I began my search process by looking at the various technologies available, which people use with regards to a trip. The technologies included things such as augmented reality, web 2.0 and mash ups. It was important to research these technologies, amongst others, to gain an idea of what would work well within the tourism and hospitality industry. I began by having a brief look at all of them to find out what they were about and which ones seemed most interesting to me. I then focussed specifically upon which technologies caught my attention and chose to research them further to find out more about them and the types of products they are used in.
The main technologies which caught my attention were virtual reality, location based services and GPS, which initially got me thinking about what consumer needs would match the technologies.
I then began thinking about the various different consumer needs of the customer whilst either planning, going on, or after a trip. I drew categorised each group and thought about the processes involved in each. These included things such as packing the suitcase, managing photos, managing documents, planning day trips, booking flights, hotels and car rental and even how to get hold of money abroad. Once these process had been thought of it was important to see if, and how, the technologies I'd already looked at would link to the consumer needs.
Customer Need
From the list of consumer needs already drafted, I chose to focus upon one of them- getting hold of money abroad. I had to break this down and look at everything to do with the need, and what the consumer would need to know. If a consumer needed to get hold of money whilst in another country, they would need to know where the ATM machines are, or maybe where the banks are in relation to their hotel, and if the bank staff even speak the consumers first language or not. The consumer would also need to know if there was a transaction cost for withdrawing money, and how much that cost would be, as well as possibly needing to know what the exchange rate is between the different currencies. Expanding further on this topic, they might also might want to know where they can get their money changed into the local currency. With the rise of monetary fraud and dangers abroad, consumers also want to know how safe it is for them to withdraw cash at a particular ATM. Devinaga Rasiah (2010: page 161) describes the latest ATMs and the services which they can provide which could be of use to a consumer- "they are able to cash a check to the penny, dispense traveller’s cheques and postage stamps, perform stock transfers, print discount coupons, issue phone cards, and even sell concert tickets". Therefore, it is very important for the app to provide as much information about the ATMs as possible, due to the large number of operations the ATMs are able to perform.
The Concept
I focussed upon three types of technologies and one consumer need and combined them, evolving an innovative concept. In response to the things which consumers will want to know when it comes to withdrawing money, my concept is that of a smart phone application (which covers the three main types of smart phone: Blackberry, IPhone and Android) which tells the consumer where the nearest ATM machine is from their current location.This idea came from research, and from Lowe (2008:1) discovering that tourists "prefer to withdraw cash from ATMs instead of paying with debit cards, credit cards and traveller’s checks, according to a survey released Monday by Level Four Software Ltd"- consequently indicating the need for knowledge about ATMs in the wider world.
Upon researching this concept, I discovered that this idea is already on the market and available for consumers to use. I therefore had to go beyond the original idea I had, and create a more complex, multi use product, which was just as easy to use as the original product. I chose to come up with a product which did more than just find the nearest ATM to a specific location. Therefore, my concept includes:
- finding all the ATMs within a certain radius of the location of the consumer
- details of transaction fees for each individual ATM
- details of the exchange rates between specific custom chosen currencies
- opening hours of the bank (if the ATM is located within or just outside a bank)
Due to this concept, the app is therefore different from other apps already available to download. For example, the Apple website has an app available for finding ATMs; which simply locates the ATMs in certain countries and doesn't account for all countries.
Similarly, the Android website offers the ING Direct ATM finder, which lists the nearest ATMs and provides a map for orientation.
And finally, Blackberry also offers the ING Direct ATM finder, but again only offers directions and a map.
On the other hand, my product would offer these aspects, but also a whole lot more. This is what makes my product new and innovative, as it offers up to date currency rates, virtual directions and much more.
The product would need to be easy to use in order for it to be successful and be easily accessible to all consumers. Making the product as a mobile app would open up more possibilities and opportunities for it to be more popular. A mobile phone application offers the chance for people to use it on the move, and therefore makes it more convenient for travellers. This therefore makes it more relevant to the during trip phase as it's accessible at any time, and can be accessed from anywhere.
Technologies Used
The concept of the virtual ATM finder app would include several different technologies, with some playing a more important role as opposed to others. GPS, virtual reality and location based services are the main components of my concept, with each being used for a specific purpose to improve the product.
