Multimedia Design Past Paper - Singapore Institute of Technology PDF

BHB1205 MULTIMEDIA DESIGN NAME: REIGN LEE ZHI QI ADMISSION NO.: 2401862 PREPARED FOR: MUHAMMAD AKBAR BIN MOHD YUNUS INTRODUCTION Gardens by the Bay (GBTB), recognised as Asia’s premier garden destination, is a leading horticultural attraction blending entertainment and educ...

BHB1205 MULTIMEDIA DESIGN NAME: REIGN LEE ZHI QI ADMISSION NO.: 2401862 PREPARED FOR: MUHAMMAD AKBAR BIN MOHD YUNUS INTRODUCTION Gardens by the Bay (GBTB), recognised as Asia’s premier garden destination, is a leading horticultural attraction blending entertainment and education for local and international visitors. Ranked eighth among the World’s Top Attractions by TripAdvisor in 2024, GBTB showcases a diverse array of plant species and innovative garden artistry. GBTB leverages a strong digital presence across mobile applications, online travel agencies, social media, and its official website to enhance global reach, customer engagement, and brand visibility. Its website provides essential visitor resources, such as itinerary planners, ticketing, operating hours, and amenities. Membership options further enhance the visitor experience with exclusive perks like discounts and event invitations. By strategically utilising digital platforms, GBTB promotes Singapore as a top travel destination, exemplifying innovation in the hospitality industry. Continuous improvements in user experience and digital engagement will sustain its success and global appeal. PURPOSE The report aims to perform a comprehensive usability analysis of GBTB’s mobile website. Using a relevant persona, usability issues are examined and identified through the seven elements of UI interaction, uncovering areas for improvement, after identifying the various touchpoints and pain points of visitors, through the user journey map. This helps uncover actionable recommendations for GBTB’s mobile website usability concerns, thereafter, enhancing their customer engagement, improving the user experience, and strengthening their digital presence in the hospitality industry. PERSONA ABOUT Kiko Tanaka Kiko is a creative and passionate seasoned travel blogger from Japan with a sizable social media following. Travel Blogger- “Wander with Kiko” Twitter/Instagram: @Kiko.Tanaka She loves exploring new destinations worldwide and is known for finding the best deals, and crafting ideal and Age: 27 | Nationality: Japanese | uncommon itineraries worth visiting for budget travels. Sex: Female | Marital Status: Single Kiko’s insightful blogs and engaging social media presence attracted numerous loyal followers. CHALLENGES GOALS Time and Resource Management Develop Engaging and Exclusive Content Balancing travel, content creation, social media Kiko seeks attractions beyond typical tourist spots, engagement, and potential business collaborations require uncovering hidden gems, off-the-beaten-path locations, much time and effort. Effective time management and and local favorites that are often overlooked. She finds resource allocation is a challenge. Kiko needs to these experiences truly unique and authentic, drawing streamline her workflow, and utilise platforms that is most inspiration from them and sharing them with her seamless for her, to maximise her time and findings followers to highlight their charm and originality. Post Original and Consistent Content Identify the Best Deals & Maximise Value Kiko finds the travel landscape constantly evolving, making She wants to find a platform with the best deals, it challenging to create engaging content while sticking to a packages, and special offers available out there for consistent posting schedule. She also struggles to stay tickets to GBTB to recommend to her followers. fresh, original, and relevant to her audience. Navigating the Competitive Landscape Build and Grow her Online Audience Travel blogging space is highly competitive, therefore Kiko Kiko wants to significantly grow her followings on her struggle to effectively differentiate herself from competitors. blog, Instagram, and Twitter, and potentially expand She wants to develop a unique voice by offering authentic her presence on TikTok, ultimately enhancing her valuable insights and information, and building strong credibility and authority as a travel influencer relationship with her followers. DESCRIPTIONS Kiko, a seasoned travel blogger from Japan, is bringing unique perspectives to her travel planning for her budget- conscious travelers. Focusing on iconic landmark in Southeast Asia, she will be visiting Gardens by the Bay, after meticulous research. She explores must-visit attractions, plans itineraries, and evaluates ticket options across platforms like Klook, and Trip.com. Understanding the importance of a user-friendly, and seamless booking experience, Kiko focuses on user-friendly tools, clear navigation, and seamless booking platforms to ensure a quick stress-free experience, while being affordable, to recommend to her followers. Kiko’s followers trust her honest reviews and insights, empowering her readers to make informed decisions, and make travel enjoyable and accessible for all.  