key: cord-0069921-nnhqg4mo authors: Srisombut, Tinnaporn; Thamlersak, Supamas; Chaitantipong, Phattharaporn; Siriborvornratanakul, Thitirat title: Design Thinking Approach for the Development of Theme Park Application date: 2021-11-13 journal: Augment Hum Res DOI: 10.1007/s41133-021-00054-2 sha: aa9b572a1325981951c7036de253b2b888e0d4af doc_id: 69921 cord_uid: nnhqg4mo Theme entertainment businesses rely very much on providing their visitors with the most memorable experiences. To do so, top operators have put a considerable amount of effort and investment in their facilities and activities in their parks. However, after a customer interview, several pain points are still found such as long toilet queues, finding available parking lots, being unable to find the parked car, and no real-time thrill ride information/status. Similar with other domains in the tourism market, most of these problems are easy to solve with the help of having a smartphone application that delivers such information right to the customer’s hands. This study outlines the development process of a theme park application based on a design thinking approach. Our MVP prototypes have obtained good feedback from potential users in both qualitative and quantitative usability tests. Theme parks are leisure attractions that offer their customers a mixture of excitement feeling and fantasy atmosphere. Theme entertainment industry is also a rising star in marketing and economy aspects [1] . In 2018, the industry has reached a new milestone where the attendance number at the top-ten theme park operators has exceed half a billion visits [2] . In 2019, the industry has continued to grow at the annual rate of four percent [3] . Several studies have mentioned the connection between memorable experiences and revisit intention [1] . Zambetta et al. [4] states that the memory of an event is even more important than the event itself. The study further argues that past experiences of individuals were recalled only by a few important events. Another study also concludes that long-term memorable experiences have a significant impact on revisit intention [5] . Therefore, providing positive memories to customers is essential in this competitive market. Unlike other domains of the tourism industry, the use of smartphone-based applications for on-site touristic experience in theme park attractions is relatively limited. Only, a few studies emphasize the user's perception of attraction related apps [6] . Moreover, despite of the fact that most of the global top theme park operator already have launched their own mobile applications available for the local theme park in Thailand. Although the decision to develop prototypes of theme park applications in this study was obtained from extracting users' needs, it is a good opportunity to fill in the missing gap. Lean product development is an approach for creating new products in situations where there are various uncertainties while resources and finance are limited. To avoid developing a product that is failed, developers need to 'get out of the building' to meet their potential customers and learn what the customers' needs really are. This approach proved to be time and cost effective since developers can foresee their possible mistakes at the early stage of development. Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the smallest set of features that represents the proposed product uses for validating the product's concepts. MVP which was received negative feedback may need a revision. The situation where developers need to change the product concepts is known as 'Pivoting' which is an essential characteristic of lean product development [7] . User-centered design (UCD) is an approach to create a product that satisfies user requirements. As its name suggested, UCD places the targeted users at the center and require their involvement in every design stage. The main characteristic of this approach is the process of analysis and extracting the users' needs through various interactive designs, a process of creating an interactive product that not only focus on the functionality and appearance but also how users interact with it [8] , then translates the needs into product's functionalities and designs [9] . Usability is a property for measuring how well targeted users interact with a prototype. Usability is one of the key components for user experience design, second only to product utility. To ensure that the proposed product will be able to serve the users' needs, usability testing must be conducted in every prototype to identify the following five elements, effectiveness, efficiency, engagement, error tolerance, and ease of learning [10] . [11] Design thinking (DT) is a cyclical process useful for handling complexities in creating innovations. The fundamental of this methodology is based on collaborating with others to gain an understanding of the human's needs through real-world information (Fig. 1) . DT consists of five stages, which are. The philosophy of design thinking helped boosting creativity and innovativeness in various fields. A recent study [12] has emphasized the advantages of applying DT in tourism educations where DT was used as a teaching/ learning tool in 3 different courses in both BA and MA in Constantine the Philosopher University, Nitra, Slovakia. At the end of the experiment, both students and teachers gave positive opinions on DT, including enhancing students' communication and teamwork, which resulted in boosting creativity. Moreover, students were able to bring concrete