Signage System for Savannah Visitor Center
Collaborative project with Savannah Visitor Center. Committed to helping visitors have a better experience.
Project Challenge
Savannah is an urban environment that hosts 140,405 citizens (2021 Census data) and in 2020, welcomed 14.3 million visitors. Savannah is described as a city that caters to special interest tourists. It’s the distinct historical atmosphere and respect for the past that continue to set Savannah apart from other small cities. With the constantly increased volume of tourists coming into the city, the information found in the Welcome Center buildings does not necessarily cover the most up-to-date tourist needs.
HMW reimagine the tourist arrival experience at the MLK Visitor Information Center?
Duration
1.5 weeks, 2022
Role
Tech
Research Plan
Key Question
-
What kind of service/experience visitors are expecting in the SVC (Savannah Visitor Center)? What service are visitors most frequently asked in the SVC?
-
What kind of service/experience employees can offer in the SVC?
-
What are the components of the SVC service system?
-
What are the main stakeholders of the SVC service system?
-
In the Savannah Visitor Center, do all stakeholders feel satisfied? And why? Do the visitor center's features fulfill all visitors' needs?
-
Besides physical service in the SVC, does any other service related to the SVC?
Research Methods
-
Contextual interview
-
Autoethnography
-
Observation
-
Journey maps
-
System maps
Research
Key Points in Secondary Research
-
Visitors' centers in cities can either be owned and operated by the state, a county, a municipality, a local Chamber of Commerce, or be a joint effort between a county and/or a city and a Chamber of Commerce to support and publicize a well-known tourist district, city, or region
-
Millennials and Gen Z use their phones to give them direction and recommendations for travel, and over 40% see little to no reason to go to a visitor center.
-
Car travel got the most votes in every category, with 67% saying it’s fun, 74% saying it’s comfortable, 82% saying it’s appropriately priced, 78% saying it’s efficient and 74% saying it’s a minimal hassle.
-
Of All the Elements Americans Want in a Vacation, Beach Vacation Is the No. 1 Choice. Beach vacations had the most universal appeal, with 47% of Americans saying that they would enjoy a beach environment a lot. Road trip was tied with resorts for the second-most popular vacation choice, with 38% of Americans saying that they would enjoy each type of vacation a lot. So for a really enjoyable vacation, consider road-tripping to a beach resort.
-
Haven't found the app from SVC, only find a website of Savannah, users can book accommodation on VC's official website, there are entrances on the first and second level pages
1st Session Interview & Observation
Research Plan #1
1. As a guest, overview, note own feelings
2. Observation (1h-1.5h)
-
Space Composing: interior, parking, store, nearby
-
User route map
-
Which area do people stay in most?
-
How many employees are in the tourist center and what are their responsibilities?
-
The efficiency of the front desk.
-
How long do they stay in VC general?
-
How many people will ask the staff?
3. On-site interview with staff (3-5 mins/person)
-
What kind of information or service does the Welcome center offer? What about your most common services being provided?
-
What makes the welcome center financially sustainable？
-
What service guest are asking, for but not be offered at this time
-
How would u make a recommendation to visitors? Will you recommend different tours or events based on different visitors of different seasons?
-
When was the last time content was updated on paper materials, what is the frequency?
4. On-site interview with guests (3-5 mins/person)
What kind of service you are looking for here?
Why u come to savannah?
Have u gotten enough information in VC? If not, where do you going to get the extra information? (web/other on-site agency)
Besides the welcome center, where else do you go to get information
1st Session Findings
Observation (1h20min)
Interview (4 Staffs)
Interview (8 Visitors)
Most of people are just passing by instead of asking questions, about 15% of tourists communicate with staff
Full presentations of the city will take around 8 minutes
Most short questions will be resolved within 2 minutes
Most busy and crowded time is from 12pm-1.30pm
guests stay time: 2-7 min, average: 4.67 minutes
most guests are couple or family with children, and more than 35 years old, crowed in inform center area
"I can't recommend one over another, so he recommend the same for everyone comes."
"If crowed and busy, I don't be talkative, but answer all questions."
"The most common question is What attractions are not to be missed."
"Sometimes the recommendations based on how long they will stay and what they want to see."
"Instead of information center, I used to find travel information on Google and friends."
"I stay here to wait for the trolley bus, and use the restroom here."
"I gained the map from the welcome center but the time is limited so just pass the inform center."
"I travel here because I love historic perspective and wanna go to the slavery museum."
Key Insights & Directions
-
Many tourists come here because they are waiting for their trolley bus or after the tour, to use the restroom during that time. If they have enough time, they hang out in the welcome center, and enthusiastic staff will talk to them.
-
Just a few tourists come here in order to find tourism information. This is because of their habits or they have clear travel goals.
-
When there is a group of people they may not sit down, probably because of the size and layout of the tables and chairs Broken elevators make it inconvenient for people with reduced mobility. Ramps are not clearly signaled.
-
It's not easy to get a map in lobby. Information Center is far away, with no clear signals
Analysis & Updated Plan
+ Why do the visitors choose to come into this building? Did you know about museums here?
+ Why/Why not do they decide to go to the nearby museums/information center/gift shop?
+ What do they expect to find in the waiting spot?
+ What do you find exciting or missing here?
+ Before they enter this building, do they have a travel plan? How do they get that information?
2nd Session Interview Findings
Interview (16 Visitors)
"We stay here waiting for the trolley bus and go to the bathroom."
"I think the space of information center is neat"
"I see the sigh when driving so I know this is a VC, after entering I found there is a gift shop here."
"I looking for a map and some suggestions here to see what sites are."
"I asked staff to find the restroom here because I don't have enough time."
"I only know the museums because I saw the signer, that was little helper."
"I am looking for some information here and a physical map and route."