SEVEN ELEMENTS OF UI INTERACTION ANALYSIS Discoverability As a digital native, Kiko often uses websites to research and plan her trip. The option to change the language is crucial for Kiko to understand information effectively to plan her trips and write blogs. However, it is not readily available, hidden in the “Buy Tickets” tab, requiring multiple clicks to reach, and having no immediate visual feedback on either the homepage or the navigation panel where it is usually located. The lack of an upfront option for Kiko creates an unintuitive and less user- friendly experience for her causing discoverability issues and language barriers, with limited understanding of English. Unlikely aware of the language option, and the unavailability of the function to change the language option to Japanese hinders Kiko’s understanding and navigation of the website. Therefore, the options available for language change are limited with only Singapore and English being offered, a conceptual model issue. In comparison, discoverability is more significant than other elements, as Kiko cannot locate the button, to even utilise the function, which is also unavailable. Feedback Kiko, a visually driven blogger is immediately drawn by the vibrant “Spring Blossoms” event image prominently located on GBTB’s website homepage. Kiko instinctively expects it to be clickable, linking to more valuable information for her blog. However, when Kiko interacts by clicking on it, it fails to recognise the interaction, with no system response to this action, breaking expectations, and causing frustration and confusion. Mismatch between the perceived affordance causes a negative feedback loop. Kiko would have to locate and go through multiple clicks on the website to reach the landing page for this event, causing a discoverability issue. In this case, feedback is a more prominent issue, as it brought awareness to Kiko about the event, but hindered her from learning more, to create quality content for her followers. This undermines her trust in the website’s usability, discouraging her from further exploration. Conceptual Model Kiko expects the "Garden Map" to be an interactive tool, aiding with itinerary planning. Kiko envisions an interactive map that helps identify photo opportunities, plan routes between attractions, and gather info for her blog posts. She envisioned interactive features, with key attractions, toilets, and restaurants clearly marked, and zoom and search functionality to explore attractions in detail. Potentially showing real-time views and detailed information on attractions comparable to Google Maps. However, it fell short of Kiko’s expectations, the map does not label anything, even requiring a click on the markers to identify the attraction, hindering exploration. There is limited interactivity, where zooming only shows white and green, as seen in the picture, with no search functionality, panning, or live view and information of GBTB. The label "Garden Map" is misleading, not accurately reflecting the functionality of the map. A more accurate label could be "Location Map," or "Find Us." Therefore, misaligning with Kiko’s expectations of an informative and interactive tool, comparable to Google Maps, presents a conceptual model issue. This negatively impacts Kiko’s experience, hindering the planning of her itinerary, and discouraging the use of the website.  USER JOURNEY MAP User Awareness Exploration Decision/Action Post-Action Journey Kiko searches for Read reviews of countries to cover in attractions she have in Kiko visits GBTB's official mind to visit to valiodate Southeast Asia her choice mobile website Kiko shortlisted the Finalise and select the Receive and check Searches for the change of countries, and attractions to visit through the confirmation language function evaluated travel policy email with booking Kiko looks through the Kiko briefly details Picked Singapore as conceptualise possible available attractions the first stop to visit for topics to write on in her Research for nearby her travel blog due to blog amenities and Searches for pictures of no requirement of visa restaurants GBTB for inspiration for her blog Briefly plan the outline of Searches for "Must-visit the itinerary (Date & Check the logistics, places in Singapore" on time) Actions Google Find out the events and which includes promotions going on A final comparison of transportation and travel Read tourism articles discounts and packages time—for example Discover the various on official and third-party shuttle bus timings. about Singapore on relevant functions of the sites to find the most reliable travel blogs website for itinerary value Research for additional planning tips for the trip on social Browse social media, and view videos, Kiko attempts to book media and blogs Decides to visit GBTB tickets on Klook, with the pictures, and popular hashtags-#VisitSG best package available Plan the itinerary in Cross-check discounts, for her selected detailed packages, and ticket prices attractions Discovered GBTB and on Klook and Trip.com checked for reviews (third-party sites) Enters payment and pictures from blogs information and and social media approves the payment GBTB mobile website -Travel blogs -Google Search -Homepage -Google Review - Confirmation email -Travel Blogs -Navigation menu -Twitter - FAQ section -Travel Forums -Our Gardens Story (Story & -Instagram - Maps for directions and -Government Websites History) -Tik Tok amenities (Visa & Travel advisory) -Digital Photo Exhibition - Plan your visit GBTB -Timing and availability of Touchpoints -Twitter -Things to Do mobile webpage (Itinerary shuttle bus service -Instagram -Calendar of Events planner, opening hours) -Instagram -Pinterest -Dine & Shop - Calendar tool -Twitter -YouTube -Plan Your Visit (Opening - Third-party booking tools -YouTube -Tik Tok Hours, Gardens