Team Weevil Weekly Report
Week 11, 12-MAR to 17-MAR
Objectives
This weeks objectives were to develop research artifacts, present our primary and secondary research findings to our Capstone class, prepare for our weekend research trip, and continue with our in-depth user research.
Actions
We started off the weekend with a goal to conduct in-depth user research on tourists. Our plan was to target tourists passing by in front of the tour office in Funchal, and offer them a tour activity in exchange for their time. We immediately ran into challenges with the office and were unable to display our signage. After another hour of unsuccessful recruiting, we decided to re-strategize and ended our first attempt. We’re currently in the process of reaching out to other tour offices, considering the possibility of having vouchers beforehand, and preparing a more credible sign to advertise our needs.
At the beginning of the week, our team shared drafts of our research models for feedback. We discussed presentation methods and decided to display printouts of our models and photos on the walls, and each of us present our models in order.
Thursday was our Capstone presentation, which was done in each of our team rooms. To prep, we tidied up our room and decorated our wall with our artifacts, photos, and our hunt statement. We presented our seven artifacts, starting from our findings on tourists and transitioning to hotel insights. To wrap up the presentation, we did a quick design brainstorming activity in small groups. The prompt of the activity was to design an ideal hotel walk-in experience, with focus on technologies, interactions, layout, and/or ambiance. The activity was a success and we collected some unique ideas and insights from our participants.
Research Artifacts
Next Steps
The team is off to their travel research in Lisbon and London. We plan on studying five hotels, making observations, reviewing service touch points, and interviewing hotel staff.
We also plan on interviewing expert travelers on their experiences and thoughts on the future of travel.
Challenges
The team is facing challenges getting access to tourists for in-depth interviews. We’re currently reaching out to the business ops that the client had hired and trying to get access to guests at their other hotels, and also reaching out to a previous MHCI student who is now in the hotel industry in Madeira.
