An internal engagement platform designed to bridge the gap between corporate, park, cruise line, vacation club, and all Walt Disney World segments through peer recognition, intentional connection, and equity-first design.
Overview
CastMagic is a portfolio concept for an internal engagement platform designed for Walt Disney World cast members. The project demonstrates how a product manager thinks through belonging, equity, and cross-segment connection when building an internal community product from scratch.
Role
Owned the full product lifecycle. Research, definition, prioritization, UX decisions, prototype, and this live preview page. No team. No client. A self-directed portfolio artifact built to show how I think and what I build.
Highlights
Section 01
Most enterprise platforms check the box on employee connection. A directory here. A shoutout channel there. But no system was built specifically around the Disney cast member experience, one that understands the emotional fabric of the company, bridges every segment, and makes belonging feel as intentional as the guest experience Disney is famous for. CastMagic is what that platform could look like.
Section 02
Cast members across every Disney segment. Parks and resorts. Cruise lines. Studios. Streaming. Sports. Corporate. Every cast member regardless of where or how they work deserves a platform that makes them feel seen, heard, valued, and appreciated by the people they work alongside every day.
Section 03
CastMagic is an internal web portal designed to move internal communications from passive broadcasting to active community building. Recognition tied to Disney values. Coffee chats for intentional cross-department connection. Equity safeguards built into every platform layer.
Key Features
Sprint Log
Two sprints from a 6-week build. Request the full demo to see the complete case study.
Week 1
Sprint Goal: Build the full CastMagic internal intranet portal MVP with all five core sections.
Phase 1: Discovery and Research
Mapped all five core sections needed for an internal Disney cast member platform. Identified recognition, connection, and inclusion as the three emotional pillars the platform needed to serve before any functional features were added.
Phase 2: Execution
| Item | Description | Acceptance Criteria | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBI-01 | Build Home Dashboard | Personalized greeting, stats row, quick links, recent spotlight moments | Completed |
| PBI-02 | Build Cast Spotlight | Write a Shoutout tab, Live Feed tab, Magic Makers leaderboard | Completed |
| PBI-03 | Build Coffee Chats | Browse, Smart Match, My Chats, My Profile tabs | Completed |
| PBI-04 | Build Perks and Discounts | Partner discounts and cast member benefits page | Completed |
| PBI-05 | Build Inclusion and Community Standards | Principles, protected identities, reporting flow, equity metrics | Completed |
| PBI-06 | Build React Router navigation | All five sections connected with sticky nav bar | Completed |
Phase 3: Polish and Deployment
| Item | Description | Acceptance Criteria | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBI-07 | Add starfield background animation | Gold floating particles and twinkling stars throughout | Completed |
| PBI-08 | Deploy to Netlify | Live at cathy-belony-castmagic.netlify.app | Completed |
Week 3
Sprint Goal: Replace the immediate request flow with a proper 2-week calendar scheduling experience that shows real availability.
Phase 1: Discovery and Research
Identified that the original request flow created awkward back-and-forth between cast members. Benchmarked scheduling patterns from Calendly and internal enterprise tools. Defined a 2-week window as the right scope, far enough for flexibility and close enough to maintain momentum.
Phase 2: Execution
| Item | Description | Acceptance Criteria | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBI-15 | Build scheduling modal | 2-week calendar with available and unavailable dates | Completed |
| PBI-16 | Add availability indicators | Gold for available, gray for unavailable, tooltip on hover | Completed |
| PBI-17 | Add time slot selection | Time slots populate when an available date is clicked | Completed |
| PBI-18 | Update confirmation message | Show cast member name, day of week, full date, and time | Completed |
Phase 3: Polish and Edge Cases
| Item | Description | Acceptance Criteria | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBI-19 | Fix confirmation card size | Confirmation replaces only the requested person's card at the same size as regular cards | Completed |
Reflection
Companies do not thrive because of their products. They thrive because of their people. And people perform best when they feel seen, connected, and like growth is within reach. CastMagic is built around that belief. Every feature, every design decision, and every sprint was in service of one outcome: making Disney cast members feel like they belong, that their peers see them, and that opportunity is not something you stumble into but something the platform actively surfaces for you.
Success Metrics
What I Would Build Next
The current Smart Match surfaces connections based on shared interests. The next version uses real quiz data, interaction history, and role-based signals to surface the most relevant coffee chat connections for each cast member. The goal is to make the right connection feel inevitable, not accidental.
An integration with Disney's internal learning platform so cast members can list skills they have and skills they want to build, and CastMagic surfaces mentors and peers who can help. Growth should not be something a cast member has to go looking for. The platform should bring it to them.
Interactive Preview
Connect with cast members across every Disney segment for mentorship, career conversations, or just a friendly chat.
Personalized cast member recommendations based on your role, goals, and interests. Available in the full demo.
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These features are part of the full CastMagic prototype and are shown live during the demo walkthrough.
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