Map, etc.) (Klook, Trip.com) -Tik Tok -Google Review - Third-party booking tools -Ticketing and payment -Pinterest (Klook, Trip.com) page - Email confirmation system Overwhelmed by a cluttered website and options to choose Missing/delayed Difficulty identifying the Decision fatigue, with the from confirmation email most value-for-money abundance of choices for platform for purchase destinations Lack of inspiration for GBTB Difficulty understanding the for her blog booking details due to the Technical glitches during Budget constraints for the ticket booking process language barrier activities Language options not readily available- Language barrier Unavailability of preferred Poor formatting of email Pain Points Difficulty finding up-to-date Confusing website functionality time slot or package causing confusion posts and layout Insufficient payment friction Confusion with onsite Overwhelmed with a large mechanisms navigation due to unclear Difficulty finding unique amount of information experiences, often not listed directions or maps online Unclear payment methods on websites Unsure about the source’s The FAQ section is too credibility Unforeseen additional generic, not addressing Difficulty comparing packages, charges concerns and ticket prices across platforms Curious and excited to Stress with coming up with Relieved and reassured explore new destinations Anxious and confused due to with confirmation email and ideas for the blog for her blog the language barrier finalising of travel logistics Emotions Conflicted and Intrigued by options and Tired of the tedious Curious to explore routes, overwhelmed with the research and booking and hidden gems to cultural insights to potentially process overload of information include in her blog generate quality content and options to select  SEVEN ELEMENTS OF UI INTERACTION ANALYSIS Affordances As a seasoned travel blogger, Kiko relies on clear visual cues to quickly identify interactive elements and navigate through web pages efficiently. She scans the website for potential content opportunities and expects clickable elements to be clearly distinguishable. The "Orchids from the Land of Smiles" title, while prominently displayed, lacks clear visual affordances. It lacks underlining, colour changes, or a different font style, which are standard conventions to signal clickable elements. This lack of visual distinction resulting in the title seamlessly blending into the surrounding text can cause Kiko to overlook the title as an entry point for further information. Therefore, lacking affordance to signal Kiko that it can be clicked, which supposing progresses to a new landing page. As a result, she might miss out on valuable information about the exhibition, such as its duration, location within the Gardens, and any accompanying events, hindering her ability to gather content for her blog and plan her visit effectively. This lack of clear affordances can disrupt Kiko's workflow and potentially impact her ability to create engaging content for her blog. Signifier Under the FAQ section, admission prices table, Kiko would expect to locate and find the admission prices in a comprehensive table. The presence of the right-pointing arrow at the bottom right corner strongly signifies the presence of scrollable contents, to view the whole table. However, when Kiko naturally clicks on the arrow to reveal the rest of the information, it is not clickable or triggers horizontal scrolling. Therefore, a discrepancy between the visual cue and the actual functionality, caused confusion and frustration for Kiko, disrupting her workflow. While also being a constraint and mapping issue, due to the poor layout, and limited screen space, information still can be processed, but in a scattered way. Therefore, the signifier is the main issue, where the arrow failed to perform its function. Mapping As a seasoned travel blogger, Kiko have accessed various attraction websites. Therefore, Kiko expects to immediately locate the sections under “PLAN YOUR VISIT”, which is intuitive to her as per her prior interections with other similar attraction websites globally. However, the placement of the “20% off Chinese New Year eShop Promotion” banner directly above the section obstructed her ability to navigate to the supposed sections. This disrupted Kikos’s expected workflow, as it misaligned with her expectations thought to be the “PLAN YOUR VISIT” section after the initial navigation elements. This forced Kiko to navigate around it, hindering access to key information, as it is less prominent and potentially harder to locate, being a mapping issue, as it is now less intuitive. For Kiko, who values efficiency and clarity in planning her trips, this design flaw was particularly frustrating as it hindered her ability to locate key details, ultimately impacting her overall user experience.  