Katy Visitors Center Interactive

The Client

The City of Katy, located 30 miles west of Houston at the intersection of Harris, Waller, and Fort Bend counties, was founded in the late 1800s and incorporated in 1945. Known for its high quality of life, Katy features well-planned neighborhoods, ample green space, and top-ranked schools through Katy ISD. The city supports a diverse business community and fosters a business-friendly environment. Blending small-town charm with big-city amenities, Katy is a vibrant, tradition-rich community ideal for families, professionals, retirees, and entrepreneurs alike.

The Challenge

The City of Katy, Texas, launched a project to redesign its Visitors Center in Downtown Katy, aiming to provide an engaging and informative experience for visitors to their historic and rapidly growing community. To lead this initiative, the City partnered with Innovative Environments, who set out to incorporate an intuitive, interactive experience within the new Center, designed to highlight the city’s attractions, historical landmarks, and upcoming events. A key requirement for the solution was ease of management, allowing City staff to dynamically update map results and other content. Additionally, the interactive displays needed to align seamlessly with the Visitors Center’s bold and vibrant new interior design.

The Solution

900lbs collaborated with Procom Audio Visual and Innovative Environments to create an impactful interactive experience for visitors to the City of Katy. Our Team designed and developed visual content and software development for 136” and 65” touch screens within the environment. We also produced a multi-platform solution that is displayed on iPad stations around the Center.

The application featured an easy-to-navigate interface with rich content, including sections like "Live," "Work," "Play," "History," "Map," and "Help," complete with search capabilities, image galleries, and QR codes to scan locations and take them with you as you head out to explore the City of Katy. A scalable content management system (CMS) was utilized on the backend, enabling the City of Katy to effortlessly manage and update various content elements. For mapping services, we utilized the HERE API to provide location results for points of interest, with categories and keywords determined in partnership with the City of Katy.

Accessibility features were a key consideration. And, a cohesive design was paramount, achieved through collaboration with Innovative Environments to ensure the interactive application's aesthetics harmonized with the Visitors Center's interior, color palette, and physical brochure racks.

Results

The project delivered a state-of-the-art interactive experience for the brand new City of Katy Visitors Center and its guests. The cohesive design of the interactive seamlessly blends with the Visitors Center's physical space, creating a unified and welcoming atmosphere. This engaging application serves as a dynamic and informative tool, encouraging visitors to explore and learn more about the City of Katy and everything it has to offer.

View more on the new City of Katy Visitors Center here.

View an article about the opening of the new Visitors Center here.