Why/How we interviewed her: Grace travels a lot and is likely to be involved with the planning part of the trips.
What hypothesis we tested: This platform will be competing with a lot of other travel planning tools. It might have difficulty competing over all the other planning tools and options that exist on the market. What we really wanted to learn: Would Grace be willing to adopt this platform over other travel sites and apps? What we learned from this interview: Grace thought she'd be pretty likely to use this tool because it would be unique to group trips where people are not close together and there is more coordination necessary - most other tools don't tie in that component. She thought she'd be likely to use it to plan trips with friends who don't live close to her. This is a use case that comes up quite frequently for her. A lot of friends are spread out geographically and having some kind of way to facilitate a these reunions would be great. She currently uses text, email, Facebook to figure out dates and decide who's going to do what, but it'd help to have something that's all in the same place. What surprised us: Grace really reiterated the social aspect of this product that will be key to the story we tell about using the tool. Other interesting outcomes: It might be good to have integrations with other messanger systems to pull in the various sources of information about a trip.
0 Comments
Why/How we interviewed him: Troy loves exploring and going new places.
What hypothesis we tested: This platform will be competing with a lot of other travel planning tools. What we really wanted to learn: Would Troy be willing to adopt this platform over other travel sites and apps? What we learned from this interview: Troy likes to be spontaneous but when he travels with larger groups of people he knows more advanced planning is necessary. He thought this would be really useful for him because he specifically hates trying to collect $ from everyone. He also was really excited about the date coordination component since that's often a pain point for him. Gathering everyone's opinions would be useful too. He thought if he knew about this platform he'd definitely propose it to the group he was travelling with as a way to stay aligned - he wasn't necessarily sure that everyone in the group would be willing to though. What surprised us: Even though Troy isn't necessarily a "planner" he was still intrigued by the product idea. Whether or not he actually would use the product could still be TBD - we'd have to make it pretty easy and front of mind. Other interesting outcomes: He thought maybe CPG companies would want to use us as an advertising mechanism and have samples available for people who book with us (this became logistically complicated when we started getting into it). Why/How we interviewed her: LeAnn travels quite a bit and she is usually involved in the planning process of trips that she takes (she isn't a social loafer!)
What hypothesis we tested: This platform will be competing with a lot of other travel planning tools. What we really wanted to learn: Would LeAnn be willing to adopt this platform over other travel sites and apps? What we learned from this interview: LeAnn actually got very excited about this idea. The collaboration and delegation feature was particularly appealing to her. She could think of many instances where she and her husband were trying to coordinate a trip and he forgot to do something (once he even forgot to book a flight!) because they weren't clear on what they were each supposed to take care of. Having some sort of reminder feature would be helpful for her. Since her primary use case is with her spouse, splitting costs is less important to her, but if she was doing something with friends that could be useful so she'd be glad that it was an option. Currently she uses google docs as a collaboration tool to plan trips. She usually searches around the internet for the best flight/hotel deals depending on where they're going. What surprised us: This could be useful for couples and not just friend groups. Other interesting outcomes: From a collaboration aspect Google Docs could also be a competitor. Stephen loves to ski and travel with friends. He does both activities several times a year, however he doesn’t enjoy the process, but feels he needs to take a leadership role to get things done.
Why/How we interviewed him: Stephen has planned many group trips. He is also a product manager and may provide insights based on his experience in this space. What hypothesis we tested: A person who is a planner and has been exposed to a vast number of products has no need for another app. What we really wanted to learn: Is there room in the market for another app? What we learned from this interview: An app won't help an indecisive person make a decision, the question is how can you make an indecisive person commit to a decision quickly. During the accommodation search, amenities can be a source of tension between travelers (eg. The person who doesn’t drink coffee doesn’t care about a cappuccino machine). Collecting payments is the most challenging part of planning. From previous experience, when showing a calendar in an app, people will not indicate all days they are available due to the fact many people don't want to look like they have a lot of free time. What surprised us: Stephen's insight into the fact indecisive people are the most challenging people to engage in a group planning activity. There was also an interesting observation that people aren’t honest about their availability for trips. Stephen also felt chatbots could aid in the planning process, as he is debating their usage in a upcoming product he is working on. Other interesting outcomes: Tilt had a great start, but he has not seen it being utilized recently. There is a great opportunity for a competitor to come in and snag its market. Mei loves to ski and travel with friends. She does both activities several times a year. She does the majority of the trip planning for her friends.