problem-solving ideas in the tourism business, one of which is a prototype of a mobile application which provided a complete information of all archaeological sites around the city. Prototype [13] The prototype is an experimental model of a product created for communication with the targeted users. The benefits of using a prototype in the design process are (1) idea generation, (2) adjustability and (3) cost and time efficiency. Prototype fidelity is the level of presentation and functionality of the model, compares to the proposed product. Low fidelity prototype is a low-detail, incomplete representation with limit functions, usually used in the early stage of the design process for product introduction and gathering user responses. High fidelity prototype is a high-detail representation with a higher degree of functionalities. Due to its complexity, this type of prototype is usually applied at the later stage where more specific user feedbacks are needed. The success of a mobile application highly depends not only on its functionalities but also on the overall user experience; therefore, the user-center design and usability testing play an important role during the development. A study [14] has demonstrated how user-center design and usability testing are involved in the development of a mobile application for contemporary architecture tourism in Portugal. The process involved creating a benchmark from already existed apps related to the contemporary architecture tourism as well as conducting an interview with architects to gain information and defines problems. A prototype was built according to the insight obtained from the previous stage. The final stage was conducting on usability testing using a qualitative analysis with pre-defined questions. The application prototype obtained from this study received a positive impact from its targeted users. To define the demographics of the potentially targeted users, we had a short interview with an administrator of a Facebook page named ''Suansanook Thai: Thailand Amusement Enthusiast Community''. We were informed that the largest and most active users of the page are age between 25 and 35 years old. Moreover, most of these users had experiences visiting theme parks in other countries; hence, we implied that the financial status of these users is at least above average. Although this research aims to create a sample application for theme parks in Thailand, the fact that most of the potentially targeted users have experiences visiting theme parks abroad has helped us analyze competitors and define a concrete idea which functions must be included in our app. We then conducted a qualitative analysis by interviewing 6 research samples which consist of 3 males and 3 females age between 25 and 35 years old who had been to at least one theme park overseas. Personas were created based on the obtained information, as shown in Fig. 2 . A comparative analysis of both direct and indirect competitors was conducted to find out the currently common ''pain points'' shared among them. The analysis summary was shown in Fig. 3 ; however, the details of the analysis will be elaborated in the next section. At the end of this stage, we understood the needs and pain points of the targeted users as well as a general idea of our competitors, as shown in Fig. 4 . The user needs and pain points were grouped into 6 categories, which are missing features, missing information, dissatisfying experience, map & location awareness, UX/ UI friendliness, and Personal Features. After brainstorming and careful discussions based on the importance of user need and user satisfaction matrix, we categorized the user needs into three categories, which are opportunity, competitive market, and not worth going after (in this study), as shown in Fig. 5 . The obtained final results were 4 competitive, 6 opportunities, and 3 not worth going, as shown in Fig. 6 . User needs and pain points which were defined in the previous stage were transformed into features. Using the user need and satisfaction matrix, these features then were categorized into three categories, which are must-have features, performance features, and delighter features. Must-have features are common features that are available in most of the existing competitors. Performance features are needed features but are lacking in most apps. Delighter features are features that user may not yet look for, but have potential benefits or may be able to alleviate some pain points, as shown in Fig. 7 . Finally, we obtained 4 must-have features, 3 performance features, and 3 delighter features. Our MVP consisted of all must-have features. However, due to the short timeline and limit resources, the performance feature's queue reservation and all delighter features will not be included in this study. Define Ideate Prototype Test The prototype development was divided into 3 versions. Every prototype was created with Figma, a tool to develop high-fidelity prototypes for multiple hardware. Even though we aim to develop an application for theme parks in Thailand, due to the tight timeline, we did not create our own specific theme park area. Instead, we used a 2D theme park area available on the internet as an example. Moreover, we managed to create only 2 prototypes. The purposes of this simulation are to demonstrate our MVP features and gather feedback from potential users (Fig. 8 ). The prototype starts with a home page displaying the overall theme park area and the current location of the user is also displayed on the map as an object as shown in Fig. 