Guest satisfaction soars as Six Flags' maps lead exit survey ratings

Building a navigation experience worthy of Six Flags

The digital team at Six Flags needed interactive maps that did more than display directions. They needed beautifully illustrated designs that captured the atmosphere and personality of each location, offered precise turn-by-turn guidance and scaled easily across their entire portfolio.

“Guests rely on our wayfinding. In our parks, you can’t always look at the map, find a big landmark and head straight over. People need turn-by-turn directions that guide them to their next adventure.”

‍ Jim Denny, VP of Digital at Six Flags

With a new custom mobile app already underway, the team had two choices: build their own mapping engine from scratch or find an off-the-shelf solution with enterprise capability. They turned to Attractions.io to explore the MapLayr SDK. From there the decision was straightforward.

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Locations using MapLayr across the Six Flags portfolio

Native

Integration into their custom app environment

“Overall, I have been amazed at how well the MapLayr team captured the essence of our parks and how accurate the maps are. When we have changes or new rides, and I send over the plans, everything is perfectly positioned, and the wayfinding delivers you to the precise point you need.”

Jim Denny,
‍VP of Digital at Six Flags

Delivering accuracy and artistry

MapLayr offered everything the team needed: enterprise reliability, a proven navigation engine and the freedom to create fully custom functionality within their own platform. An initial test at Carowinds confirmed the decision.

“It has been amazing to see how the illustrators work. These people have never walked through our parks, but when I am onsite and looking at one of our buildings on the map, it is perfect.

Functionally, MapLayr is more sophisticated than our previous solution, and our testers loved that you could orient, zoom and tilt the map to suit your search preferences”

A collaborative partnership thtat removed complexity

A shared ethos of collaboration underpinned the project from the start. The Six Flags team credits this approach with helping them navigate the challenges that come with building a custom app for such a large and diverse portfolio.

“The Attractions.io team would say, ‘When we built our platform, we ran into this problem, and you might want to address it as you go forward.’ It was always such a good relationship in the sense that the team were willing to share their expertise.” Jim Denny, VP of Digital at Six Flags

Choosing MapLayr meant the Six Flags digital team could focus on the core functionality of their new app without worrying about building or maintaining mapping logic.

“Maps and wayfinding were never a source of worry as we went through the relaunch. I felt confident that I could focus on the other aspects of the project, knowing that the team would deliver on time and as promised. Attractions.io is doing all the heavy lifting on this fundamental component of our app.” Jim Denny, VP of Digital at Six Flags

“The new maps are truly fantastic. Guests have responded positively, finding the maps both intuitive to use and engaging. It is not just about finding their way around; it is about immersing themselves in the digital representation of our parks.”

Jim Denny,
‍VP of Digital at Six Flags

A guest experience that sets a new standard

The relaunch at Carowinds has been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Exit surveys consistently rank maps and wayfinding as one of the highest-scoring features of the new app, with guests calling them intuitive, accurate and engaging.

“When guests use the Carowinds app, they tell us mapping and wayfinding is the easiest tool to use. The overwhelming sentiment is that it is a huge improvement over our previous experience.”

Jim Denny,
VP of Digital, Six Flags