Why/How we interviewed her: Mei does almost all the planning for group trips that she plans. This includes international trips, along with ski trips to Tahoe. What hypothesis we tested: An avid planner doesn't need a new platform to help her plan. She has already optimized her planning process, so it would be difficult find a way to wedge a new product into her process. What we really wanted to learn: What tools does a group trip planner need to solve their problem? What we learned from this interview: Although Mei has optimized everything with shared spreadsheets. The one thing that a spreadsheet cannot take care of is payments. She collects money up front now, and hounds people, but feels this isn’t optimal. She previously had many payment problems, but her current system has prevented non-payment from people. If there was a platform that could remove the hassle of collecting payments she would use it. Currently she uses, cash, check, Venmo, various bank payments systems, Paypal and even has Square. Although, she is optimized around receiving payments she can still have trouble collecting. What surprised us: Mei was interested in planning app, even before talking about the automatic payment portion. If something can be done easier than a spreadsheet, she would take advantage of it. Planners want better tools that would help people. Other interesting outcomes: Mei got excited about some mockups of a tool that could help non-planners know what they need to do. In her experience many people who go on group trips don’t realize all the steps that are needed to be completed prior to the trip. For a planner it is frustrating when other people assume everything will be planned out for them and they miss individual steps in the process, such as buying plane tickets for a trip. Nishanth is a skier who has a season lease in Tahoe. He also travels regularly with friends.
Why/How we interviewed him: Nishanth could potentially be part of our target segment for the group trip planning platform since he is single and usually travels with groups of friends. He also works at Oracle in M&A so evaluates start ups regularly and could have some good advice for us. What hypothesis we tested: Some of the pain in planning group trips would be mitigated by our idea. What we really wanted to learn: Does the group trip planning application appeal to people? What we learned from this interview: Nishanth thought he would definitely use this service. He did think that he though he would use it less as he gets older though - likely because he won't be travelling with as many separate friend groups and more with just his future family. He did think there was a need to integrate some of the separate systems that people use to plan trips since that can be a pain. Integrating with social platforms would be very important for him so he could add his Facebook friends and use Facebook Messenger to communicate plans. What surprised us: It seems that the market for this type of service might be limited to younger people who are more likely to travel frequently with people outside of their immediate family where sharing costs becomes more of an issue. This is something to test in future interviews. Other interesting outcomes: He did caution us to closely research competitors since this is a crowded space. Anirudh doesn’t ski because he thinks the investment is too great and the learning curve is too steep for his limited free time, but he does love to travel and go on trips…which require planning.
Why/How we interviewed him: During the course of conversation the topic of planning international vacations come up. This lead to a conversation about the planning process What hypothesis we tested: Everyone has points in the trip planning process that they don’t enjoy. What we really wanted to learn: What was Anirudh’s pain points in his journey of planning an international vacation. What we learned from this interview: Anirudh loves to plan trips. He likes searching all the hotels options, the airlines you can take, and activities you can do. It gives him a lot of pleasure to envision what he will be doing on his vacation. This reminded us of studies that have shown that the anticipation of a vacation is often more enjoyable than the actual vacation. Unpacking Anirudh’s pleasurable memories of the planning process, I found that Anirudh loved to view options, but didn't like to commit, especially on travel and accommodations, where prices may drop after booking. The fact that the price he would need to commit to may not be the lowest caused him a lot of stress. What surprised us: People like to daydream when they are planning. Options can be a good thing. Other interesting outcomes: If you can guarantee a low price, that would relieve a lot of stress in the planning process Why/How we interviewed him: Bill is a social skier who only goes to Tahoe as part of a group trip.
