Talking Digital Natives, Product & Mobile

Nicholas Hall CEO & Founder

SE1 Media Digital Tourism Think Tank

Friday, 6th February #ENTER2015

dreaming

planning

book

ing

shar

ing

re-th

ink th

e tra

vel c

ycle!

@think_tourismENTER 2015

storytelling

suggestions

opin

ions

mom

ents

#hashtag

1. th

ink lik

e a

hum

an :

)

@think_tourismENTER 2015

engaging immersive

crowdsourced

digital swiss army knife

quick & pain free please

2. th

ink d

igita

l exp

erien

ce dreaming

planning

book

ing

shar

ing “internet is a human right!”

@think_tourismENTER 2015

3. th

ink m

obile

first

dreaming

planning

book

ing

shar

ing

experiencing

@think_tourismENTER 2015

Understanding the impact of Mobile on Youth Travellers

TODAY’S DIGITAL NATIVES

@think_tourism

Age: 35 or under

Blended offline & online words

Have smartphone & tablet

Book via online travel websites

60% consider smartphone a travel companion

Digital Natives Driving The Future of Travel

“Digital Natives”

“Millennials”

“Generation X, Y & Z”

So… Digital NativesWhat’s the idea?

“We wanted a concrete understanding of young travellers and their attachment to mobile”

Digital Nativesa pilot study with WYSE

‣ is our hypothesis correct? ‣ small initial sample ‣ in-trip research in London ‣ focused on ‘digital natives’

two groupstwo evaluations

A Place to VisitQueen Elizabeth Olympic Park

A Famous AttractionVictoria & Albert Museum

Awareness of Key Landmarks and AttractionsWHAT DID THE RESULTS SHOW?

@think_tourism

1. Knowledge of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and V&A: “What do you expect to see?”

2. Reactions after browsing both full and mobile optimised sites?

3. How do both mobile and full websites impact the visitor perception of the attraction or place?

Perceptions. Reactions.

"I’ve never heard about the museum. It’s somewhere here, I’ve seen that in the underground station, but I don’t know it" (Miguel, Portugal, 25) More than 3,000,000 visitors in 20146th Most Popular Attraction in the UK

“ Every time I take the train I see some part of the park. But I don’t really know what is in there.” (Lela, 25, Malta) Captured the imagination of 100’s of Millions in 20121,000,000 + Visitors since reopening in 2013

“I suppose it is a park with fountains and statues of the queen” (Ilona ,17, Czech Republic)”

“I guess, in this museum, I can see paintings about the royal family, weapons and some stuff about history” (Paco, 18, Spain)

Perceptions. Reactions.

Poor Brand Awareness

Requires the Mobile Brand to Deliver a Seamless Brand Experience

How  Do  Digital  Na,ves  React  to  Non-­‐Op,mised  and  Op,mised  Websites?

REACTIONS: FULL VS MOBILE

@think_tourism

“I don’t think it’s for mobile, the interface is quite small.”

Peter, 18, UK

“I don’t like this website, it is not suitable for smartphones”

Ignacio, 19, Spain

“The website is easy to understand and it looks great!

Ella, 24, Italy

“The website is very colourful. I like it!”

Ashley, 22, USA

Creative

Interesting

Easy

Pleasant

Clear

Attractive

1234567

Mobile Optimised Full Website

1234567

Creative

Interesting

Easy

Pleasant

Clear

Attractive

Mobile Optimised Full Website

How  a  Posi,ve  Mobile  User  Experience  Changes  Everything

MOBILE: SHIFTING PERCEPTIONS

@think_tourism

Shifting

Perceptions

Websites have an impact on the perception of what they promote

Design Impacts Reputation

Non-optimised sites resulted in a loss of interest

Optimised sites actually increased interest in a place

Choice of photos and layouts have an instant impact

Visual content leads natives to immediate assumptions

Too much text hinders curiosity

Content influences the motivation to visit

Participants complained about the prominence of text

Lots of text = Abandonment

Natives find a site disappointing when it lacks strong visual content

Visual content increases motivation to visit

Poor consistency fails to support visitors needs

1234567

Exciting

InterestingEnjoyable

Unique

1234567

Exciting

InterestingEnjoyable

Unique

How does a non-optimised site change initial perceptions? Initial perception Post-browsing

Perception

1234567

Exciting

InterestingEnjoyable

Unique

How does a mobile optimised site change initial perceptions? Initial perception Post-browsing

Perception

1234567

Exciting

InterestingEnjoyable

Unique

Maps  and  Loca,on  AwarenessIMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT

@think_tourism

“I don’t want to spend too much time on a website with my mobile, especially if I’m out!”

Lela, 25, Malta

“The pictures are really, really nice. It seems really interesting.”

Anna, 22, Germany

"I want small text, attractive pictures and a map.”

Simon, 22, France

1. Immediacy is key 2. Instant overview is necessary 3. Provide concrete information visitors need

Importance Contextthree important observations

What  To  Consider  when  Engaging  Digital  Na,ves  in  Travel

KEY TAKEAWAYS

What have they taught us?

Speak “experience” in your digital rhetoric

It must be immediately clear for tourists what they can do and experience

An authentic image can communicate the actual experience

What have they taught us?

Get your visual content spot on

Visual content should shape and enhance your brand image.

Consider fonts, images and colours carefully

What have they taught us?

Don’t forget location, location, locationLocation and directions should be easy to find on the website.

Location plays a key role in shaping spontaneous decisions

What have they taught us?

Always exceed expectations

A brand has a limited amount of time to match tourists expectations or change them for the better

Visitor perceptions are based on complex environmental factors. You have an opportunity to shape these.

innovateM-Labs Southern Africa is a start-up accelerator with specialised a mobile lab. In 2012, Microsoft and M-Labs teamed up to hold a hackaton Rand Airport to challenge the developer community to innovate!

Thank you!

Nicholas Hall CEO & Founder

SE1 Media Digital Tourism Think Tank

@think_tourism

@nickhalltravel