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.
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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. 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. Why/How we interviewed him: Sean and his family, which includes 3 children, love physical activities and spend most of their free time in the outdoors.
What hypothesis we tested: People who live an active lifestyle and the outdoors, enjoy skiing or snowboarding. What we really wanted to learn: If his family skis, what is their typical experience like? How do kids get involved in snow sports? What we learned from this interview: To Sean, downhill skiing doesn't provide the physical exertion that he prefers. He began doing endurance sports such as ultra marathons, century rides, and obstacle course based events in recent years, as they have gained in popularity. Cross country skiing provides a similar "burn" that he prefers. What surprised us: To Sean, downhill skiing and snowboarding isn't as fun as cross country skiing. He would cross country ski everyday if we lived in the snow. Also surprising was that the didn't want his kids to learn to ski because the risk of injury is too high. He had blown out his knee twice, skiing, and it has significantly impacted his quality of life. Other interesting outcomes: As endurance sports have gained in popularity, people may prefer cross-country skiing or snowshoeing to downhill skiing. There is more knowledge around injuries, which may be keeping people from picking up skiing or snowboarding. Why/How we interviewed him: Sarah has two young kids and tries to expose them to as many experiences as possible to see what they like. We were interested in seeing if parents with young kids are exposing their children to snow sports. If they have gone skiing, we are interested in their experience. If they haven't gone, we wanted to see why they haven't.
What hypothesis we tested: People who want to introduce their young children to a variety of experiences, will take them skiing, or snowboarding. Another hypothesis we tested, was that key factor in young children being introduced to skiing, is whether their parents ski. What we really wanted to learn: What is the ski experience of a family with young children. If they don't ski, why not? How do kids get involved in snow sports? What we learned from this interview: Sarah does take her children to Lake Tahoe several weekends during the winter months. However, she doesn't introduce them to skiing because she feels that it is too expensive, and the kids will have more fun just playing in the snow. She also brought in an interesting insight which is that skiing is a structured activity, and many parents are moving toward a free play model of recreation. What surprised us: Sarah was willing to take her family to Lake Tahoe, but doesn't introduce her children to skiing since she believes her kids will have more fun in an unstructured environment. Other interesting outcomes: Sarah felt that skiing and snowboarding are competitive sports and she doesn't consider them recreational. When we unpacked this statement, we found that the way that these sports have been marketed is a key factor in this point of view. These activities have been marketed as X Game & Olympic Sports, or as an extreme activity. It hasn't been marketed as a fun activity for the whole family. Why/How we interviewed him: Steve lives an active lifestyle which includes spending most of his time playing playing basketball, running, and cycling. He fits the demographic of someone who would enjoy snow sports.
What hypothesis we tested: People who live an active lifestyle enjoy skiing or snowboarding. What we really wanted to learn: If he skis, what is his typical experience like? What we learned from this interview: Steve was an avid skier growing up and was a competitive skier throughout his childhood and into college. His family went up to Lake Tahoe every weekend when he was growing up. Since college he has completely given up the sport due to the cost and the long drive up to Lake Tahoe. He has observed that the costs have gone up dramatically and the traffic has gotten worse since his childhood. What surprised us: Steve was an avid skier throughout his formative years, however he still gave it up due to inconvenience and cost. Other interesting outcomes: Steve typifies what statistics that various ski industry groups have shown, fewer people are skiing, yet revenues for the ski industry has been increasing, which means that costs for for remaining customers have been increasing. Why/How we interviewed him: Steve lives an active lifestyle which includes spending most of his free time running and cycling. He fits the demographic of someone who would enjoy snow sports. His family includes a teenage daughter is active in school sports.
What hypothesis we tested: People who live an active lifestyle enjoy skiing or snowboarding. What we really wanted to learn: If he skis, what is his typical experience like? Does his daughter enjoy skiing? What we learned from this interview: Steve introduced his daughter to skiing even though he doesn't like it. After a few trips the family stopped going because they didn't find it rewarding. Digging deeper, we found that he likes the actual thrill of skiing. The cold, the travel, and the risk of injury make the activity's risk-to-reward ratio too low to justify the effort of going. What surprised us: Steve brought up virtual reality, and that he would love the trill of going downhill, without the cold, travel, or risk of injury. We had spoke about V/R when we were exploring "How might we disrupt the ski industry." It was interesting to get this prospective from an interviewee, unprompted. Other interesting outcomes: Steve's main point of concern with his daughter's involvement in skiing was her potential for injury from this "inherently dangerous activity." Advanced Skier - goes skiing 8 weekends/season on average. Usually goes with friends.