9 . Users are able to select specific features to be displayed as another layer on the map by tapping the dropdown icon at the top of the page as shown in Fig. 10 . By selecting each category in the dropdown menu, the selected component will be displayed as pop-up pins at the various place across the map. • Attraction menu: because attractions (or thrill rides) are the highlight and the main purpose of a theme park, there usually have a long queue waiting for the rides. This situation is one of the dissatisfied experiences mentioned in our users' interviews. Therefore, to help visitors better grasp the current queue status ahead of their arrival, our prototype simulated an estimated queuing time and walking time from the current user location to each ride. By tapping the 'Get detail' button, useful information of the select ride, such as age limitation, open hour as well as a detailed navigation route, will be displayed, as shown in Fig. 11 . • Parking location menu: a set of features that helps visitors efficiently find available parking spaces and save the location of the parked car. These features included real-time parking lot availability information as well as navigation routes from anywhere within the theme park to the parked car, as shown in Fig. 12 We conducted an usability testing for every version of our prototypes as follows: MVP prototype version 1.0 consists of the improved version of MVP prototype version 1.0 plus the winner from the third test. Six new participants were chosen with the same selecting criteria. We performed a deep interview for each participant after they finish the missions we created on the Maze. The detail and result of each test will be discussed in the next section (Fig. 15 ). Disneyland Each Disneyland around the world has its own application. Every application has similar features with a slightly different UI. Disneyland application provides a map of the whole theme park area and the location of every facility within. The app also provides information and schedule of thrill rides and shows. Online souvenir shopping and many others feature are also available. However, features such as real-time restroom status, parking location, queue reservation and notification, and emergency calls are not available in the app. Dream World is a theme park located in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Currently, the park does not provide any mobile applications. Information is available on its website; otherwise, on paper brochures that are provided at the entrance. Moreover, the website provides limit information including open and close time, thrill information and schedule, and static maps. Vana Nava is a water park located in Hua-Hin, Thailand. Apart from water activity, Vana Nava also consists of rides and attractions. Same as Dreamworld, currently Vana Nava does not provide any mobile application. Information is available on its website or paper brochures. Its website, however, provides slightly more information compared to Dreamworld's. From the comparison, it is clearly seen that thematic park mobile application is a blue ocean market in Thailand. Furthermore, even the application from the top theme park operator is still lack in some features which, according to our finding from user interview, is needed. First Usability Testing: Performance Feature 1 (Real-time Restroom Info) We developed 2 versions of our first performance feature, which is the real-time restroom information, then conducted an A/B testing using a questionnaire on the Google Form. The total participated users in this test were 19 persons (n = 19). Mission Scope We asked users to thoroughly test both prototypes then rate each prototype in three aspects (scale 0-5), as shown in Table 1 . The average score of Prototype A is 4.3 (x = 4.3) and Prototype B is 3.5 (x = 3.5). Prototype A also got a higher score in every aspect. The result indicates that, from users' perception, Prototype A is more usable than Prototype B. Therefore, we decided to proceed to the next version with prototype A. Second Usability Testing: MVP Prototype Version 1.0 We combined the real-time restroom feature (prototype A version) with every must-have features to create the MVP prototype version 1.0 then conduct a usability testing using Maze, Maze provides quantitative data likes success rate, misclick rate, heatmap and duration users spend on each screen. Participants in this test were also 19 persons (n = 19). Prototype The MVP prototype version 1.0 consists of all must-have features at the backend. The selectable menus, as the frontend, are attraction info, entertainment info, and restroom info (prototype A version from the previous step). We created three missions for each selectable menu in Maze, then asked the participants to accomplish each mission. Participants are also able to give up if they find the tasks too hard. We also asked participants to rate the prototype and give us feedback. Everything users done was recorded and reported to researchers. The overall result of the usability testing is 4.5, which indicates that the prototype is usable and satisfiable. After prioritizing user feedback, we also got an idea of what to be improved in the next version (Tables 2, 3, 4) . (the correct signs in the approve column). Again, we develop 2 versions of another performance Feature which is saving parking location. The two versions then were conducted another A/B testing using a questionnaire on Maze. Participants in this test were 30 people (n = 30). The score from the A/B Testing was measured and calculated