What hypothesis we tested: One of the ideas we have would excite the interviewee. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea did the respondent find most interesting What we learned from this interview: Bill really likes the idea of the of the luxury bus - he felt like it would help him go on Tahoe trips more often. He would be willing to pay around $50 one way / $100 round trip for this service, and likes the idea of a premium service with wifi and a good atmosphere. He had a lot of questions about the equipment valet service, because he does not own gear and typically prefers to rent directly from the resort. He mentioned he could see the value in this type of service for a more frequent skier, however. What surprised us: Bill used to rent gear from a sports warehouse in the city, but the hassle of renting and hauling gear was not worth the cost savings. He prefers to rent straight from the resort and pay a premium for a reduced hassle. Other interesting outcomes: Even though he is an extremely casual skier, Bill seemed interested in both our prototypes. Why/How we interviewed him: Chris is an avid skier who has expressed frustration about planning and coordinating ski trips, and also would be willing to pay for additional convenience services.
What hypothesis we tested: Would an avid skier want to use our services? What we really wanted to learn: What prototype he preferred the most, would he be willing to use them? What we learned from this interview: Chris expressed a lot of interest and enthusiasm for the trip planning app. He liked the concept of aggregating various planning platforms (Tilt, Venmo, AirBNB, etc) into one centralized platform, which would reduce the load on the one person who typically ends up planning trips for a big group. He mentioned it would also be helpful for non-frequent skiiers who are intimidated by the logistics of planning a trip. What surprised us: He thought the equipment valet service could be really helpful for kids rentals (who are less particular about what type of gear they use). He also mentioned it could be valuable to partner with local rental shops to allow avid skiers to test out demo skis before purchasing. Other interesting outcomes: Chris suggested a guide for users to determine their gear measurements at home, create a profile for future rentals. Why/How we interviewed him: Justin is a social skiier who only goes to Tahoe as part of a group trip.
What hypothesis we tested: Would a casual hobby skiier be willing to pay for the services we prototyped? What we really wanted to learn: What prototype he preferred the most, would he be willing to use them? What we learned from this interview: When Justin goes up to Tahoe, he and his partner normally carpool with friends and stay at a friend's ski lease. They hate driving in adverse weather conditions and traffic, and would prefer a more fun, energetic car ride experience. In the past, they have taken a shuttle through Sports Basement. Justin doesn't own ski equipment, so when he rents equipment the day of, he feels like he is holding up the rest of his group. He doesn't like wasting time in the morning renting gear and then returning it before leaving at the end of the trip. He was interested in both the equipment valet and the luxury bus prototypes, but mentioned concern about dropoff and pickup for the bus if staying in a non-central location (ski lease vs. resort/hotel). What surprised us: Justin used to rent gear from local shops, but the hassle of renting and hauling to mountain in a packed car the day-of was not worth it to him anymore. He prefers to rent straight from the resort and pay a premium for a reduced hassle. For the equipment valet, he mentioned he would be willing to pay a premium for someone to collect his equipment from the pro shop and have it waiting for him, with the ability for him to go into the shop for adjustments if needed. Other interesting outcomes: Justin suggested a guide for users to determine their gear measurements at home, create a profile for future rentals. Why/How we interviewed him: Jon is an avid, lifetime skiier who has young kids he is now trying to get more involved in the sport.
