Storytelling and gamification as core elements in experience design – case kekrihunt2021 in Viaporin Kekri
Lohoff, Helina (2023)
Lohoff, Helina
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023051611028
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023051611028
Tiivistelmä
Within today’s emerging experience economy, it has become crucial for tourism and hospitality providers to stand out by offering memorable and engaging experiences. It is uniqueness, multisensory engagement, and stimulation on the mental, physical, emotional and intellectual level, that is exceedingly craved by customers.
This product-based thesis expands on that exact notion, while branching out into the core elements of storytelling and gamification in experience design. Within these elements specifically the notion of theming, the relevance of multisensory perception, the structural techniques of telling a story and the gamification concept in tourism are discussed. By exploring, extracting, and connecting the aspects of those concepts, a theoretical framework was built, which served as the basis for the creation of the experience product called kekrihunt2021.
The thesis’ outcome aims to create a scavenger hunt experience for an event called Viaporin Kekri, that is specifically targeted towards the teenager segment, draws its core from its fictional storytelling and gamification concepts, partially incorporating multisensory perception and its details to complement the experience and unite it with the core themes of the event.
Aside from literature review, service design thinking was used as the primary method to create the product. The author empathized with the target of teenagers as well as the Kekri brand, formed a clear design challenge based on relevant insights, ideated on new ideas with students, and rapidly prototyped and tested the solutions. Both methods were an integral part in transforming the idea into a tangible experience product.
The product kekrihunt2021 was created for Viaporin Kekri, an annual one-day festival that celebrates the start of the dark season in a mystical atmosphere on the island of Su-omenlinna at the coast of Helsinki. The kekrihunt project was planned, designed and executed in autumn 2021, as part of the larger event’s project by a dedicated Concept Design Team, including the author. Viaporin Kekri took place on Saturday, 6th November 2021, however, the actual writing of this thesis occurred in spring 2023.
Kekrihunt2021 is an experience, and quest for teenagers, crafted to be in harmony with Viaporin Kekri and its ghostly theme. Its fictional story of the protagonist and the key events were told weeks before the event via digital means to establish the purpose of the guest’s participation. However, the physical quest itself took place on the day of the event.
The product is evaluated compared to the initial aims and objectives, which were almost entirely achieved. The thesis concludes that kekrihunt2021 and its theoretical framework can be used as a basis to create a similar experience product in the future.
This product-based thesis expands on that exact notion, while branching out into the core elements of storytelling and gamification in experience design. Within these elements specifically the notion of theming, the relevance of multisensory perception, the structural techniques of telling a story and the gamification concept in tourism are discussed. By exploring, extracting, and connecting the aspects of those concepts, a theoretical framework was built, which served as the basis for the creation of the experience product called kekrihunt2021.
The thesis’ outcome aims to create a scavenger hunt experience for an event called Viaporin Kekri, that is specifically targeted towards the teenager segment, draws its core from its fictional storytelling and gamification concepts, partially incorporating multisensory perception and its details to complement the experience and unite it with the core themes of the event.
Aside from literature review, service design thinking was used as the primary method to create the product. The author empathized with the target of teenagers as well as the Kekri brand, formed a clear design challenge based on relevant insights, ideated on new ideas with students, and rapidly prototyped and tested the solutions. Both methods were an integral part in transforming the idea into a tangible experience product.
The product kekrihunt2021 was created for Viaporin Kekri, an annual one-day festival that celebrates the start of the dark season in a mystical atmosphere on the island of Su-omenlinna at the coast of Helsinki. The kekrihunt project was planned, designed and executed in autumn 2021, as part of the larger event’s project by a dedicated Concept Design Team, including the author. Viaporin Kekri took place on Saturday, 6th November 2021, however, the actual writing of this thesis occurred in spring 2023.
Kekrihunt2021 is an experience, and quest for teenagers, crafted to be in harmony with Viaporin Kekri and its ghostly theme. Its fictional story of the protagonist and the key events were told weeks before the event via digital means to establish the purpose of the guest’s participation. However, the physical quest itself took place on the day of the event.
The product is evaluated compared to the initial aims and objectives, which were almost entirely achieved. The thesis concludes that kekrihunt2021 and its theoretical framework can be used as a basis to create a similar experience product in the future.