I’ve been working hard on Get Together, a service I am designing for my final project at CIID. Here is a short video I produced as a prototype exploring the whole service from start to finish. Since creating this video I have begun refining the service and designing high res interfaces for all the touchpoints which will be used in a video scenario. I have also been working on setting up a basic group SMS system as a way to prototype the user experience.
More to come very soon…
What is it?
Travel Global | Read Local is a library service for hotels and their guests. It aims to promote Danish culture & knowledge to visitors of Denmark by giving them access to library materials and services. At the same time, Travel Global | Read Local allows hotels to serve their guests in new ways by arranging to have library materials delivered directly to their rooms.
Who is it for?
Travel Global | Read Local is for hotels and their guests. Many visitors to Denmark are eager to find local knowledge about sights, activities, books, music and other things that suit their personal interests. Few places in Denmark provide such information to help people experience the local culture in a meaningful way.
Hotels are interested in meeting the needs of their customers and providing them a comforting and welcoming stay.
Why is it valuable?
Hotel guests are able to explore Danish culture through the library and have books, CDs and DVDs waiting at their hotel room when they arrive, all for free.
Hotels that partner with the library will have a unique service that allows them give their guests a personalized experience.
The library can continue it’s mission of providing free access to culture and information while at the same time lead the way in promoting Denmark as a country which places a high value in the sharing of knowledge.
Possible business opportunities exist for both the library and hotels to offer paid subscriptions and premium services.
How does it work?
A special library website promotes materials and information relevant for visitors and guests in Denmark. When a visitor books a room with a partner hotel, they are given the ability to reserve materials from the library website. The library will arrange to deliver the materials to the hotel and the hotel will manage the rest. A hotel guest has many options for returning books, reserving more books, etc.
What were your key learnings?
People coming to stay in Copenhagen all begin by following a very similar travel process. In general, many people who are new to an area often seek the local library because its universal services make it reliable. Many people visit a country to learn about it’s culture yet they have different tastes and interests. There is a need for local and trustworthy information that can be tailor made for specific people.
Copenhagen Central Library photo by Tobias Toft
Week 1: The Context
Finding a design domain and building a user research plan was the primary focus of week 1. We had visits at several libraries to help generate a broad understanding of the existing system and services. We spoke with experts to gain knowledge in current trends, challenges and other issues facing libraries.
By the end of the week we chose ‘foreigners’ as a user group and made research plans to further refine this as a design domain.
We were interested in how library services could play a role with people who are visiting Denmark or who have just moved to Denmark. Plans for the following week included visits to the airport and other places where we might be able to find foreigners just arriving in Denmark.
Card sorting - one of our user research methods
Week 2: User Research
We conducted user research in the field and turned insights into design challenges. Most of the research took place at the airport and tourist information office where we conducted video interviews with tourists and foreigners living in Denmark. We were interested to know how they prepared for their trip and what resources they accessed once they arrived in Denmark.
After this we had the enormous task of finding the best quotes and observations from all our notes, videos and photos. For each insightful quote or observation we collected (we collected a lot), we had to answer “what does it mean?” Once this helped us understand the value in our insight, we then had to ask “so what?” As a group this really helped us figure out what was interesting and if it was useful.
The goal of this process was to create 3 well thought out design challenges that we could then create concepts for.
An early sketch by Sid
Week 3: First Concepts
We looked at three design challenges and created as many concepts as possible. We conducted many brainstorming sessions which included classmates not involved with our project. At the end of the week, we had literally hundreds of concepts. Most were purely inspirational but they provided material to develop several solutions and begin the process of planning how to execute an initial experience prototype.
After presenting three concepts to the class, we decided to move forward with one that involved incorporating library and hotel services. In a matter of days we were able to make a short video that communicated the idea.
Experience prototype at Hotel Fox in Copenhagen
Week 4: Experience Prototyping
hagen help us test our experience prototype with their guests. We prepared brochures, order forms and mini catalogs for the receptionist to distribute to guests when they check in to the hotel. We also brought 20 of our own books that the guests could borrow. The books were a mix of novels, guide books and design related photo books. Almost all of them had something to do with Denmark. We also included DVDs and a few other items in the catalog even though we did not bring them to the hotel. If a guest would like to borrow a book, they just need to fill out a small order form and give it to the receptionist. We also included questionnaires so that the guests could give us feedback about the service. Inside each book is a bookmark with recommendations based on that particular book. These include sights, other library materials and places to visit (i.e. The Danish Design Museum). For the sake of this prototype, the role of the library is not important. However we still included books and print material
We spent a few hours each day hanging out in the lobby and observing guests as they receive the brochure when they check in. The idea is to see if hotel guests, who generally only stay 2-3 nights, are interested in looking at new books and bringing them back to their rooms. We would also like to know what types of books are most popular and how the receptionists are able to manager the service.
Contents of the hotel welcome kit
Week 5: Solution Concept
We refined our hotel/library concept based on the insights from our experience prototypes and produced communication pieces to help make the concept clear and understandable. These included a concept video, service blueprint and system diagrams. We also began thinking about future scenarios based on the service we created and how a larger system could give travelers access to books all over the world.
Eilidh plays the Hotel Fox receptionist
Attention aspiring interaction designers: I hope you like making videos. Complex systems, like those involving technology or services that take place over time, are often easiest prototyped with video. And they are often best communicated through scenarios. So video is a tool we are gaining lots of experience with here at CIID.
