Challenge

We needed to address how a social robot could support the discovery of art venues in Trentino. The key challenge was bridging the gap between existing digital travel planning tools and on-site tourist office services, while acknowledging that art venues were secondary attractions in a region dominated by outdoor activities.

The Dolomites.

MART Museum in Rovereto.

Solution

Our research led us to propose interactive panels strategically placed throughout Trentino, featuring:

• Natural interaction through AI chat and voice capabilities

• On-demand printing of itineraries, guides, and souvenirs

• Social features to connect travelers with similar interests

• Internet connectivity for tourists

• Integration with official Trentino tourism sources and apps, for credibility

The panels would be located at:

• Train stations for welcoming tourists

• Historical squares for local information

• Hiking trails to blend natural and cultural discovery

The official 'Mio Trentino' mobile app for travel planning.

Research Methods

We conducted a comprehensive, purely inductive research process including:

• 20 ethnographic observations (12 physical, 8 virtual)

• 8 interviews with young travelers (18-28)

• 1 focus group with 6 participants

• 1 participatory design workshop with 11 participants

Key Activities and Findings

Ethnographic observations

The tourist office in Trento.

Social network accounts promoting tourism in Trentino, and the official 'Mio Trentino' app.

Thematic analysis of the observations.

Observations revealed that tourists primarily visit for outdoor activities, and current tourist offices are limited to providing information about their specific territories, creating frustration for visitors planning region-wide trips.

Interviews

An early prototype from an interviewee sketch.

Thematic analysis of the interviews.

The interviews uncovered that while travelers enjoy the planning process and use various tools, they desire more personalization but have strong privacy concerns. Importantly, participants preferred an interactive panel over a humanoid robot.

Focus group

Thematic analysis of the focus group.

The focus group confirmed personalization as a critical feature and validated the concept of a physical panel with a companion app. The potential to provide internet access and print resources emerged as valuable features.

Workshop

The final step of our research consisted of a participatory design workshop with the goal of actively involving participants in the design of the robot, through a Tell-Make-Enact framework.

Tell-Make-Enact framework (Brandt et al. 2012).

Participants breaking the ice with the 'Travel Tombola' game.

Discussing the key points emerged from previous research.

Writing a storyboard of the desired interaction with the robot.

Prototyping the robot using clay and cardboard.

The workshop led to crucial design refinements including:

• Incorporating Trentino's branding for credibility

• Expanding to hiking trails to connect outdoor and cultural experiences

• Adding safety features like emergency calls

• Enabling social connections between travelers

• Implementing sustainable features like solar power

Conclusion

The project demonstrated that qualitative research is fundamentally relational – the quality of insights directly correlates with the ability to connect with participants. While participatory design offers flexible interpretations, it proves invaluable for collaborative exploration, especially in the early phases of product development when considering many different development paths.