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July 2014 ~ July 2015
LOCALIZED
MAOKONG GONDOLA SERVICE
Locialized Maokong Gondola and concreted local tourism identity image
to inspire tourists that result in higher tourism experience.
OVERVIEW
BACKGROUND
Hello Kitty failed to make Maokong Gondola profitable
Japanese cartoon Hello Kitty was chosen as the mascot of the Maokong Gondola, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp. (TRTC) launched the Maokong Gondola under a year-long promotion called “The Year of Hello Kitty.” All cabins and stations were decorated with Hello Kitty designs. However, the strategy is unsuccessful in the long-term , the Maokong Gondola still lost NT$77 million (US$2.55 million) due to low ridership, high maintenance costs and the pricey payment of celebrity endorsement fee in the year.
Lacked of identity & Unconnected with local image
Therefore, as the Hello Kitty contract was going to expire, Maokong Gondola reached out for service design lab and asked our team for cooperation. Since our team redesigned Maokong Tour Bus service and enhance tourism experience of the tourists successfully, they hope to introduce the same Maokong visual themed and the "Maokong Elves” to provide a new service connecting with Maokong culture to provide an unique and memorable experience for tourists
PROJECT GOALS
Concrete the connection between Maokong Gondola and the travel destination (Maokong), creating a completed Maokong tourism image to enhance the tourist transportation experiences of Maokong Gondola
TEAM MEMBERS
Research & Assess :
Yi-Jin Chou, Chih-Hsiang Wu, Chih-Hsuan Lin
Design :
Fu-Qu Cherng, Hsiung-Chieh Li, chia-hua Li, Ya- Tien Tsai
MY ROLE
- User research
- Tourist guide design
- Assess design concepts
A. RESEARCH
IDENTIFIED TOURISTS ATTRIBUTES
& THEIR EXPERIENCE
With the rise of the experience economy, tourists expect to have diverse, individualistic, and special service experiences to fulfill their emotional needs.Thus, at the beginning, we not only inspected the tourists’ characteristics of Maokong Gondola but also examined the relationship between their attributes and transportation experiences through a semi-structured questionnaire and interview.
The participants were selected from the tourists who just embarked the Maokong Gondola at the Maokong Station exit. Finally, we collected 115 and valid questionnaires out of 122 returns.
Questionnaire
To examine what kinds of tourist attributes may effect on tourism transportation experiences in the Maokong tourism service, we reviewed the relevant literature and adopted the key dimensions, and created a semi-structured questionnaire. When the tourists finished the questionnaire, it was followed by an open question, which enables us to have a deeper understanding of tourists and their expectation.
【 Result 】
We found that inspiring is the key dimension for tourism transportation experiences, and the results indicated that "resident location" and "travel companions" of the tourist attributes had significant effects on tourism transportation experiences, but age and gender had no significant effect.
FINDING
1. The Perception of Local Culture
Makes the Experience Interesting
Resident locations of tourists effects on the experience
Since the participants from Taiwan and China all have a connection to the Chinese culture, their means of inspiration may be similar. On the other hand, the participants from other countries were not familiar with Chinese culture, so the Asia culture has an air of mystery for them and always arouses curiosity. Thus, the Maokong Gondola service experience could trigger their reflection and inspire their lifestyle experience. As a result, in order to reinforce the experience of inspiration, Maokong Gondola could put more emphasis on extracting elements from its local culture for the related service design in order to increase tourists’ inspiring tourism transportation experience.
2. Intimate Relationship
Keeps the Experience Memorable
"Travel companion" of tourists effects on the experience
The result also illustrates travel companion of tourist attributes effect on the inspiring factor of the tourism transportation experiences. We found that the participants with the relative had higher tourism transportation experience than the participants with friends on the inspiring factor. For the tourist, Sharing with the most closely related people is one of the key element in inspiring dimension, and the moment is not only a memorable experience but also can result in a high level of tourist satisfaction, so the service design could put an emphasis on human interaction.
B. DEFINE
NEW SERVICE
DESIGN CONCEPT
Increase the inspiring experience of local tourists and friends,
and strengthen travel satisfaction of foreigners and family through local culture and interaction triggers.
