Measuring multiple senses in customer experiences: The amusement park case

L. Alakoski, Asta Bäck

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    Abstract

    The study is based on service experience theories focusing in particular on customers’ impression and thoughts of sensory experiences. This paper deals with how service design methods can be used to gather information and evaluate the service experience from a multisensory point of view, and how this data can be used to develop the service experience. The case is an autumn event of an amusement park called Light carnival.

    Theoretically we assume that customers are active service co-producers and actors within the context of service experiences. The main questions are how to collect sense observation data different service design tools effectively. The chosen tools were empathy tool, storytelling, observation table, and assignment notebook. The observers were 46 university students. Sight, hearing, touch, scent, sense of motion, in addition to the social environment were evaluated by them. For analysing were used service journeys, affinity-diagrams, and content analysis. When comparing the methods, the assignment note book produced the weakest results in this case. The most accurate and rich data with regards to the sense observations was received through the storytelling and observation table. The empathy tool was good in this complementing role, but with its special arrangement, it would not have been suitable to be the only tool to be used.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)28-38
    JournalInternational Journal of Hospitality and Tourism
    Volume3
    Issue number1
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Keywords

    • customer perspective
    • multisensory service experiences
    • senses
    • service design tools

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