eTREASURE: ENHANCING TOURISTS EXPERIENCE BY PLAYING A TREASURE HUNT Alessandro Inversini NewminE Lab University of Lugano Switzerland [email_address] Lorenzo Cantoni NewminE Lab University of Lugano Switzerland [email_address] e-Business in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality, 14 March 2008, Athens, Greece

AGENDA Background and Objectives Structure and Technology User Experience Relevant Issues Wath’s on Now Future development

Background and Objectives

Structure and Technology

User Experience

Relevant Issues

Wath’s on Now

Future development

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Tourism Goods Consumption eTreasure objectives To offer a playfulness way to enjoy cultural heritage consumption, hence promoting informal learning To provide the user with relevant information on the cultural places s/he encounters To promote collaborative experiences To draw users’ attention to a given Point Of Interest, exploiting the concept of economy of attention To offer to tourists ad hoc commercial information during the city visit

Tourism Goods Consumption

eTreasure objectives

To offer a playfulness way to enjoy cultural heritage consumption, hence promoting informal learning

To provide the user with relevant information on the cultural places s/he encounters

To promote collaborative experiences

To draw users’ attention to a given Point Of Interest, exploiting the concept of economy of attention

To offer to tourists ad hoc commercial information during the city visit

STRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGY (I) Main requirements Assists/Guide tourists while visiting a cultural site or a city (consumption phase). Find an easy and well known way to engage with tourists. Publics The eTreasure project has been designed for two specific publics of reference: tourists and schools enjoying a visit to a city. Technology SMS and MMS

Main requirements

Assists/Guide tourists while visiting a cultural site or a city (consumption phase).

Find an easy and well known way to engage with tourists.

Publics

The eTreasure project has been designed for two specific publics of reference: tourists and schools enjoying a visit to a city.

Technology

SMS and MMS

STRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGY (II) Orange CH, is eTreasure Technical Partner

USER EXPERIENCE Users Motivations Age and gender; Interests: players are required to choose a path (e.g. cultural or natural); Time: player choose the number of POI to be enclose in the treasure hunt.

Users Motivations

Age and gender;

Interests: players are required to choose a path (e.g. cultural or natural);

Time: player choose the number of POI to be enclose in the treasure hunt.

RELEVANT ISSUES Treasure Hunt? The issue of Time Informal Learning “ incidental learning, unstructured, unpurposeful but the most extensive and most important part of all the learning that all of us do everyday of our lives” Rogers, 2004 Economy of the attention Location Based Services “ the key aspects of LCBS are their inherent relations between location coordinates or activity-contexts and applications”. Kühn,2004

Treasure Hunt?

The issue of Time

Informal Learning

“ incidental learning, unstructured, unpurposeful but the most extensive and most important part of all the learning that all of us do everyday of our lives”

Rogers, 2004

Economy of the attention

Location Based Services

“ the key aspects of LCBS are their inherent relations between location coordinates or activity-contexts and applications”.

Kühn,2004

USAGES (I)

USAGES (II) Strength: Creative & different “ City visit that includes outdoor activities coupled with challenging (interesting) tasks” Interaction with the system: the easiness of use, SMS technology is fast and common, easy to answer and to get the next tips Weaknesses: Event communication and promotion Interaction within the path: users need more information about the specific places, monuments and so on. Errors management

Strength:

Creative & different

“ City visit that includes outdoor activities coupled with challenging (interesting) tasks”

Interaction with the system: the easiness of use, SMS technology is fast and common, easy to answer and to get the next tips

Weaknesses:

Event communication and promotion

Interaction within the path: users need more information about the specific places, monuments and so on.

Errors management

WHAT’S ON NOW Carlo Cattaneo Association Award Regional development Schools Projects with schools (11 to15 years old) DMOs integration Lugano Tourism

Carlo Cattaneo Association Award

Regional development

Schools

Projects with schools (11 to15 years old)

DMOs integration

Lugano Tourism

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS Coupling each eTreasure hunt with already available paper based guides for tourists, so that they can read them while playing Offering podcast material on the website Providing brief textual or audio information via MMS when a player is in a given place Web portal for eTreasure creators Structured Feedbacks

Coupling each eTreasure hunt with already available paper based guides for tourists, so that they can read them while playing

Offering podcast material on the website

Providing brief textual or audio information via MMS when a player is in a given place

Web portal for eTreasure creators

Structured Feedbacks

eTREASURE: ENHANCING TOURISTS EXPERIENCE BY PLAYING A TREASURE HUNT Alessandro Inversini NewminE Lab University of Lugano Switzerland [email_address] Lorenzo Cantoni NewminE Lab University of Lugano Switzerland [email_address] e-Business in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality, 14 March 2008, Athens, Greece