This report presents the research and design of a proposed mobile application targeting small- to medium-sized budget hotel operations. It begins by surveying existing digital media technologies and the growing role of mobile apps in the hospitality industry. Three user personas — a Hispanic hotel manager, a retired veteran operating a bed-and-breakfast, and an experienced multi-franchise owner — are developed to represent the target market. Two use cases and a storyboard illustrate how the app interfaces with a hotel's enterprise resource management system. Finally, the report applies the DECIDE framework to outline an evaluation plan that measures the app's cost-effectiveness, training requirements, and impact on staff satisfaction and operational performance.
The paper exemplifies persona-based user-centered design, anchoring every subsequent design decision — use cases, storyboard, and evaluation criteria — to the behavioral characteristics of representative users. This technique, drawn from Guenther (2006), shows how qualitative user profiles can drive applied technology design choices in a structured and defensible way.
The report opens with a context section on existing digital media technologies before introducing the proposed product. It then builds outward through three progressively concrete design artifacts: personas (who will use it), use cases (what they will do with it), and a storyboard (how a specific interaction unfolds). The DECIDE framework evaluation plan closes the analytical content, followed by a brief conclusion that connects short-term product utility to longer-term technology trends.
The hospitality industry has become increasingly competitive in recent years as major hotel chains vie for erratic occupancy levels during uncertain economic periods. Identifying opportunities to gain a competitive advantage in this environment therefore represents a timely and valuable enterprise. This report provides a description of a proposed digital media product, three personas for that product, and two use cases based on those personas concerning the use of the proposed app. A storyboard depicting the operation of the proposed digital media product and its intended use is followed by a description of how the product will be evaluated for effectiveness using the DECIDE framework. A summary of the research and its important findings are presented in the conclusion.
Although interfaces and devices differ, most existing digital media technologies ultimately rely on the Internet and the World Wide Web. In this regard, Cusick (2009) reports that "the technological connection to companies and others is represented these days through the Web. The Web is no longer limited to traditional websites. Mobile 'apps' (applications that can be used anywhere through a cell phone, such as online banking or account management) are exploding in certain industries" (p. 120). The digital media technology envisioned in this report consists of an app that will work with a smartphone and other mobile digital devices to access current and archived enterprise resource data.
The target market for this app is hotels in general and budget-level hotel chains in particular. The customers for the proposed digital media product will be business owners and individual hotel managers. The hotel industry is a highly suitable market for these products because they facilitate interaction with the hotel's enterprise resource management system through a far simpler interface than trying to accomplish the same task via a website or through manual efforts (Mathieson 2010). Furthermore, more and more people are becoming familiar and comfortable with using mobile apps on their smartphones and tablets, and are even willing to pay premium prices to use them as part of their daily lives (Mathieson 2010). According to one industry analyst, "By 2020, mobile apps alone will be as big or bigger than the Internet, peaking at 10 million apps before leveling off" (Mathieson 2010, p. 196).
In reality, even 10 million may prove a modest projection if current trends are fueled by unexpected technological innovations. These trends do suggest that in the near future, more and more people in all walks of life will be using mobile apps, and vendors continue to capitalize on these trends in a "build it and they will come" fashion. Nevertheless, it is also apparent that not all digital media products offer the same advantages for users, and many mobile apps are highly specialized in their applications (Weinstock 2010). One specialized application that has become especially pronounced in recent years is the use of mobile apps by the hospitality industry to improve consumer interaction and promote brand awareness (Cusick 2010). In some cases, mobile apps for the hotel industry have become available for this purpose, but to date there remains a dearth of specialized mobile apps that can be used by small- to medium-sized enterprises competing in the budget hotel sector.
Personas are a useful means of helping marketers better understand the perceptions of real-world consumers regarding their products or services. This approach is congruent with the guidance provided by Mathieson (2010), who advises that there are basically two models of behavioral targeting available to help marketers in this fashion:
1. Network targeting: Data is collected across the various sites a consumer visits within a specific network to build a basic profile, persona, or segment.
2. On-site targeting: Data is drawn from user behavior at a specific site — very typical in e-commerce — and is used to enhance the user experience (p. 235).
