Here a few things we have noticed.
Positives:
- A hotel and bus was organized quickly to take us to the hotel, allowing us to have a good nights rest (the hotel also came with free internet - a big plus - allowing us to catch up on emails, use Skype etc)
- Rooms were handed out quickly on arriving at the hotel (with minimal fuss)
- Breakfast was served in the morning
- Hotel staff were friendly in providing customers with flight updates
- Hotel staff provided a wakeup call (so we did not need to worry about when the bus was leaving)
When back at the airport:
- Food and drinks were provided for customers while waiting at the airport gate
- It was easy to find power sockets to plug in the computer
- The airport is spacious and cool making it comfortable to sit for longer periods of time
Negatives:
- There are no departure status boards to see updates if you decide to move away from your own departure gate
- No wifi connections for business travelers who want to keep up with work and communicate with colleagues (we were lucky to find a first class lounge who let us use their connection)
- Airport food is expensive and there are not many choices
- No places to lie down for people who need to wait longer for their flight
- The airline have not provided any real alternatives for customers wanting to make other transport arrangements e.g. other flights, trains etc -- this is especially frustrating for people who have meetings arranged (again a WiFi connection would make it easier for people to rearrange their schedules)
- Airline does not provide free WiFi for people waiting
User Research in China -- Lessons Learnt:
- Always allow an extra day between the day you travel and the day you conduct research
- Double check all details over the phone including hotel and flight reservations
- Carry plenty of water (especially if its hot) and ask yourself if you want to conduct research in the hot season
Airport Design Opportunity - provide a free service for people wanting to check departure times real time via their mobile phones. This means that people would not have to go hunting around for departure boards to check updates (this assumes that WiFi is provided)
Our main takeaway - truly taking the time to observe an environment can uncover a number interesting experiences and design opportunities. You just need to the time to watch!
Over the next few months we aim to share more about the User Research itself but interestingly the trip itself is almost becoming its own research :)
What have you noticed in your travels? How could airport experiences be improved? |
