The Elephant Protagonist
The service safari packets
Key Activities
Ethnographic Research Framework, Blueprinting
Going on a Service Safari
A service safari is a method service designers use to evaluate service experiences in situ—going out to the location of the service and experiencing it themselves as a visitor, customer, user, etc. While many observational frameworks exist for use in ethnographic research, we wanted to develop one that emphasizes the most important aspects of service experiences. And what better location to test out a new framework for a service safari than at a zoo?
Outcomes
This method yielded several opportunities for more engaging touchpoints and demonstrated a new outside-in way for the zoo to consider the visitor experience when they have the chance to update or build exhibits in the future.
During the safari, we were able to talk to an elephant zookeeper and asked them if they felt the elephants enjoyed their new exhibit. The zookeeper made a point that not only did it seem to him that the elephants were much happier, but that it also made his job easier. For instance, the increased space allowed the elephants to distance themselves if there was an elephant squabble, but it also made their zookeeping job easier by allowing more space for their equipment. With this in mind, it’s easy to see that a happier elephant could equate to a happy zookeeper.
Outcomes
While we can’t interview the elephant and we would have to be careful to avoid anthropomorphizing their behavior, we could use the same methods honed in my ACI research—behavior observation, timing interactions, and keeper insight. This could not only be useful for blueprinting but also journey mapping and other tools. Placing the elephant in the protagonist role might help illuminate problems and opportunities in creating a better experience for all zoo actors and guests. And it not only might help in obvious situations - such as building a new habitat, but it could also illuminate interactions such as feeding, training exercises and enrichment activities. After all, the elephant experience should pull more weight in the design.