Why/How we interviewed him: Maeyce owns his own equipment and has been skiing for a long time. He changes his equipment every 4 seasons. We interviewed him to understand the challenges faced by season ticket holders. What hypothesis we tested: Advanced skiers who own their equipment need a service to help them with skiing logistics. What we really wanted to learn: How we could make skiing more fun for him and his friends. What we learned from this interview: Hauling of equipment is not that big of an issue. He uses a overhead rack for his equipment to free up space inside his car. He usually gets season passes that cover a couple of resorts and stays close to the slopes. Once he parks his car, he uses resort shuttles extensively to move around with his equipment throughout the day. He wakes up early to hit the fresh powder and carries snacks with him that last him throughout the day. He dresses up fully at his hotel room so that he has to carry less stuff in a bag and can quickly put his stuff in the locker at the resort. What surprised us: How advanced skiers have figured out logistical efficiencies that helps them save time and enjoy more on the slopes. For them hauling equipment is a non-issue. Other interesting outcomes: His skiing activity has reduced primarily because of the time it takes to reach the resorts. He would prefer to stay closer to use his season pass optimally. Advanced Skier - goes skiing 4 weekends/season on average. Usually goes with family.
Why/How we interviewed him: Jeff owns his own equipment and has been skiing for more than 10 years. We wanted to understand the challenges faced by advanced skiers. What hypothesis we tested: Advanced skiers who own their equipment need a service to help them with skiing logistics. What we really wanted to learn: How we could make skiing more fun for him and his friends. What we learned from this interview: Most advanced skiers have figured out ways to deal with logistical issues. Jeff goes to resorts with multiple slopes that keep him busy for the ski weekend so that he doesn’t have to other resorts during the same trip. The most important issue for him is to keep costs low so he tries his best to reserve inexpensive lodging close to the resort. He usually walks in his ski boots and carries his equipment from his hotel to the resort since he doesn’t want to deal with parking delays. Since he owns his equipment, he does have to spend a lot on checking-in his skis/boots with airlines when travelling for destination skiing. He tries to book on airlines that have customer friendly baggage policies. What surprised us: How advanced skiers have figured out logistical efficiencies that helps them save time and enjoy more on the slopes. For them hauling equipment is a non-issue. Other interesting outcomes: Schedule and weather have been the major reasons for the decrease in his skiing activity for the past two seasons. Intermediate Skier - goes skiing 2 weekends/season on average. Usually goes with friends.
Why/How we interviewed him: Johnny belongs to the casual skier category and has his own equipment. We wanted to understand the logistical challenges he faces when he goes skiing. What hypothesis we tested: Casual skiers who own their equipment need most help with skiing logistics. What we really wanted to learn: How we could make skiing more fun for him and his friends. What we learned from this interview: Johnny used to rent his equipment before but now owns it because of the high rental costs associated and time spent at the rental store. His biggest challenge is grouping together with his friends and starting on time from SF for the ski trip. On the day of skiing, he has to ensure all his friends wake up on time so that they can hit the slopes early and avoid the queues. He books his accommodation on AirBnb since he tends to go with a relatively larger group of friends. Proximity to the ski resorts is another concern for him. When he lived in SoCal he found it much easier to schedule ski trips since resorts were closer but nowadays he has to plan early and spend more time driving which has reduced his frequency of skiing. What surprised us: How difficult it can be for larger groups to co-ordinate and reach the venue on time. Other interesting outcomes: He feels that trying to use any sort of tech related stuff on the slopes is terrible. Beginner Skier - goes skiing 1-2 weekends/season on average. Usually goes with friends.
Why/How we interviewed him: Sumit belongs to the casual skier category and rents his equipment. We wanted to understand the logistical challenges he faces when he goes skiing. What hypothesis we tested: The casual skier group is the one that needs the most help with skiing logistics. What we really wanted to learn: How we could make skiing more fun for him and his friends. What we learned from this interview: He has made a conscious decision of not purchasing his equipment because of space constraints when carpooling with his friends. He rents from the ski resort and usually goes for discounted deals from resorts that provide both lift tickets and equipment together. He books his stay close to the resort. His skiing trips have declined in the last few years because of constant travel for work. His biggest challenge is around finding bundled deals and booking accommodation close to the resort. What surprised us: How beginners have got around the issue of hauling equipment and other skiing logistics by renting from the resorts and staying close to the slopes. Other interesting outcomes: Since he doesn’t plan his trip very carefully, he tends to miss some of the accessories and would like a service at the resort that fulfills that need for a day on the slopes. Katsuki is a beginner snowboarder that has gone up less often then he used to.
