Hotel Mobile App Design: Digital Media Technology Plan
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.
- Introduction and Overview: Report scope, structure, and research purpose
- Existing Digital Media Technologies in Hospitality: Mobile app trends and hotel industry context
- Three Personas for the Proposed App: Three representative user profiles for target market
- Use Cases for the Proposed Digital Media Product: Two scenario-based use cases for Jill and Will
- Storyboard of the Proposed App in Action: Visual narrative of hotel manager using the app
- Evaluation Plan Using the DECIDE Framework: Six-step DECIDE evaluation methodology applied to app
- Conclusion: Summary of findings and long-term technology outlook
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper moves logically from market context through design artifacts (personas, use cases, storyboard) to an evaluation framework, giving it a coherent product-development structure.
- The three personas are richly differentiated by age, education, and technology comfort level, making the target market analysis concrete and credible.
- Applying the DECIDE framework systematically to the evaluation section demonstrates disciplined use of an established methodology rather than vague claims about measuring success.
Key academic technique demonstrated
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.
Structure breakdown
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.
Introduction and Overview
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.
Existing Digital Media Technologies in Hospitality
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.
References
Cusick, W. J. (2009). All Customers Are Irrational: Understanding What They Think, What They Feel, and What Keeps Them Coming Back. New York: American Management Association.
Guenther, K. (2006, September/October). Developing personas to understand user needs. Online, vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 49–51.
Mason, C. M., Chang, A. C., & Griffin, M. A. (2005). Strategic use of employee opinion surveys: Using a quasi-linkage approach to model the drivers of organizational effectiveness. Australian Journal of Management, vol. 30, no. 1, p. 127.
Mathieson, R. (2010). The On-Demand Brand: 10 Rules for Digital Marketing Success in an Anytime, Everywhere World. New York: AMACOM.
Weinstock, J. (2010). Left to their own devices: With cost concerns squeezing districts out of 1-to-1 computing programs, a once unthinkable solution is now in play allowing students to bring their own laptops, PDAs, and cell phones. THE Journal, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 32–34.
White, C. (2007, April 23). Good advice. The Journal (Newcastle, England), p. 37.
Wiley, J. W., Brooks, S. M., & Lundby, K. M. (2006). Put your employees on the other side of the microscope. Human Resource Planning, vol. 29, no. 2, p. 15.
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