Adam in hotel room
Not only was Hotel Fox willing to let us test our service with their customers, but they allowed us to film our video in one of their hotel rooms. It’s amazing what can happen if you just ask. Thank you Hotel Fox!
Martin reporting from Copenhagen Airport
We also rang up our friend Martin who is a reporter on Danish TV. Thanks, Martin!
Airport staff helping us with a brief scene
And thanks to this woman who helped us eventhough she was working! I will be posting the video later in the week…
UPDATE - Here’s the video…
WK Interact room at Hotel Fox
During the past week we have been running an experience prototype at Hotel Fox in Copenhagen. That’s that “lifestyle” hotel where each room was designed by a different international artist. Many thanks to the staff there for helping us with our project because Hotel Fox is a perfect place to test our service.
Some of the props we brought to the hotel
We prepared brochures, order forms and mini catalogs for the receptionist to distribute to guests when they check in to the hotel. We also brought 20 of our own books that the guests could borrow. The books were a mix of novels, guide books and design related photo books. Almost all of them had something to do with Denmark. We also included DVDs and a few other items in the catalog even though we did not bring them to the hotel.
Hotel Fox lobby
If a guest would like to borrow a book, they just need to fill out a small order form and give it to the receptionist. We also included questionnaires so that the guests could give us feedback about the service. Inside each book is a bookmark with recommendations based on that particular book. These include sights, other library materials and places to visit (i.e. The Danish Design Museum). For the sake of this prototype, the role of the library is not important. However we still included the library’s branding on all books and print material.
Welcome packets and loaner books at the Hotel Fox desk
We spend a few hours each day hanging out in the lobby and observing guests as they receive the brochure when they check in. The idea is to see if hotel guests, who generally only stay 2-3 nights, are interested in looking at new books and bringing them back to their rooms. We would also like to know what types of books are most popular and how the receptionists are able to manager the service. Last time we checked in, the hotel had lent out one book and received one feedback form.
Props from our video prototype
After presenting three concepts to the class, we decided to move forward with one that involved incorporating library and hotel services. In a matter of days we were able to make a short video that communicated the idea.
We are in the process of building on this concept so let me know your thoughts! (By the way, Radisson SAS is no way involved with this and judging by the receptionist on duty when we were taking photos, they don’t want to be involved with this… guerrilla prototyping!)
Some of our favorite ideas
“The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas.” — Linus Pauling
Over the past two weeks we have had the good fortune of working with Brian Rink of IDEO San Fransisco who is facilitating our current class on Service Design. But the past two days were especially fortunate, as we learned to do brainstorming IDEO style. They call them brainstormers and they take them pretty seriously. Here are some rules that Brian shared with us:
Besides a helpful set of rules, each brainstorming sessions needs a focused, informed question (not too broad not too narrow) and a good facilitator. Brian’s tips for facilitating included:
Brainstorming sign up sheet
For this class we have 7 groups of students working across two different topics (libraries and telemedicine), but for the brainstorming days everyone got to help everyone else. I think this is what made the past two days so productive, we had a chance to forget about our own projects and try to come up with ideas for our classmates. This, and the fact that each session was limited to one hour, helped maintain a good level of energy of focus through out each day.
Sketching an idea
Each hour long session included about six students and are goal was to come up with 100 ideas. After the end of two days, my group had literally hundreds of ideas to move forward with. Of course many of them were matching, or unrealistic or just plain silly, but I am expecting to find a few gems of inspiration.
User research profiles and notes
After wrapping up our user testing last week, we had the enormous task of finding the best quotes and observations from all our notes, videos and photos. For each insightful quote or observation we collected (we collected a lot), we had to answer “what does it mean?” Once this helped us understand the value in our insight, we then had to ask “so what?” As a group this really helped us figure out what was interesting and if it was useful.
Trying to find the value from our insights
From the photo above, the insight was a quote that read:
“It would be romantic to meet someone at the library” - Eda, 19. Just moved to CPH.
What it means to us:
- Meeting people face to face is a richer experience
- The library has a special ‘romantic’ quality to it
So what…? (phrased as a how might we… question):
How might the library connect strangers with similar interests?
User research insights
As you can see, we had quite a few of these. But before we could move on, we had to narrow it down. So we did what any democratic group would do and we voted. We gave ourselves 5 red stickers each and voted for the how might we… statements we found most interesting.
The goal of this process was to create 3 well thought out design challenges that we could then create concepts for. In the end ours looked something like this these…
People coming to stay in Copenhagen all begin by following a very similar travel process. From researching their trip before they leave home to visiting the top tourist attractions. During this journey they use a large number of similar services and pass through many public spaces, however the library rarely plays a role in their experience. How can giving library services a presence outside of the library help newcomers become more acquainted with Copenhagen?
Many people who are new to an area seek the local library because its universal services make it reliable. The space makes them feel in touch with the community it serves. Internet access and other basic services are available for free. A special charm makes it a surprising place to meet strangers. At the same time, people visiting a new area greatly value the advice and knowledge of local people. How might we create a service that uses the library’s knowledge and visitors to help guests and new residents of Denmark feel like a local?
Many people visit a country to learn about it’s culture yet they have different tastes and interests, be it films they watch, literature they read, music they listen to or even food they relish. The library is a rich source of trusted material, but provides no access for visitors wishing to explore local culture that matches their interests. How might the library provide a service for visitors not from Scandinavia to explore cultural content within their area of personal interests?