Improving the Jewel Experience
Introduction
Changi Jewel is arguably Singapore’s best mall, offering a wide range of dining and shopping options, as well as unique attractions including the Rain Vortex - the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.
My team and I wanted to find out how we could improve the experience of Jewel’s visitors.
User Interviews
We began our research by interviewing random people in Jewel as well as friends and family. In total, we conducted 13 interviews.
We asked questions with the intention of finding out what brings people to Jewel, what they like about Jewel, and what they don’t like about Jewel.
Affinity Mapping
After the interviews, our team started on affinity mapping to identify trends among Jewel’s visitors. We found 3 main trends:
Users get frustrated trying to navigate through Jewel
Users want easier access to amenities (e.g. rest areas, baby care rooms, wheelchair loan stations etc.)
Users really liked the Rain Vortex and nature vibes of Jewel.
Research
Personas
Based on our affinity map findings, we came up with 2 Personas
Nancy the Mom
37 years old | Singaporean | Married | 3 kids (1 infant)
“I want my kids to have fun, but managing them is no walk in the park”
Goals
To ensure her kids have fun at the attractions in Jewel
To have easy access to rest areas and amenities such as nursing rooms and places to sit
Behaviors
Uses Google to read up about attractions around Jewel and picks a few which she thinks her kids will enjoy
Often looks for a place to rest or goes to the nursing room to tend to her kids’ needs
Frustrations
Finds it a hassle to look for and compare the various attractions to choose for her kids
Has difficulties determining if certain attractions are age-appropriate for her kids
Dragging her kids around Jewel wears her out as she can’t find amenities/attractions, which causes them to get cranky
Erica the Traveller
27 years old l Singaporean l Single
“I looove the Rain Vortex! I always visit it whenever I’m in Jewel.”
Goals
To chill at the Rain Vortex before her flight as she loves the serenity it brings her
To find a quiet restaurant to have a meal before her flight
Behaviors
Sits by the Rain Vortex for an hour to absorb the greenery and waterfall sounds to relax
Browses restaurants in the basement which she is familiar with but she can’t find a quiet option
She goes upstairs and spends time wandering, looking for a quiet restaurant
Frustrations
Feels irritated when she can’t find a quiet restaurant
Feels exhausted and confused as she gets lost walking around in circles trying to find a restaurant upstairs
Gets frustrated as there are not enough directory kiosks available and ends up relying on memory to navigate
Problem Statements
Based on the goals and frustrations of our Personas, we generated problem statements.
Navigation Problem Statements
Nancy needs to know the fastest way to specific attractions and amenities so that she can tend to her kids promptly and prevent them from getting cranky.
Erica feels exhausted and confused when she gets lost and needs a way to find a restaurant that is not busy so she can enjoy her meal in peace.
Itinerary Problem Statement
Nancy needs a way to help her decide which attractions she should bring her kids to so that she can find places stress-free where her kids can have fun.
Navigation Solutions
GPS and AR navigation
GPS can enable the app to determine a user’s location within Jewel. It would then plot the shortest route to the user’s destination. The list of destinations will be updated to include all amenities.
With the AR navigation, users can point their phone camera in any direction and will be able to see a virtual path and instructions guiding them to their destination.
Challenges
One limitation of GPS is its inability to determine which floor a user is on. To resolve this, we added a prompt on the map screens for users to indicate which floor they are on so that the app can then determine their location.
Crowd meter in dining listing
Using GPS to determine current location and plotting path to destination
AR Navigation
Vacancy indicator for baby care rooms
Usability Testing
We asked testers to complete 2 tasks using our prototype:
Find a non-crowded restaurant and find your way to it
Get directions to the nearest vacant baby care room on L2
Results
100% of users succeeded in both tasks, and did not encounter any serious issues. The tasks took an average of 3mins.
Feedback
Users wanted to see more landmarks on screen in the AR navigation to better orientate themselves.
One user thought we should provide an option to see crowd levels on the 2D map interface.
Some users did not know they had to click on the red/green buttons for the app to plot the route to the baby care room
Iteration
Added virtual signposts of landmarks
Added option to view crowd levels on map
We iterated our prototype to address the feedback from our users as shown on the right.
Added popup to instruct users
Crowd Meter & Vacancy Indicator
The crowd meters let users know how crowded a shop, restaurant, attraction or amenity is. There are 4 different crowd levels ranging from “Not Crowded” to “Very Crowded”.
Vacancy Indicators are for amenities like baby care rooms. The occupancy status would be reflected on the map and updated in real time.
The crowd meter would help Erica easily find a non-crowded restaurant instead of having to wander around Jewel. As for Nancy the vacancy indicator can help her find the closest available baby care room.
Itinerary Planning Solution
Improved Itinerary Planner
The improved itinerary planner would help Nancy by recommending a list of activities based on her interests. It would also schedule the activities based on the timing of her visit. This can be done with minimal time and effort on her part.
Usability Testing
We asked testers to use our prototype to get a recommended itinerary based on their interests
Results
100% of users succeeded in both tasks, and did not encounter any serious issues. The tasks took an average of 3mins.
Feedback
Users were confused between the “Plan for Me” and “Plan Myself” options as they sounded too similar
Users wanted to be able to specify their food preferences
Iteration
We then iterated our prototype to address the feedback from our users, as shown on the right.
Reworded options to improve clarity
Added preference overlay when users click on “Food” on interest page
Final Prototype
Click on the image below to check out our final prototype! We are confident that it will help users plan their visit and navigate Jewel with ease!
Future Opportunities
Improve Accessibility of AR Navigation
Voice guidance and plotting of wheelchair-friendly routes can help improve accessibility.
Mindfulness Add-on to App
This idea leverages on visitors’ enjoyment of the calming effect of the Rain Vortex and Jewel’s nature vibes. The mindfulness add-on will enable visitors to listen to playlists of inspiring stories or calming music in Jewel while they sit around the Rain Vortex. It will also recommend other relaxing activities in Jewel such as other parks in Jewel, or even massages and spas.
We identified a couple of future opportunities to further improve visitors’ experience in Jewel.