SEVEN ELEMENTS OF UI INTERACTION ANALYSIS Constraints Kiko, a digital native travel blogger, subscribes to the newsletter hoping to receive exclusive information, deals, and behind-the-scenes insights that she can utilise for her blog. A meticulous professional, Kiko expects a secure and reliable subscription process prioritising data accuracy and user control. The lack of a “Verify Information” step before subscription imposes a significant constraint on Kiko to ensure data accuracy and control the subscription process. Unable to review the information entered before submission, increases the risk of incorrect input, or typos, leading to missed updates from the newsletter to create engaging and informative content. This left Kiko with a poor impression of GBTB, being careless and unprofessional. The absence of a verification step provides limited feedback to Kiko, with no immediate confirmation that the information entered is correct, causing uncertainty and anxiety. The “Submit” button affords the finalisation of the subscription, without prior review, providing inadequate affordance for Kiko to ensure information accuracy before subscribing. Mapping issues are also present, as there is a misalignment with Kiko’s expected workflow. The absence of immediate feedback that the information entered is accurate results in uncertainty and anxiety. The “Submit” button finalises the subscription without offering a review step, causing insufficient affordance for Kiko to ensure her information is correct. Mapping issues arose due to a misalignment between Kiko’s expected workflow, and the subscription process that prioritises accuracy and control. Constraint the primary issue, directly impacts other elements feedback, affordances, and mapping. CONCLUSION The analysis of GBTB’s mobile website uncovered three major usability issues: limited language options, unclear affordances, and poor element mapping. These issues significantly hinder user interaction, particularly for international tourists who face difficulties understanding and accessing information. A recurring pattern is the misalignment between user expectations and website functionality, primarily due to unclear affordances and misleading visual cues. This leads to poor discoverability, making it difficult for users to identify interactive elements and navigate the site effectively. Additionally, mapping issues disrupt the website’s seamlessness by misaligning elements with user intuition, causing confusion and navigation difficulties. These usability flaws contribute to an unintuitive and frustrating user experience, negatively impacting visitor engagement and satisfaction. The inability to change languages makes it challenging for international tourists to obtain essential information, leading to inefficiency and frustration. Unclear affordances hinder content discovery, reducing users’ ability to interact with key elements and explore the website effectively. Mapping issues further obstruct seamless navigation, creating a disjointed experience that can deter visitors from fully engaging with the platform. For content creators like Kiko, these barriers also limit their ability to share meaningful insights with their audience. Ultimately, these usability challenges not only reduce user satisfaction but also risk damaging GBTB’s reputation as a world-class tourist attraction, ultimately affecting GBTB’s profit. Addressing these issues is crucial for improving accessibility, usability, and overall visitor experience. Through this analysis, I realized that even the smallest design elements, such as an arrow or a button’s placement, can significantly impact user experience. Usability is not just about functionality—it’s about how intuitive, accessible, and engaging a website feels to users. The study highlighted how elements like language accessibility, clear affordances, and proper mapping play a crucial role in shaping user interactions. One key takeaway is the importance of putting personas in users’ shoes to gain deeper insights into their needs and frustrations. By considering the experience of an international visitor like Kiko, it became evident how a simple issue, such as a lack of language options, could create barriers to information access and usability. Similarly, unclear affordances and poor mapping can lead to confusion, preventing users from efficiently navigating the site or discovering essential content. This analysis reinforced the idea that good design is about anticipating user expectations and ensuring a seamless interaction. The findings can inspire broader improvements by encouraging GBTB to focus on user-centric design, ensuring that every visual and functional element aligns with user behavior and expectations. By refining these details, the website can deliver a more delightful and intuitive experience, ultimately enhancing engagement and reinforcing GBTB’s reputation as a top-tier tourist destination. Beyond the key usability challenges and opportunities to improve GBTB’s website, it is also essential to explore issues like responsiveness, loading speed, and mobile optimization, as these factors significantly impact user experience. Additionally, researching how intuitive navigation can enhance usability when designing the website would be a valuable area of study. Another critical aspect is the role of advertisements—ensuring they are strategically placed to support, rather than disrupt, the user journey and avoid creating mapping issues. This project also opens the door to exploring intriguing topics such as cultural sensitivity in shaping user expectations, the potential of augmented reality (AR) for virtual attraction previews, and the effectiveness of AI in personalizing user experiences to potentially improve engagement and accessibility. Furthermore, analysing how users interact with promotional elements can offer insights to optimize content placement and drive visitor interest. By addressing these aspects, GBTB can create a seamless, engaging, and inclusive digital experience, ensuring it meets the diverse needs of a global audience while maintaining its reputation as a world-class attraction.