Base on the findings, we proposed a design principle for the new Maokong service. To increase tourists’ experience, we will make a great effort to localized Maokong Gondola to increase the perception of local culture and trigger interaction to encourage the intimate relationship of the new service design.
As a result, it enables the local tourists to gain a better understanding of local culture and helps the tourists who travel with friends have a great interaction with their companions, contributing to a higher inspiring experience. Additionally, it can reinforce the travel satisfaction of foreigners and these tourists who travel with family indeed.
C. DEVELOP
ENSURE THE NEW SERVICE
IS CREATIVITY AND TRUSTWORTHY
1. Involve Practitioners View
to Achieve High Implementation
In the develop stage, we firstly submitted multiple solution ideas and presented to the service provider to ensure the design proposals will be transferred and implemented into MaoKong Gondola service. During our discussion, the Maokong Gondola side voiced more concrete and practical considerations for our design ideas. Their viewpoints were taken into account when we went deeper to propose service design concepts.
2. Assess and Refine Concepts
Method : Consensual Assessment Technique
We had submitted 6 various new design concepts. In order to conduct a trustworthy prototyping process, the service design team applied consensual assessment technique and invited 3 experts with service design backgrounds to assess these 6 works individually and in isolation.
Each design concepts were demonstrated through scenario
and evaluated from three significant perspectives :
1) Its alignment with the design strategy
2) Its impact on customer experience
3) Reliability of the prototype.
Through upon 3 perspectives, the experts finally selected a design concept which has the most significant impact. The design concept using the strong contrast color to interpret Maokong culture, and the figure has strong childlike interest and motion so that the visualization can attract tourists attention and increase interaction and their knowledge of local culture. Finally, the concept was refined based on the advice of experts.
JOYFUL GONDOLA STATION
KICK OFF THE ADVENTURE
The Maokong Gondola stations get Maokong elves-themed facelift as service cues of Maokong area, it could arouse the sense of excitement for the tourists in the beginning of their journey. Meanwhile, the colorful and childlike figures do provide an opportunity for tourists to take interesting pictures to strengthen the intimate relationship with their companions through taking a picture and sharing memories..
D. DELIVER
NEW MAOKONG GONDOLA SERVICE
MAOKONG TREASURE MAP
EXPLORE THE HIDDEN BEAUTY
In the Gondola station, we provide a tourist guide, it serves as a treasure map, pointing tourists explore the hidden treasure tucked away in Maokong. It enables them to engage the local culture experience and help them find amazing natural resources.
ONBOARD GONDOLA
TOWARD THE TEA VILLAGE
Flying with Maokong Elves onboard Gondola to Maokong, tourists can know the culture and features of Maokong through the exterior painting on Maokong Gondola cabins.
EXPLORE LOCAL
WITH MAOKONG ELVES
The Maokong Gondola reflects the Maokong’s characteristics through Maokong Elves masks. During traveling, tourists can perform Maokong Elves with companions by wearing masks and meet Maokong Elves in Maokong attraction or specific teahouses. As a result, the tourists could be inspired by the interaction with the local culture service.
TAKE A SOUVENIR
HOLD YOUR TRIP MEMORABLE
When tourists are on their last lap of the journey, we provide some souvenirs in the Service Center of Maokong Gondola. Thus, tourists can purchase it as a memento of the visit.
PROMOTE LOCAL CULTURE
STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY IDENTITY
To establish a more sustainable mechanism that allows the local to have the capacity of autonomous, self-generating sustainable development, We hold various activities on festivals or interactive classes, workshops for tourists and local residents, it facilitates promoting Maokong Elves and gives the opportunities to instruct them in the historical and cultural knowledge of Maokong. It is a means of inspiring citizens, building a sense of place and establishing community identity.
IMPACT
Improve the Tourist Experience
Due to the new service design, a visit to the Maokong Gondola was transformed from a boring and uninteresting stop to a meaningful transfer experience compelling enough to tempt passengers to travel via Maokong again on their next trip or to recommend transfer traveling via Maokong Gondola to others. The transfer passengers stated that the services really improved their transfer experience.
Maokong Elves are Hired
as the Official Spokesman for Taipei Government
In the past, Maokong was overload with mascots. Numerous organizations expected to promote Maokong by creating mascots. However, Maokong Elves stood out in a crowd to be the chosen one as Maokong's core mascot with the deep connection to local elements.
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