Managing your customers’ enjoyment

Dr. Ondrej Mitas Lecturer, Tourism, NHTV

enjoyment is emotionbrief, intense reactions to specific things

complex (mind, body, behavior)

to reliably design your customers’ enjoyment is a process involving decisions, measurement, and design

mission: a decision

Which emotions do you want which customers to feel when?

measurement: research

Which emotions do which customers actually feel when?

management: design

Change the experience to match your goals

measuring emotions is useful and necessary every method has strengths and limitations

measuring emotions is useful and necessary every method has strengths and limitations

Self-response questionnaires+ inexpensive, flexible - items influence results, accuracy can be a problem

measuring emotions is useful and necessary every method has strengths and limitations

Self-response questionnaires+ inexpensive, flexible - items influence results, accuracy can be a problem

Narrative interviews+ specific, precise, very flexible - expensive, accuracy can be a problem

measuring emotions is useful and necessary every method has strengths and limitations

Self-response questionnaires+ inexpensive, flexible - items influence results, accuracy can be a problem

Narrative interviews+ specific, precise, very flexible - expensive, accuracy can be a problem

Facial coding+ specific, highly accurate - clear view of the face and expressed emotions required

measuring emotions is useful and necessary every method has strengths and limitations

Self-response questionnaires+ inexpensive, flexible - items influence results, accuracy can be a problem

Neuro and bio techniques+ accurate, also un-conscious/-expressed emotions- less specific, limited by context

Narrative interviews+ specific, precise, very flexible - expensive, accuracy can be a problem

Facial coding+ specific, highly accurate - clear view of the face and expressed emotions required

Beware of bad neuromarketing!

• Mobile EEG

• Conclusions about extent of specific positive emotions

• Anything you don’t understand––be a partner not a client!

Beware of bad neuromarketing!

• Mobile EEG

• Conclusions about extent of specific positive emotions

• Anything you don’t understand––be a partner not a client!

Beware of bad neuromarketing!

• Mobile EEG

• Conclusions about extent of specific positive emotions

• Anything you don’t understand––be a partner not a client!

Designing for enjoyment

• Dare to try

• Dare to measure; interact more with customers if you doubt

• Dare to think long-term

Measure and explain

Intervene

Measure again

Customer journey perspective is useful here

• Some touchpoints are not in a tour operator’s / travel agency’s control. But what about the touchpoints just before or after?

Fill the emotion table to inspire interventions

Emotion Cause Facial expression

Physical sensation Effect

Joy

Contentment

Interest

Love

• Free-associate based on general “causes” of emotions you want

Case: Photos at the destination

• Sculptures / structures that are unique, human-scale, and interactive increase enjoyable photographing

• Gillet, S., Schmitz, P., & Mitas, O. (2016). The Snap-Happy Tourist The Effects of Photographing Behavior on Tourists’ Happiness. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 40(1), 37-57.

Your examples and questions?

What have you designed to intervene on your customers’ enjoyment?