Why we interviewed this person: To find out why he has stopped going/goes up less often then before. What hypothesis did we test: Snowboarders go up less often because of a pain point in the process, not for liking the sport less. We really wanted to learn about this: Would their be a point that he changed his behavior and started going up more again? We learned this from the interview: Katsuki lives in Japan now. Snowboard trips are much more difficult to plan and manage because fewer people have cars and must either go up in shuttles, train, or rent cars. This creates even more logistical issues that he did not have to go through when in the US. We were surprised by: Katsuki is recently married, and as a result has much less time than he used to. Weekends and free time must now be divided between his friends and her friends, and so much holidays and any other personal activity. Lack of time is one of the main reasons he is unable to go up. Other interesting outcomes: Cost is not really a concern, and is hardly ever mentioned. Most are around logistics and having the time to go up. Beginner snowboarder. Goes up 0-1 times per year.
Why/How we interviewed him: Lawrence is a beginner but finds the sport to be fun. We wanted to know why he doesn't go up more often and what could potentially change that would allow him to go. What hypothesis we tested: That most beginners actually want to snowboard more, but due to some pain point are unable to. What we really wanted to learn: If we removed some of those obstacles to snowboarding, would they go more often? What we learned from this interview: He only talked about the experience of snowboarding from the perspective of a group. Mostly about the bonding and socializing aspect that comes during the entire snowboard trip, and not really about enjoying snowboarding down the mountain itself. What surprised us: All of Lawrence's pain points related to group problems. Who's driving, who's car, how many people, size of the cabin, other activities, etc. Other interesting outcomes: Mostly other time commitments are the reason why he doesn't go more often. Avid snowboarder - Goes up every year, has her own gear, and tries to go every other weekend
Why/How we interviewed him: To understand how avid snowboarders view and plan a trip What hypothesis we tested: Do avid snowboarders find logistics to be a pain point What we really wanted to learn: How can the experience be improved for avid snowboarders? What we learned from this interview: Biggest pain point is that people do not commit until last minute if they can go on a ski trip or not. Not much concern with logistics which is likely because, as avid snowboarders, most logistic issues have been worked out already. What surprised us: After years of experience, avid snowboarders are not too bothered by logistics as a pain point, it is just normal for them now. Other interesting outcomes: She likes to explore different locations for snowboarding. This includes traveling to Washington, Oregon, Colorado, etc. to try out different resorts. Beginner Snowboarder - Goes up exclusively with friends and in groups. Always carpools.
Why/How we interviewed him: Joyce belongs to the casual skier/boarder category and we wanted to understand her pain-points and needs related to skiing and snowboarding. What hypothesis we tested: That logistics are a barrier to owning ski/snowboard equipment What we really wanted to learn: The behavior of those who don't own ski equipment and what's stopping them. What we learned from this interview: Carpooling is a standard of ski trips, particularly for college students What surprised us: As skiers become more affluent and able to afford ski expenses, (ie graduate college and get a job) they actually go less because of other constraints. Other interesting outcomes: People in the city who do not own cars are thus limited from owning equipment too, because they do not have easy transportation to the ski resorts Intermediate snowboarder - goes to Tahoe 2 weekends/season on average. Usually goes with family
Why/How we interviewed him: Jeff belongs to the casual skier/boarder category and we wanted to understand his pain-points and needs related to skiing. What hypothesis we tested: The casual skier group with own equipment is the one that needs the most help with skiing logistics. What we really wanted to learn: How we could make skiing more fun for him and his family. What we learned from this interview: His skiing activity had increased as his family became more proficient at skiing and felt more comfortable on the slopes. He loves getting away from his daily life and spending quality time with his family on an activity they all can enjoy. He would love to go more often but doesn’t have the time. His least favorite part is going through the checklist of several items he needs to carry for himself and his family. Besides the equipment he has to carry other paraphernalia like gloves, goggles, snow pants, sunblock, helmets, hand warmers, snow chains etc. and keeping track of everything becomes overwhelming. He replaces his equipment once every 10 years. For his son, most resorts have a trade-in policy in place once his son outgrows his. What surprised us: The amount of planning he does for every trip and the long list of items he carries along with his equipment. It was also interesting to learn that social dynamics had a big influence on the increase in his skiing the last few years. As his family got experienced, he wanted to go more often. Other interesting outcomes: He usually skis just at one resort and books his stay close to that. |
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 |