find events on specific dates or can be filtered to find specific types of activities one thinks they might enjoy. Once the day is picked that users plan on visiting the park, they can also reserve gazebos and facilities to host their own parties or events.
The park also posts job listings and volunteer opportunities for those who want to become involved. A page for teachers lists the programs that the parks have for students and field trips and even provides a financial assistance link for schools that might have trouble affording the fees associated with the trip.
The website enhances the park-going experience. The interactive design provides a great user experience and makes looking up activities and planning a trip fun for the whole family. Once at the park, it’s easy to find where to go and what to do. The resources that are available make it feel as if users have their own personal park ranger with them at all times. The merger of nature and tech isn’t always a natural fit, but we think we knocked it out of the park this time.
