Billboard Video Singapore
Introduction
Billboard Video (BBV) is an international company that provides LED displays for drivers along highways. For Singapore, though, they are going interactive - and setting their sights on visitors in Singapore’s tourist hotspots. The job - to design an interactive static display on outdoor kiosks that can help foreign visitors get around Singapore, and find their way quicker and easier.
Industry
Tourism Services
Scope
User interviews, Empathy mapping, User flows, Wireframes, Prototyping, User Interface Design, Usability testing
Lost and Confused
Singapore has no lack of tourist guidance, but we wanted to know what BBV could provide that suits the mindset of real visitors. So we went to tourist hotspots around Singapore - Chinatown, Kampong Glam, Orchard, Clarke Quay and others - to observe and ask how tourists get around. It was pretty hot and sweaty work, and here are some things we found out.
Singapore is hot and humid. Yeah, it’s obvious - but it means users really don’t want to stand around staring at maps. A map alone is not helpful.
Tourists have less sense of distance. Their travel plans may involve long trips - but they may not know nearby attractions.
Just as important as attractions are amenities: washrooms, ATMs and the like.
Situational Content
With the BBV display, we had a large canvas with which to display timely information. A situational banner, placed for maximum visibility at the top of the 4 metre tall display, lets visitors know where to find relief from Singapore’s weather: be it shelter from a thunderstorm, or an ice-cold drink for the heat.
Distance-based Categorization
Visitors to Singapore often don’t know how far places are from each other. Each display has unique content, showing the attractions within walking distance for their immediate attention.
Those who want to go somewhere else can make use of a search function, covering destinations all over Singapore, to plan longer outings.
Multiple Navigation Modes
The interactive display itself is focused on visitors who need more detailed guidance - to an attraction, or maybe the nearest cash machine. We work towards the widest cross-section of visitors with multiple navigation modes, based on maps as well as street view.
User Validation
Any product is only good if people can actually use it. We took our prototype to Chinatown and asked actual tourists to use it, then made adjustments to it based on their feedback. By the end of the tests, we had cut task error rates by 80%.
Optimizing for Height
As the interactive display is part of a 4.9m display, we optimized the height based on on average male and female height. We placed the middle of the screen at the curator’s standard so that it is comfortable for most people to use.