What hypothesis we tested: One of the prototypes would be of interest to him. What we really wanted to learn: Is an equipment valet a service that this type of person would use? What we learned from this interview: Jon has been skiing his entire life, but for first time ever this past season he was "over it," because he was carrying everything: his two kids gear plus his wife's gear. In his words: “I am a Sherpa, its exhausting." He looked into a seasonal locker at Squaw (which costs $1,000 and comes with locker room/changing area), as well as VIP parking to ease the pain of carrying everything. The equipment valet protoype caused pupil dilation; Jon said it would improve his experience of skiing with kids greatly. He would be willing to use the service if it cost less than a ski locker (~$1000), and was safe for his equipment. What surprised us: Because Jon is trying to get his kids more involved with skiing, they do not switch resorts on a weekly basis during each season, instead picking one resort for the whole winter. However, he thought this idea would also be viable for childless skiiers who switch resorts, saying "if it were me 10 years ago I would use that service." Other interesting outcomes: Jon suggested inter-state services for truly avid skiers who go on destination ski trips. He also said that he typically keeps at least one old pair of skis, and would consider renting them out through this service for cash or a discounted rate. Why/How we interviewed him: Vinay belongs to our target segment of casual skiers. He does not own his equipment and rents whenever skiing. He usually goes out skiing with his wife and friends
What hypothesis we tested: That our ideas (Planning App/Premium Ski Bus/Ski concierge) were appealing to customers and would help to make their skiing experience more enjoyable. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would generate the most interest and excitement and get user feedback for some of these ideas. What we learned from this interview: Vinay was upbeat about the planning app. He has a close knit group of friends that travel together quite a bit. He likes that the app will help to keep all records at one place and he doesn’t have to check his email to find the various reservations and tickets. He is not sure how we will integrate all these websites at one place because he tends to shop around quite a bit especially since he books late and prices are usually high by then. He wouldn’t go on a Ski-bus since he likes travelling with his group and they usually rent a big van. The Ski-bus would most likely not be as cost effective as renting a van. He tends to do a lot of other activities and the bus would limit his movement. He also likes to keep his trip relaxed where he can start whenever and doesn’t like the idea of being there at a particular time to board the bus. He didn’t find the social aspect of the bus appealing since he already has a group and would rather spend time with them. What surprised us: Those in groups already have the social aspect covered and didn’t feel the need to meet more people on the bus. It is difficult to convince people that they will have a good time on the bus. They prefer the independence offered by the rental car and the flexibility to leave at any time. Other interesting outcomes: Different groups have different requirements from the app. Some need it for splitting costs better, some for delegating tasks and some for keeping all bookings at one place. Why/How we interviewed him: Jacob belongs to our target segment of casual skiers. He does not own his equipment and rents whenever skiing. He usually goes out skiing with his wife and kids for the whole weekend.
What hypothesis we tested: That our ideas (Planning App/Premium Ski Bus/Ski concierge) were appealing to customers and would help to make their skiing experience more enjoyable. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would generate the most interest and excitement and get user feedback for some of these ideas. What we learned from this interview: Jacob was not sure he wanted to use either of our services. The ski-bus was too limiting for him. His take was that if you are going to any ski-resort for more than a day, you need your car. There are several other issues that you have to take care of when travelling with kids especially going to the drugstore or the grocery store and that too several times. Taking an uber each time is not very cost effective. He usually books lodging on Airbnb and it would be impractical for the bus to drop everyone at their reserved place. He felt the planning app was interesting but only in a group setting and not really with a family where he has to take care of all the tasks. What surprised us: For families with little kids mobility is a big issue and they would like to travel independently. They do not prefer carpooling at all. They usually have a lot of stuff to tag along and do not have space in their car to share with other friends or group members. Other interesting outcomes: It seems that people with families are a different category all together with their own set of challenges. Why/How we interviewed him: Tom skis about 3 times per year, but his wife doesn't really enjoy skiing so he usually goes with a group of friends. He fits our casual skier category.
