Designing a digital gateway for King Salman Park
Translating the ambition of one of the world’s largest urban park projects into an immersive, scalable digital experience.
Designing a digital gateway for a destination still taking shape
King Salman Park is a major urban transformation project in Riyadh, bringing together nature, culture, entertainment, sport and future commercial experiences. The challenge was to create a digital presence that could communicate the scale and ambition of a destination that was still being built — while establishing a foundation capable of supporting a much richer visitor experience in the future.
My Role
Designing a digital gateway for a destination still taking shape
King Salman Park is a major urban transformation project in Riyadh, bringing together nature, culture, entertainment, sport and future commercial experiences. The challenge was to create a digital presence that could communicate the scale and ambition of a destination that was still being built — while establishing a foundation capable of supporting a much richer visitor experience in the future.
My Role
Designing for a destination that didn't exist yet
King Salman Park presented an unusual design challenge. We weren't simply redesigning an existing digital service. The physical destination itself was still evolving, meaning the website needed to help people understand and become excited about something they could not yet fully experience. At the same time, the platform couldn't be designed purely as a campaign site. As the park developed, it would eventually need to support a much broader ecosystem of destinations, events, visitor information and services.
How might we create an experience that builds anticipation today without limiting what the platform needs to become tomorrow?
Designing for a destination that didn't exist yet
King Salman Park presented an unusual design challenge. We weren't simply redesigning an existing digital service. The physical destination itself was still evolving, meaning the website needed to help people understand and become excited about something they could not yet fully experience. At the same time, the platform couldn't be designed purely as a campaign site. As the park developed, it would eventually need to support a much broader ecosystem of destinations, events, visitor information and services.
How might we create an experience that builds anticipation today without limiting what the platform needs to become tomorrow?
Defining what the digital experience needed to become
I participated in workshops with the client to understand the Foundation's ambitions, business requirements and emerging content strategy. These discussions revealed two distinct roles for the platform. In the short term, it needed to communicate the scale and story of King Salman Park through a highly visual and immersive experience. In the longer term, it needed to evolve into a functional destination platform supporting activities such as event discovery, bookings and visitor enquiries. Research and competitor analysis then helped us explore how other large destinations used digital storytelling, navigation and visual hierarchy to communicate complex physical environments. From this work, three principles began to guide the experience:
Use digital storytelling to give people a sense of the scale and ambition of the park.
Organise a growing ecosystem of destinations and content into a structure people could navigate confidently.
Create patterns and foundations that could accommodate future services rather than designing only for the immediate launch.
Defining what the digital experience needed to become
I participated in workshops with the client to understand the Foundation's ambitions, business requirements and emerging content strategy. These discussions revealed two distinct roles for the platform. In the short term, it needed to communicate the scale and story of King Salman Park through a highly visual and immersive experience. In the longer term, it needed to evolve into a functional destination platform supporting activities such as event discovery, bookings and visitor enquiries. Research and competitor analysis then helped us explore how other large destinations used digital storytelling, navigation and visual hierarchy to communicate complex physical environments. From this work, three principles began to guide the experience:
Use digital storytelling to give people a sense of the scale and ambition of the park.
Organise a growing ecosystem of destinations and content into a structure people could navigate confidently.
Create patterns and foundations that could accommodate future services rather than designing only for the immediate launch.
Creating structure around a complex destination
King Salman Park contained multiple stories, destinations, initiatives and future services. Our initial information architecture exposed just how easily that complexity could translate into an equally complicated website. I worked through the site map and key user journeys with the wider team, repeatedly revisiting how information should be grouped and prioritised. Rather than mirroring the organisation internally, we focused on creating clearer routes into the experience from a visitor's perspective. This gave us a more coherent foundation for the website while leaving enough flexibility for the platform to grow as the park evolved.
Creating structure around a complex destination
King Salman Park contained multiple stories, destinations, initiatives and future services. Our initial information architecture exposed just how easily that complexity could translate into an equally complicated website. I worked through the site map and key user journeys with the wider team, repeatedly revisiting how information should be grouped and prioritised. Rather than mirroring the organisation internally, we focused on creating clearer routes into the experience from a visitor's perspective. This gave us a more coherent foundation for the website while leaving enough flexibility for the platform to grow as the park evolved.
Making a future destination feel real
Once the information architecture was established, I moved into wireframing and interaction design. The objective wasn't simply to place content into templates. We wanted the interaction model itself to reinforce the scale, movement and sense of discovery associated with King Salman Park.
I explored a collection of immersive components including:
- full-screen visual storytelling
- scroll-triggered video
- expanding imagery
- contextual hover interactions
- parallax movement
- interactive maps
- large editorial content sections
The intention behind these interactions was not decoration. Each pattern gave imagery, architecture and landscape more space to communicate while gradually revealing information as visitors explored. Instead of presenting the park as a collection of static pages, the experience could begin to feel like a journey through the destination itself.
Making a future destination feel real
Once the information architecture was established, I moved into wireframing and interaction design. The objective wasn't simply to place content into templates. We wanted the interaction model itself to reinforce the scale, movement and sense of discovery associated with King Salman Park.
I explored a collection of immersive components including:
- full-screen visual storytelling
- scroll-triggered video
- expanding imagery
- contextual hover interactions
- parallax movement
- interactive maps
- large editorial content sections
The intention behind these interactions was not decoration. Each pattern gave imagery, architecture and landscape more space to communicate while gradually revealing information as visitors explored. Instead of presenting the park as a collection of static pages, the experience could begin to feel like a journey through the destination itself.
