Building an Attractive Playground (Is it Really so Simple?)

Kids like playgrounds.  My wife has a very simple playground.  Our grandkids love their grandma's playground.  It's their playground of choice (hands down).  No other playground can compete.

Take a close look at this picture.  One of our grandkids created this simple little gem.  It's extremely accurate and, as you can see, extremely colorful.  This is how our grandchildren see their grandma's playground (and backyard).  The 7-year-old mind (it's oh so simple ... and oh so fascinating)!

What about other 7-year old kids?  Would they, too, find this colorful playground attractive?  Take the neighbor kids for instance.  Would they prefer this particular playground to all others in close proximity?

What about other kids?  What about 7-year old kids in/around our local community (not just the neighboring children but what about children across town, for instance)?  Would all of these kids pick our plain and simple backyard or, on the other hand, would something else seem far more attractive to them?

The answers are obvious, of course!  Grandma's love has a lot to do with the love of this very simple playground.  I can almost certainly guarantee ... not one other child in our neighborhood (and/or community) would even give this simple little playground a second thought.  All other offerings are clearly superior in the little minds of those without the direct "grandma" connection.

So, you see ... grandma and I have very little chance of attracting other squealing enthusiasts to the splendor of our grandmotherly attraction.  But ... what if?  What if grandma and I were, in fact, interested in a much larger endeavor?  What if ... let's say ... we wanted to do something  much larger for the children of our community?  What kind of playground might it take?  What things might be considered if this were to become a driving reality for us?  Might we speak with as many squealing enthusiasts as possible ... organize, then tally, their feedback and sentiments?  Might we pick their little brains?  Might we ask them particular questions?  Might we consider a lot of things like location, safety, equipment, and the like?  Might we then take all of this information and develop a specific plan that ensures long-term viability and attraction?

So it is ... local business attraction is very much the same.  Consumer preferences are widely diverse.  Attitudes are very hard to pinpoint.  But ... with the proper tools, insight, and experience (sentiments can be captured, a plan developed, and long-term attraction achieved).  It's all so very simple (and yet not so much).  It's artful, it's scientific, it's patient (these three ingredients are absolutely vital for any successful and long-term attraction effort).  It's not mindless, it's not hit-and-miss ... and, most of all ... it's not an auto-pilot trigger we can pull for immediate gratification.

Let's not lose sight ... work is work.  Big objectives require big tools, big plans, big patience.  Just like those grandkids.  Simple, right?  Kids and grandkids (so simple ... and, yet ... auto-pilot is not what they need).  Kids (all stripes and colors) ... require big tools, big plans, big patience.

Wishing You the Best in 2022

Steve