Browsing by Author "Pintar, Barbara"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Birdadvisor 360˚: a digital support for birdwatching tourism in AlgarvePublication . Pintar, Barbara; Lessa, Joana de Carvalho FolgadoPortugal is currently considered one of the most interesting European destinations for birdwatching and the Algarve, in particular, has been growing as an important field for sustainable tourism. Birdwatching gives tourists the great opportunity to observe such rich biodiversity in some unique ecosystems, like Ria Formosa. Design and design research are playing an important role in the development of strategies in order to satisfy the needs of users and/or the communities involved in tourism and their promotion. The purpose of associating birdwatching, tourism and communication design brought about our research question « Can the development of a specific digital support for birdwatching activity in Algarve help birdwatchers to have better experiences? ». To answer the research question we used non-interventionist methodology and techniques such as: literature review, case studies, personas, usability testing with in-person observations, and data collection surveys which led to the development of a prototype to prove our hypothesis. Birdadvisor 360˚ is a software application designed to be a guide. Thus it includes useful bird information and navigates its user across the Algarve’s best birdwatching spots. For the present study we surveyed the demographic characteristics of our target public, the User Interface (UI) and the User Experience (UX) aspects through the usability testing. The gathered data outcome enabled the identification of some issues and revealed what necessary improvements had to be made. All the participants expressed the excitement over the application and strongly believe it can provide them better experience. So our research question was positively answered and proved our hypothesis, suggesting that this mobile application can boost the birdwatching experience. We consider this research and its practical outcome might contribute to a more sustainable tourism for birdwatching in Algarve and enhance this nature tourist sector.