Why/How we interviewed him: Karthik belongs to our target segment of casual skiers. He does not own his equipment and rents whenever skiing. He is a very busy professional and because of time constraints his skiing has reduced for the past few years.
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: Karthik was perceivably interested in the premium ski bus solution. He felt it would be great to have a luxury bus carry working professionals from SF Bay area to Tahoe. He felt that self-driving especially in snow made a ski trip more tiresome and less enjoyable. He also liked the idea of bundled packages with lift-tickets and ski rentals. However he had his reservations about the pickup and drop-off of customers. He didn’t want to waste time in the bus while others were being dropped off. Even if the bus had a single stop he wouldn’t avail the service if he had to use Uber to haul his luggage and equipment to his hotel room. He wanted a complete end-to-end solution that would be cost effective. In terms of the travel experience he wanted us to limit the service to working professionals since he would be more comfortable in that setting. He felt that having families with crying babies in the bus would lead to an inferior experience. What surprised us: Customers like the general idea of the ski bus but it gets complicated once we get into the details. Karthik was very particular about the group of people he would be travelling with which is difficult to predict and control. Other interesting outcomes: Bundling the costs is a big draw because skiing is an expensive sport.
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Why/How we interviewed him: The interviewed sprouted organically from a conversation about the upcoming rainstorm, and if it was going to bring snow to Tahoe. Kate is an avid snowboarder, who tries to maximize her trips to Tahoe during the winter months.
What hypothesis we tested: The hypothesis that was tested was that one of our 3 ideas (planning app, ski concierge, or premium ski bus) would cause visible excitement. What we really wanted to learn: Which idea would stir the most excitement. What we learned from this interview: Kate became visibly excited about a premium ski bus, something similar to what Virgin did to the airline industry. She has taken ski buses previously and the experience wasn't pleasant. There is no leg room, the seats aren't comfortable, and overall the buses are very economy class compared to what is possible. What surprised us: Kate nodded during the interview expressing interest in all the ideas, but when discussing the bus idea, the interviewee got excited and began co-creating what a premium ski bus would be like. Other interesting outcomes: Kate agreed that planning and scheduling is probably the one of the biggest pain points, but was super apprehensive about "another app?" She suggested to make sure it does one thing well, the worst apps are the ones that try to be all things to all people. Casual Snowboarder - No kids, 2-3 times a year to the mountain with friends
Why/How we interviewed him: Alvin is part of our target segment that we believe could benefit from any of the three prototypes we have thought of. What hypothesis we tested: His willingness to use/his choice between a planning app and a valet service What we really wanted to learn: What he thought of our prototypes What we learned from this interview: When planning his ski trip, he starts with the cheapest lodging first since that's the most expensive component of the trip, then he finds the resorts nearby that are affordable. Basically cost is his biggest factor. He mostly uses websites and apps specifically for each component, ie airbnb for lodging, and direct car rental sites but no all-encompassing planning app. His biggest pain point is coordinating with everyone and collecting money. What surprised us: He did not see much benefit in a valet service and did not think it was such a good idea. His opinion was that when you are deciding to go up, you already need a car that is capable of handling snowy conditions, and that even if it does not have space in the car for gear, a car rack is cheap enough that it removes most of the benefits from using a valet service. He also pointed out that even if you have a valet service, does he have to drop it off or do they pick it up? This is important when deciding to use it. Other interesting outcomes: His initial reaction was, "another app?" Why/How we interviewed him: Santiago would fit into the general target segment that our prototypes are aimed at, that is the casual ski and snowboarding crowd that lives in SF. In addition he does not own a car and so would need to either rent a car every time he goes up, and also rent equipment when he gets there.
What hypothesis we tested: For a person with no car, would a ski bus be an option for going up? Also if they have no car, would they even need a valet service? What we really wanted to learn: The preference for each prototype by the interviewee. What we learned from this interview: Santiago rarely goes skiing because he has no car, so the barriers to go are much higher. A planning app is not much use to him because of the added cost of renting a car, and a valet service for his gear is not applicable. The luxury ski bus was what piqued his interest especially since he's okay with going up alone (although prefers going in groups). However it would depend on which resort it goes to, where the pick ups are, etc. What surprised us: 2 of our 3 prototypes did not apply to him and did not interest him. They might provide some value at a later point when he owns a car, but at the moment they do not add much value. Other interesting outcomes: He is an avid user of planning or travel apps, so no aversion to those forms of planning. I also asked him if he had ever used a food pickup/delivery app and if he saw any value in it. He said he did not. Why/How we interviewed him: Nick works at two ski resorts in Lake Tahoe.
What hypothesis we tested: Nick and others like him would be willing to work for a ski concierge on demand. What we really wanted to learn: Is picking up and dropping off skis something ski town residents would be interested in to make some extra money. What we learned from this interview: Nick would definitely love to make some extra money picking up and dropping off ski equipment. If the plan is to have the ski equipment stored overnight somewhere, he thought that it would need to be a warehouse near where many of the workers live. Unfortunately his schedule usually has him working nights so he couldn't think of a way to make it work for people in his situation. What surprised us: Nick says even with two jobs, it's difficult to make enough money in Tahoe, and he thinks most people are in the same situation. But even so, he doesn't think people would be willing to pick up gigs, if it takes too much time away from the Lake Tahoe lifestyle, which is why so many of his friends moved to the area. Other interesting outcomes: Nick brought up storing people's equipment at the concierge workers houses. For example, Nick has 5 roommate. The 5 roommates all work for ski resorts, and all of those resorts are different. There could be a way to use houses as a storage facility. Why/How we interviewed him: Alison is a former ski instructor at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, and she currently lives in Truckee.
What hypothesis we tested: Locals would be willing to participate in the sharing economy by delivering and picking up ski equipment. What we really wanted to learn: Instead of hiring workers, could we actually get people to work on demand during the peak times before ski resorts open and after they close. What we learned from this interview: Alison thought that there was a good chance that locals would be willing to pick up skis and drop them off. Most locals that she knows work in the ski industry during the winter, and she thought that if there was a way to pair up skis with workers who work a particular resort it would be really efficient. What surprised us: Many workers in resort towns make minimal money are looking for extra income streams that don't take away from their ability to ski or snowboard too much. The ski concierge might be able to leverage this. Other interesting outcomes: Most of the skiiers she encountered as a ski instructor rented their equipment, and many of them were kids. Many of the parents dropped their kids off as a form of day care. The kids often had rental equipment, and the parents had very nice ski equipment. She wasn't sure if they'd be willing to trust a service with their personal skis, and there wasn't a need for a ski concierge for the kids rentals as they were part of a package. |
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 |