A New Activity Booking System and a Web Page for 'sicklafjäll Outdoor Sports'

1. Introduction

Our mission was to design both a new activity booking system and a web page for 'Sicklafjäll Outdoor Sports'. Previously they had a system that worked, but not very well. Our design goals for the system were to make it more effective and user friendly. For the website our aim was to catch the users' attention and draw more tourists to Sicklafjäll.

To help with our design process we made some personas. From those we could easily find demands and discard some facilities, and enhance others. After making sketches for the activity booking system, solutions for the ski- instructor team and the web page we used the feedback from seminar one and made prototypes and essential use cases as complements. Finally we evaluated the results using Nielsen's heuristics.

2. Proof of Concepts

Since we only had a short description of what the currently user product is to day, we started to make decisions about the physical aspects of the new systems quite early in the design process.

Our first step was to make personas, which are rich descriptions of the typical users of the system (p. 481). This was done by sitting together and making up different users that we could think of, using some information from the case. We made personas for both the web page and the internal activity booking system at Sicklafjäll.

We also discussed if and how some of the personas could be in conflict of each other. For example, would Helena, who has small children, visit Sicklafjäll with her family if the web page had a focus on partying and drinking? Would Dave, who is a sporty teenager, be visiting Sicklafjäll with his cool friends if the web page had a focus on activities for families? Out of this ideas of categorizing the visitors on the web page arise.

Since a novice or a casual user is most likely the primary user of the web page we wanted to make an easy and simple interface with step-by-step instructions (p. 481). The booking system used by the office at Sicklafjäll, on the other hand, will have more frequent users and therefore we wanted to present to them a more flexible interaction with the system.

2.1 Personas

2.1.1 Lotta, Receptionist at the Activity Booking Office

Lotta is 32 years old and works as a receptionist at the activity booking office at Sicklafjäll 'Outdoor Sports'. She has worked as a receptionist at the activity booking for seven years and thinks it's a great job. She especially likes the contact with the guests and to be able to live and work near the slopes. She also likes working in a team, like they do at Sicklafjäll.

'Lotta started out as a receptionist during winter season only but for the past three years she has been working full time, the whole year around. During summer time she, and the other employees on permanent basis, evaluate the past season, come up with new ideas, make improvements and all the other stuff that needs to be done in order to reopen the next season. Lotta feels that she is a valued part of Sicklafjäll and quite often the other members of the staff come to her to ask questions.

Since the present booking system has many flaws, Lotta feels that she has to answer the others questions a little bit too often. Many times they need information that the system ought to provide the staff but doesn't.

Lotta has good skills in using booking systems. Before she started out as a receptionist at Sicklafjäll, she worked at a travel agency for a couple of years. Lotta has average computers skills. She is quite determent as a person and often uses the 'trial-and-error' style when she's working. Luckily, by now, she knows the system inside-out, but in the beginning there were some misfortunes as a result from her 'trial-and-error' style.

Lotta is looking forward to the new booking system and the new web page. She hopes it will give her more time to spend on other things at the activity booking office. She has no worries that she won't be able to learn the new system.

2.1.2 Helena, Guest

Helena Karlsson is a 34 year old wife and mother of two children who along with her family is visiting Sicklafjäll during the Easter holidays and would like to book some activities at this specific ski school. She indicates that she has some skiing experience but needs to update her techniques and is hoping to find out whether the school has part time lessons.

She considers Sicklafjäll to be a great family friendly place and that's why she is booking lessons for the entire family including her two children, Zeke and Ellen and she might also like to experience skiing as a fun family activity and reserve a private group just for the family. ``Skiing as a family is such a rewarding experience``, she says.

Helena mentions that her younger son, Zeke is just 4 years old and has no prior skiing experience. He also has Down's syndrome and can sometimes be quite temperamental. So she prefers a very experienced instructor for him. Even thou it might be a good idea for the instructor to give more attention to her son, she still thinks that if he studies with other students it will be easier for him to learn since her son is not good at taking verbal instructions but can learn by imitating other children.

Helena's daughter Ellen is 12, she started skiing two years ago and can now go in blue slopes by herself. Helena is not worried about her since Sicklafjäll has intermediate hills and is a good place to learn. She is safe to take group lessons but hopes to find the same instructor that taught her the year before hoping he will know her strong and weak points. She can't emphasize enough the hospitality offered by Sicklafjäll to their costumers and their effort to really making costumers feel like part of the family.

Although one of the disadvantages is that she would like to make the payment online thru the comfort of her home since she does not like to carry money or have any unexpected surprises about the payments after a long trip. And last but not least, since she is an organized person one of the questions she wants an answer to by the booking receptionist is the weather forecast. Cause what's after all the point of going skiing without any snow?!

2.1.3 Dave, guest

Dave is a casual user, and is used to book stuff over the internet. That includes concert tickets and train tickets. There the processes are quite different, so he is used to different