Virtual reality is a vital part of the concept and provides the visual directions for the tourists to follow. Virtual reality would be used to simulate the surroundings of the consumer and therefore point them in the way to go. I researched virtual reality further to gain a better understanding of it, and it was defined by Virtual Reality Site, as "a scenario that have no existence at all". The use of this technology, as Buhalis states, will enable the consumers "to experience a destination or tourism product through all senses" (2003:92). Virtual reality is closely linked to augmented reality, which are both used most commonly in videogames to create a fictional world. However, it is widely used in the hospitality industry- especially with virtual tours. As Michael Doherty explains (2001), the virtual tour appears like a movie clip but you are able to pan around the room, and zoom in specific features. The use of this technology shows that the industry is already adapted to using the specific technology, and therefore indicates a degree of success for the technology within the industry. This will make it easier for the consumer to navigate their way around the city or town in which they are in, as the virtual directions would be an almost exact representation of their surroundings.
Secondly, the concept would use GPS in order to pin point where the consumer is and to also show where the ATMs are in relation to their location. GPS (Global Positioning System) enables the exact longitude and latitude of the consumer and therefore makes the application of the digital mapping a lot easier. Not only this, it also provides details of location and time anywhere on Earth. GPS relies upon the satellite orbiting Earth, as well as the GPS receiver, with an antenna to receive the transmitted information. This technology can be applied to many different products including satellite navigation systems in cars. A major advantage of GPS is that it is free for everyone to use, and has become a part of everyday life. Virtual mapping is a feature of the GPS and is described by Curran and Smith, (2005:182) as "a programmable web service providing location-based services, such as mapping, directions and proximity searches" This shows that the GPS and location based services work alongside each other to create the end product and form the basis of a mash up.
Finally, the last aspect of the concept would be location based services. This, again, is crucial to the product as it provides the details of the ATMs- including issues already mentioned such as transaction fees and exchange rates. Junglas and Watson (2008: 66) describe that, "the LBS market size has been predicted to grow exponentially from 2006 to 2010", therefore indicating that location based services will be becoming increasingly popular in a global sense. This will undoubtedly affect the hospitality industry, and therefore will need to become a popular feature of applications for travellers. The implementation of the technology in my concept would be easily achievable, due to the already mentioned fact that it's becoming more and more popular globally. Location based services are necessary to use in this concept as "the entity about which location information is recorded" (Junglas, Watson, 2008:67)- which would therefore account for the information displayed on the travel app about the ATMs.
Using these technologies combined, produces a mashup- the term used when two or more technologies are used together to produce a new product. The concept of a smartphone application requires several different components in order to make it successful. The hospitality and tourism industry is constantly changing, and therefore needs concepts which are always one step ahead of the current trends. The ATM finder with virtual directions takes the idea of a well known, already established concept, and incorporates new features to cope with consumers' ever changing demands.
Bibliography
Books
Buhalis, D. (2003) eTourism: Information Technology for strategic tourism management. Malaysia: Prentice Halls
Websites
Virtual Reality Site retrieved from http://www.vrs.org.uk/ (“What does the word VIRTUAL REALITY trigger in your head immediately?”) [accessed 06/11/2010]
Apple Inc. (2010) ATM Locator for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/atm-locator/id357604351?mt=8 [accessed 17/11/2010]
Journals
Curran, K. and Smith, K. (2006), A location based mobile tourist guide, Tourism and Hospitality Research, Vol 6 No 2, [accessed 16/11/2010] p.182
Doherty, M.(2001) Virtual Tours, Leisure and Hospitality Business (accessed 17/11/2010) p.15
Junglas, I. A. and Watson, R. T (2008), Location Based Services, COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM, Vol. 51, No. 3, accessed 17/11/2010
Lowe, F. (2008) ATM & debit NEWS, Vol 9 No 31 July 10, [accessed 17/11/2010] p.1
Rasiah, D. (2010) ATM Risk Management and Controls, European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, Issue 20, EuroJournals, Inc. 2010 [accessed 06/11/2010] p.161