using the System Usability Scale (SUS). Prototype Prototype A and Prototype B contain identical features but with different user interface. Mission Scope Participants were asked to access to the 'Parking Location' menu and look for an available parking space then save the location and find the direction back to the parked car. Users also gave feedbacks at the end of the test. The results of the A/B Testing analysis in the System Usability Score were calculated from the score of questions. The final score is between the range of 0-100. If the score is less than 50, it is not acceptable. It is marginal 3. The length of time that you take to access the information 4.9 x 4.5 Showing waiting times on the map page 1 5.0 9 The Font size of Dropdown menu is too big 1 5.0 9 between 60 and 80. If a score is 80 and above, it is acceptable. Both prototypes were marginal as they got the score of 63 and 67 consequently, as shown in Fig. 16 . Although only a small margin, prototype B was selected for the next development (Table 5) . After analyzing user feedbacks, we decided to take every comment for improvement in our next MVP. Mission Scope We created missions in Maze and asked users to finish the missions one by one. We interviewed the user after they had finished each mission. Users were also asked for overall opinions about the app as well as rate the usefulness and ease of use of the app. and save its location and find the directions from your current location to the parking space (Table 6, 7) . The result of the usability testing of considering each feature found that attractions and entertainment, which are common features, is received usability of score 75%. Restrooms and parking location, which are our performance features, are 78% and 72% consequently. In summary, our latest prototype obtains an overall score of 75% which means that users' perception of our prototype is at the upper marginal. Users also think that the app is easy to use and has a degree of usefulness. We also obtain insights from user feedback to help us further improve the application. Design thinking and lean concepts have helped us efficiently developed prototypes that are able to satisfy the targeted users in both terms of interface and functionality. Through the loops of usability tests, we have a solid idea of what users really need which we have put our effort to bring such an idea in prototype refinements. Although it still is not perfect, our latest prototype version has received a welcome result for both overall usefulness and ease of use. We decided to keep developing the app, hoping that it may help alleviate the current pain points which, therefore, provide our users a better and more memorable experiences during visiting a theme park. The prototypes in this study consist of mock-up information and contain only basic features that we extracted from the user need and prioritized due to our short timeline and limit resources. A complete theme park mobile application contains a lot more features and functions. We planned to continue to enhance and develop the app as the following aspects: • Include all the skipped features and delighter features. • Expand the target group to cover more age generations and further do comparative studies between different generations, e.g., gen Y and Z or Gen Z and alpha. • Develop synergies with theme park operators to obtain real information and create real-specific theme park maps. Furthermore, it would be useful to take the COVID-19 pandemic into account and develop a feature to lessen the risk and increase hygiene consciousness so that customers can visit the park with confidence. A Maze is a usability testing tool that can get quantitative data such as success rates, misclick rates, and duration and review heatmaps for each screen in your prototype. The results of the analysis are as follows. Task 1: Go to the home page to access the Attractions menu and choose the attractions with the shortest wait times and find directions to the attraction place (Figs. 17, 18) . Crowded and popular: the two sides of the coin affecting theme-park experience, satisfaction, and loyalty TEA/AECOM Them Index and Museum Index Theme Entertainment Association/Economics Research Associations TEA/AECOM Them Index and Museum Index Theme Entertainment Association/Economics Research Associations Reducing perceived waiting time in theme park queues via an augmented reality game Remembered experiences and revisit intentions: a longitudinal study of safari park visitors The user experience research of theme park app: a case study of Shanghai disney resort Product Market Fit Frameworks for Lean Product Development What is Interactive Design? [Online]. Interaction Design Foundation User-centered Design and Fundamental Need. I: Proceeding of the 5th Nordic Conference on HCI Interaction Design Foundation Anonymous, 5 Stages in The Design Thinking Process Interaction Design Foundation Design thinking-a revolutionary new approach in tourism education? Prototyping for user involvement activity: how to achieve major benefit Bridging tourism, architecture, and sustainability: design and development of an app for contemporary architecture built in Portugal The System Usability Scale & How It's Used in UX Image/symbol are not understandable 4 25 9Information of the total number of seats and total number of seats available 4 25 4Optimize route and time 4 25 9Seat reservation system 4 25 4The Pathway of map is unclear The pop-up windows have no close button 4 25 4The position of icon/bottom is not when consistency 4 25 9