"We have a large group, but there are only three available chairs."
Timeline
Analysis and Ideation
Journey Map
Ecosystem Map
Ideation
Pain Point #1
Toilets and other indoor destinations are not shown on the map. Instead, the map shows the location of the outdoor museums.
Signs are not in clear places.
It takes a while for people to find their way to the toilet.
Ideation #1: HMW guide visitors to find the way more efficiently and save their time?
-
Signage system exploration
-
Color arrow stickers on the floor
-
Ramp experience and integration
-
Stair intervention
Pain Point #2
Each table only have two seats, while there are many 3-4 people groups.
The wifi isn’t offered
It’s hard to know whether the bus arrived or not
Ideation #2: HMW improve tourist comfort while waiting for the trolley bus and attract tourist interest in SVC?
-
Add historical functional items in the waiting area
-
Add bench can give a group of people a rest.
-
Redesign the content of screen in the lobby.
-
Add related QR code on the lobby table.
-
Implement Wifi connection and Device Charging Station.
Pain Point #3
The information center is crowded, no clear waiting line
Too much pamphlet, hard to get specific inform in short time expect asking staffs
Ideation #3: HMW improve the user experience and efficiency in the information center and better help users get their travel itineraries?
-
Change the layout of the information center, setting up a manual counter and waiting line.
-
Reasonably divide the locations of different types of manuals, (recommended manuals in the rest area/maps and scenic spots manuals in the consultation area.)
-
Display screens on both sides, can improve the efficiency of introducing the route.
-
Quickly customize the most suitable route (Interactive screen in information center, QR code in the lounge area).
Ideation Selection
Concept
QR Code & Interactive System
An interactive website can give customized route to tourists
Keep tourist what they want
Improve efficiency during peak season
Signage System
Redesign the signage system to make easier to read Explore floor signage option
Enhance visibility of accessible infrastructure
Prototype
Prototype Plan
We made the prototype plan with two concepts based on three perspective: Desirable, Feasible, and Viable.
Depending on this plan, we separated two groups to do the prototypes in Savannah Visitor Center.
Prototype_Concept #1 QR Code & Interactive System
Task 01 Observation (40mins*3)：
-
How many people will scan the qr code
-
How many realized the qr code
-
The age difference with early reseach
Task 02 Interview question (2-3mins):
-
Do you have a trip plan
-
What bring your interest to scan the qr code
-
The feature expected to get from the website a.coutomized the route or trolly tour from the selection b.famous attraction, trending activity in savannah c.suggest restaurant or hotel
Task 03 Get feedback from the UI wireframe (2-3mins)
Prototyping
Feedback (6 interviews)
-
"Didn't notice"
-
"QR code is small"
-
"The color of the QR code is too colorful"
-
"People my age don't have the habit of scanning QR codes" "Not sure about the content of the QR code"
-
"The steps to scan the QR code are too cumbersome, and the slogan on the QR code is not enough to attract me to take out my phone"
-
"I don't know the content of the QR code, it would be better if it was a poster with the introduction of the QR code!"
Prototype_Concept #2 Signage System
Survey and Quick Interview
-
Cuantitatively assess how much people find directions with the current signage
-
Assess which are the most searched places
-
Get feedback on proposed floor signage
Feedback (13 interviews)
-
“I had a hard time finding the restrooms”
-
“The actual signage does not seem to match the theme of the place”
-
“We could not find Leopold’s ice-cream”
-
“The concept is nice, but I would prefer only icons and not words”
Because of the limited time, we plan to push forward the concept #2 (Signage System) in the next step.
Design
Sign Redesign & Floor Sticker
Color Theme
Route Map
Reference
Scene View
Pilot
Pilot Overview
Hypothesis
What is the intended outcome of this Pilot?
-
Testing our concepts - signage system, which helps visitor to find a right way in a shorter time.
Value Proposition
In a few words, what value are you delivering?
-
We believe our concepts can improve the efficiency in the visitor center, reducing the time of finding a way, and increasing the time visitors spend elsewhere in V.C. (Savannah visitor center), ultimately increasing revenue.
Key Features To Be Tested
What part(s) of the solution are you piloting?
-
Floor signage
-
Signage of store names
-
Road signage
Target Profiles
Who is our consumer for this Pilot?
Demographics and behavioral criteria.
-
Visitors who are the first time come to V.C. or those unfamiliar with V.C. layout
Pilot Structure
Team Structure
How many people? Who is the decision maker?
-
Five people
-
Related key stakeholders of visitor center
Resources
Who needs to be involved?
-
During the design process, we needed to interview V.C. staff to gather information about visitors, such as age, race, etc.
Pilot Timeline
(what are the key milestones?)
-
Create a design sample (2-3 days)
-
Do a survey (1-2 days)
-
Making signage (1-2 weeks)
-
Interview people’s opinion (1-2 days)
Estimated Cost Structure
What is this project range?
(less than 500K, more thank 500k, 1b+?)
-
Making road signs :Less than 3k (Material cost, production cost, installation cost)
-
Design cost: 2-5K
Pilot Measure
Measurement Plan
What are the key metrics of success?
-
Measure if people find faster their way and reduce confusion. Measure if other staff is less interrupted in their work.
-
Measure aesthetic ratings of new designs and test how it matches the historical atmosphere of V.C.
What sources are you going to use to measure your Pilot?
-
Reviews on google, Yelp and other Platforms
-
Ask the staff’s opinion
-
On-site surveys and interviews
What recommendations would you have to test desirability, feasibility and viability of your Pilot?
-
For pilot, to what extent will the new signage system make people faster?
-
For pilot, what is the usage rate of each signage?
-
For pilot, what is the user satisfaction level of each signage? Where can it be improved? Are there any places that need to be added/remove to the signs?