I am a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox. Like other New Englanders since 1918, my childhood and early adulthood was spent as a suffering member of Red Sox Nation. I thought at age 16 the Red Sox would finally win it all. They were one strike away from World Series glory in 1986. Then there was Bob Stanley’s wild pitch, followed by the ball between Buckner’s legs to force a game 7. We all knew the Red Sox would loose that game 7 (which they did).

But that all changed in 2004. The Red Sox came back from 3 games down to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship to win four straight and go on to the World Series. It felt different. The Sox didn’t choke. They were triumphant against the Evil Empire Yankees. The Red Sox went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals in 4 games to win the World Series. Since then, the Red Sox have won it all again in 2007, 2013, and 2018.

Now that I have all of that off my chest, let’s turn to the user experience of the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park.

Since starting my UX Design course with CareerFoundry, I have been thinking a lot about user experiences all around me. That got me thinking about Fenwayk Park and the Green Monster seats.

Jay Lawlor from Green Monster Seats at Fenway Park: Boston, Massachusetts

The Green Monster seats (which sit atop the left field wall known as the Green Monster) offer an overall positive user experience. First is the unbeatable view of the field just 317 feet from homeplate. Then there is the seating itself. The Green Monster seats are round metal stools with backs. No cushions, but you typically don’t get that in sports stadiums, so I won’t hold that against the Fenway UX designers.

One of the best UX design aspects of the Green Monster seats is the space. There is actually legroom (most seats at Fenway are cramped). The seats also offer enough spacing between them that you are not bumping legs with your neighbor.

The height between rows is 6 to 8 feet, so no obstructed view seats sitting pretty above the wall. It also gives people an opportunity to stand and stretch without blocking the view of the people behind you.

The negative user experience of the Green Monster seats are the lack of bathroom facilities. The closest bathrooms are on the first floor of the ballpark. A mixed user experience are the concession stands.  There are two to serve the Green Monster seats and they are not as crowded as other concessions. The downside is they offer a limited variety compared to the other concession stands throughought the ballpark.

Overall, however, the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park have a positive user experience. The comfort of the surroundings and view of the field can’t be beat.

Here’s to the UX of the Green Monster seats at Fenway Park. And Go Red Sox!