Although there is nothing particularly mysterious or difficult about the persona design process, there are some important issues that must be taken into account when formulating personas that are truly representative of the target market. Guenther emphasizes that "this design approach identifies prototypical users and looks at each as a unique entity. Each persona acts as a composite to represent a discrete set of users based on their shared attributes or characteristics" (2006, p. 49). This observation does not mean that an accurate persona can be developed simply by tallying the number of instances of a given attribute or gender; rather, it requires careful analysis of a wide range of behavioral factors representative of the target market. According to Guenther, "Personas are based on the notion that current and future customers exhibit behaviors and share personal characteristics, experiences, and goals that can be collectively reflective of a user audience or group. Although a persona represents a fictitious narrative of a user, it is based on input from real users' behavior, preferences, and expectations" (2006, p. 50).
Other salient guidance concerning the persona development process provided by Guenther (2006) includes the following points:
1. From a marketing perspective, personas provide benefits for both internal and external marketing efforts; internally, personas offer a tangible means to initiate the project for which they were written.
2. Some companies have gone so far as to introduce the fictional character to spark enthusiasm among employees and align project work to customer needs in a visual and meaningful way.
3. Personas also provide a foundation from which the external marketing campaign can be developed and targeted — in this case, targeting the campaign directly to those for whom the product was built.
4. Personas do not necessarily align directly to market segments, but they support direct conversations about target audiences, their needs, and how the product fulfills those needs (p. 50).
The three personas described below were developed based on actual social media profiles and personal acquaintances, according to their respective ages, education levels, experience, cultural backgrounds, and how each might view the proposed digital media product. Illustrative photographs used are representative only and are not of actual individuals.
Age: 34. Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from a midwestern university; currently working towards an advanced degree in hotel and resort administration. Experience and Goals: Jill has two years of entry-level front desk operations experience, five years as assistant hotel manager for housekeeping operations, and two years in her current position as hotel manager for a budget-level hotel chain. Her short-term goal is to become a hotel franchise owner, and her long-term goal is to own a series of franchises specializing in Latin-themed units. Cultural Background and Mobile App Adoption: Single Hispanic, no children. Proficient with the hotel's enterprise resource system. This persona would readily embrace the proposed digital media product and may require only brief training in the app's features and use.
Age: 65. Education: High school diploma; several workshops, seminars, and continuing education experiences over the years, but no college degree. Experience and Goals: Retired after 30 years of service in the U.S. Army infantry, including two combat tours in Vietnam. With his wife, Bill currently operates a bed-and-breakfast facility with five small cabins and a main lodge beside a lake in rural Oklahoma. No marina facilities are provided, but there is a rowboat for guests. Bill employs one full-time housekeeper and one part-time chef. His main goal is to maximize the efficiency of his current operations and reduce the workload on himself and his wife. Cultural Background and Mobile App Adoption: Married; two children and three grandchildren who visit as guests from time to time. Bill is skeptical of computers and has never used the Internet. Although his wife owns a basic cell phone, Bill still relies on his landline and refuses to use a cell phone. This persona would probably be resistant to the app unless its attributes were clearly demonstrated and carefully explained.
Age: 52. Education: Bachelor's degree in organizational leadership and a master's degree in hotel administration. Experience and Goals: Five years in a hotel management and administration training program, five years as hotel manager, and currently owner of five franchise operations. Will's short-term goal is to improve the efficiency of all five hotels' operations, and his long-term goal is to grow his chain as much as possible. Cultural Background and Mobile App Adoption: African-American, no children. Expert with computers. This persona would be delighted by the proposed digital media product and would require no specialized training.
Current predictions indicate that by 2020, mobile apps will become bigger business than the Internet, but these predictions are based on the assumption that fifth- and sixth-generation technologies will continue to rely on the same infrastructure built to support the proliferation of mobile devices. Recent trends suggest, however, that because Moore's Law continues to hold true, ubiquitous computing may be achieved far sooner than anyone might expect today, making these technologies interim at best. Nevertheless, the digital media product described in this report represents a cost-effective solution for a wide range of small- to medium-sized hotel operations that can be readily implemented and evaluated for effectiveness. In the final analysis, it is reasonable to conclude that not everyone will readily appreciate the attributes and advantages of the mobile app described above, but this constraint can be overcome in large part through training and management oversight to identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement.
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