What hypothesis we tested: Tom would be interested in at least one of the ideas What we really wanted to learn: Which idea did the respondent find most interesting What we learned from this interview: Tom was luke warm on the idea of a ski bus initially - he asked how much it would cost and he said he had just purchased a Subaru so wouldn't have a need. Before he bought the car he also had no problems finding rides from friends with cars. When I mentioned the idea of doing it for a day trip he got more excited because his wife doesn't really like going up so this would give him more flexibility and allow him to go without spending the whole weekend. In the end he said this was his favorite of the three ideas. For the ski concierge service he was mostly concerned about the complicated logistics and worried that his day would be ruined if something got messed up and his skis didn't make it to the right place at the right time. When I introduced the idea of the planning app, Tom initially got excited and said "I could've used something like that for my wedding" but then when I got more into the details he got less interested. What surprised us: The app could be applicable to other types of trips too. Other interesting outcomes: The response to the word "app" seems to envoke skepticism from most interviewees.
Why/How we interviewed her: Amanda enjoys skiing, but doesn't get to go as often as she'd like. She's a casual skier. What hypothesis we tested: One of the prototypes would be of interest to her. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would generate the most interest and excitement and get user feedback for some of these ideas. What we learned from this interview: Amanda was interested in the luxury ski bus - she would probably be interested in it more as a day trip because she doesn't want to commit her whole weekend to skiing. She also thought it would be cool if you could buy a season pass for it. She'd also like if there were meals provided. One of her first questions was how much would it cost? Amanda could also be interested in the ski valet service depending on how much it cost. If she used this service she'd want to be able to leave her skis up there all season and would want to have the option of sending them to different resorts on different days. She was concerned that the logistics could become very complicated with this. She liked the idea of the app, but admitted that she probably wouldn't use it as much beforehand as she would the day on the mountain. She talked about resort's apps that she's found useful in the past and it's mostly the mapping capabilities that she found useful - planning routes, finding friends, weather, lift line info (like disney). 3 valleys in France is an app she really likes. What surprised us: The season pass for the bus was a new idea that might be worth pursuing. Other interesting outcomes: One of her biggest complaints is putting her boots on - she went to a resort in France where they helped her put her boots on and this made her trip way more enjoyable. If the ski valet service offered this she'd be very excited about it. Why/How we interviewed him: Matt *does not* represent the usual segment that we have targeted up until now. He has a family and 2 kids, which is different from the majority of our interviews. What hypothesis we tested: His willingness to use/his choice between our prototypes. What we really wanted to learn: What he thought of our prototypes and any insights to how our prototypes should be designed. What we learned from this interview: He uses a roof rack and SUV, so he is not too bothered by hauling up gear. He thinks it would be as much of a hassle to organize pick up and drop off of a valet service for gear. What surprised us: He is not too bothered by the drive up to Lake Tahoe, as this is time that he can spend with his family. Because his pain point for driving is lower, and because he has kids that he has to pay for as well, he does not have any interest in the ski bus idea because it is prohibitively more expensive then driving up and leasing skis. Other interesting outcomes: He is not an avid skier, but by this time in life he has already figured out ways around the pain points as well. Unless our options were much, much cheaper then his current options, he doesn't think there is much benefit to him. Why/How we interviewed him: Amit belongs to our target segment of casual skiers. He does not own his equipment and usually goes to Tahoe a few times a year.
What hypothesis we tested: That our idea (Planning App/Premium Ski Bus/Ski concierge) was appealing to customers and would help to make their skiing experience more enjoyable. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would generate the most interest and excitement and get user feedback for some of these ideas. What we learned from this interview: Amit was interested to know more about the premium bus service. He felt that the current lot of bus service companies did a poor job of providing customers with a good experience. Busses are noisy and movement is restricted. He wasn’t sure how the booze service will work to maintain a great atmosphere with so many strangers around. Rather than talking to random people, he felt that we should partner with tinder/eharmony and other dating services to source our pipeline of customers/couples who would be interested in doing activities together. That way we will have atleast one person to talk to through the 5 hour journey. Amit wasn’t keen on the app or the concierge service. Since he doesn’t own his equipment he rents from the resort and hence doesn’t benefit from a concierge service. What surprised us: How some customers don’t like the experience of travelling in a bus and the premium bus needs to offer a lot more in terms of luxury to make these customers switch. Booze on the bus might not be that big of a draw to customers who don’t drink much and are concerned about other people ruining their experience. Other interesting outcomes: It was interesting to note that partnering with other services could add more value than doing all ourselves and improve the experience of the casual skier. Why/How we interviewed him: Neil belongs to our target segment of casual skiers. He does not own his equipment and usually goes to Tahoe a few times a year with friends. He does not have kids. He identifies himself as a millennial.