Designing a story that could keep growing
During design reviews, another challenge emerged. The Foundation needed a way to communicate how King Salman Park had developed over time while also showing where the project was heading next. A conventional timeline would communicate the information, but it wouldn't reflect the ambition of the wider experience. I designed an interactive horizontal timeline built around large content cards combining imagery, milestones and supporting information. As users progressed through the experience, the timeline moved from the origins of the project through current developments and towards future milestones. Importantly, the component was designed as a system rather than a fixed piece of content. New milestones could continue to be added as the park developed.
Designing a story that could keep growing
During design reviews, another challenge emerged. The Foundation needed a way to communicate how King Salman Park had developed over time while also showing where the project was heading next. A conventional timeline would communicate the information, but it wouldn't reflect the ambition of the wider experience. I designed an interactive horizontal timeline built around large content cards combining imagery, milestones and supporting information. As users progressed through the experience, the timeline moved from the origins of the project through current developments and towards future milestones. Importantly, the component was designed as a system rather than a fixed piece of content. New milestones could continue to be added as the park developed.
Designing beyond the first release
The digital experience also needed to anticipate how people would eventually interact with King Salman Park as a functioning destination. We therefore explored UX patterns for future services rather than treating the website as a finished marketing experience. One of these was an event and booking experience that could eventually support different activities and venues across the park. Another was a structured Contact Us hub designed to route enquiries according to user intent, helping users reach the appropriate destination while reducing unnecessary manual handling for the Foundation. These concepts allowed us to think beyond the immediate content requirements and begin establishing reusable patterns for a larger visitor ecosystem.
Designing beyond the first release
The digital experience also needed to anticipate how people would eventually interact with King Salman Park as a functioning destination. We therefore explored UX patterns for future services rather than treating the website as a finished marketing experience. One of these was an event and booking experience that could eventually support different activities and venues across the park. Another was a structured Contact Us hub designed to route enquiries according to user intent, helping users reach the appropriate destination while reducing unnecessary manual handling for the Foundation. These concepts allowed us to think beyond the immediate content requirements and begin establishing reusable patterns for a larger visitor ecosystem.
Bringing the physical identity into the digital experience
Once the UX direction was established, I worked closely with the Lead UI Designer to translate the wireframes into the final visual experience. The Foundation's colourful identity became an important starting point. Gradients, large-scale imagery and graphic shapes were used to connect individual sections and create continuity as people moved through the experience. Rather than treating UX and visual design as separate phases, we worked iteratively to ensure that the expressive interface still preserved hierarchy, readability and interaction clarity. The experience was also adapted across desktop and mobile, ensuring that the storytelling approach remained effective when screen space and interaction behaviour changed.
Bringing the physical identity into the digital experience
Once the UX direction was established, I worked closely with the Lead UI Designer to translate the wireframes into the final visual experience. The Foundation's colourful identity became an important starting point. Gradients, large-scale imagery and graphic shapes were used to connect individual sections and create continuity as people moved through the experience. Rather than treating UX and visual design as separate phases, we worked iteratively to ensure that the expressive interface still preserved hierarchy, readability and interaction clarity. The experience was also adapted across desktop and mobile, ensuring that the storytelling approach remained effective when screen space and interaction behaviour changed.
Bringing the physical identity into the digital experience
Once the UX direction was established, I worked closely with the Lead UI Designer to translate the wireframes into the final visual experience. The Foundation's colourful identity became an important starting point. Gradients, large-scale imagery and graphic shapes were used to connect individual sections and create continuity as people moved through the experience. Rather than treating UX and visual design as separate phases, we worked iteratively to ensure that the expressive interface still preserved hierarchy, readability and interaction clarity. The experience was also adapted across desktop and mobile, ensuring that the storytelling approach remained effective when screen space and interaction behaviour changed.
What the project changed in my approach
King Salman Park reinforced something that has influenced how I approach large digital projects since: You rarely have every future requirement available when you design the first version. The solution isn't to predict every feature. It's to create enough structure, flexibility and reusable behaviour that the product can absorb change without needing to be reconsidered from the beginning every time the organisation evolves. For King Salman Park, that meant thinking simultaneously about storytelling, information architecture, interaction design and the future service ecosystem. The result was not simply a set of pages for launch, but a digital foundation designed around a destination that would continue to change.
What the project changed in my approach
King Salman Park reinforced something that has influenced how I approach large digital projects since: You rarely have every future requirement available when you design the first version. The solution isn't to predict every feature. It's to create enough structure, flexibility and reusable behaviour that the product can absorb change without needing to be reconsidered from the beginning every time the organisation evolves. For King Salman Park, that meant thinking simultaneously about storytelling, information architecture, interaction design and the future service ecosystem. The result was not simply a set of pages for launch, but a digital foundation designed around a destination that would continue to change.
What the project changed in my approach
King Salman Park reinforced something that has influenced how I approach large digital projects since: You rarely have every future requirement available when you design the first version. The solution isn't to predict every feature. It's to create enough structure, flexibility and reusable behaviour that the product can absorb change without needing to be reconsidered from the beginning every time the organisation evolves. For King Salman Park, that meant thinking simultaneously about storytelling, information architecture, interaction design and the future service ecosystem. The result was not simply a set of pages for launch, but a digital foundation designed around a destination that would continue to change.
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