What hypothesis we tested: That one of our ideas (Planning App, Premium Ski Bus) was appealing to customers and would help to make their skiing experience more enjoyable. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would generate the most interest and excitement and get user feedback for some of these ideas. What we learned from this interview: Neil was visibly excited about the premium ski bus. He would totally avail that service this ski season. He was very interested as the idea was being presented to him and engaged in a fair bit of co-creation as we spoke. He thinks booze and wifi is a must on the bus. He wanted the bus to be a one-stop shop providing ski-rentals, lift-ticket and lodging along with the transportation service. Cost was a big issue for him and he felt that we should have different bundled plans where we negotiate with the resort on behalf of the customer and provide value to our customers. The app didn’t pique his interest much since he felt there are various apps out there that get the job done of managing the trip. What surprised us: It was difficult to get him excited about apps. There are too many apps out there and unless there is critical mass/large user base around an app or there is a significant cost saving or time saving people are not willing to play with a new app. Other interesting outcomes: He felt that even avid skiers could use this product if we have a different bundled service for them. Why/How we interviewed him: Harit belongs to our target segment of casual skiers. He does not own his equipment and usually goes to Tahoe 1-2 times every season. He usually goes with his wife and two kids but has gone with his group of friends recently as well.
What hypothesis we tested: That one of our ideas (Planning App, Premium Ski Bus) would be appealing to customers and help to make the skiing experience more enjoyable. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would generate the most interest and excitement. What we learned from this interview: Harit was not thrilled about either of our ideas. For him the premium bus was not appealing because it constrained his flexibility during the trip. When he goes for a ski trip to Tahoe he tries to do other activities that keep his kids engaged like visiting a few parks on the way and stopping for food and snacks which is part of the experience for his family. Even when he goes with his friends he likes to stop in Sacramento for dinner since the food in North Lake Tahoe is not to their liking. The app option wasn’t that desirable either. They use whatsapp/google sheets to discuss and plan out the trip and moving to another platform was considered a pain. What surprised us: The interest level went down drastically when discussing the app. There are too many apps out there and it is not easy to engage people with a new app that just combines the features of other apps. Other interesting outcomes: He did mention that it was challenging to pull people out of their homes on the weekend and keeping things on schedule required a lot of effort. However according to him an app was not very effective to resolve this issue. Why/How we interviewed him: Pascal is part of our target customer segment being a casual skier with no kids who lives in the bay area.
What hypothesis we tested: That he would find benefit and value from 1 or more of our prototypes What we really wanted to learn: If any of our prototypes would get him enthusiastic and excited What we learned from this interview: Pascal found the bus to be the most appealing. He liked the idea of going up to the mountain without the hassle of driving, and enthusiasm visibly changed when compared to the other prototypes. He had the least enthusiasm for the planning app since he doesn't think it is useful and would be hard for people to adopt. What surprised us: Since he is a casual skier, he doesn't own his own gear, but even with the valet service he would not be convinced to buy gear because he doesn't go up enough. Other interesting outcomes: He was more interested in the group bonding aspect of the ski bus rather than snowboarding. |
AuthorThe Orca team is a group of second year Haas MBAs dedicated to bringing fun back to the logistics of group travel Archives
November 2016
Link to Full Interview Notes |