Blue Lagoon Customer Experience
Redesigning a destination ecosystem
Enhancing the experience of 1,3 million annual visitors.
Our client, Blue Lagoon Iceland, has a rare problem—it is too popular. More than just a spa, Blue Lagoon is a travel destination with a complex ecosystem encompassing transportation, accommodation, food and beverage, retail and skincare. It grew in popularity extremely rapidly, leading to long queues and crowded locker rooms. Together with Blue Lagoon team, we set out to define long-term solutions for creating a smooth, memorable customer experience – One which begins when the customer plans his Blue Lagoon visit and continues on through to his sharing of his spa experience post-visit.
Understand a complex ecosystem
The DGI service team helped Blue Lagoon get to know their customers better. We began by using archetype tools to understand travelers’ behaviors and needs. We then translated the output of their research into personas. These personas are actionable tools created to help the client empathize with its customers. We helped the client raise awareness within its organization of the importance of the entire customer journey, which includes the pre- and post-visit experiences in addition to the spa visit itself.
In-depth research to understand the spa’s customers and business needs
Following the double diamond approach, we conducted desk research and performed benchmarking and in-depth field research. Our team did shadowing sessions, mystery shopping and expert heuristics, observing and testing every part of the customer journey: booking online, taking the spa’s bus services, standing in line at the spa, bathing in the pools, and so on. We also interviewed everyone from front line employees to C-level executives in order to better understand the business point of view.
Traveler archetype cards, personas and Service Canvas Book – tools that get results
We customized our traveler archetypes for the Blue Lagoon, going deeper into their visitors’ specific behaviors and needs, and the associated business opportunities. This helped the team define the personas and visualize the complexity of the customer journey.
Our goal was to understand how to improve the customer journey through defining the value of the experience for visitors and business targets. We created a Service Canvas Book, which synthesizes the strategic design, user experience design, and service recommendation all into one easily understandable service design tool.
Empowering the team
We created a Blue Lagoon Customer Experience (CX) team to govern activities from inside the organization. During the process, we tested and validated our findings together with the staff. This was a powerful methodology that enabled us to transfer knowledge to the client’s organization and at the same time collect input from the staff and efficiently validate results. The C-Level and frontline staff contributed actively to the vision of the improved customer journey. The team now has a clear and shared vision of the customer experience.
What’s next?
The Blue Lagoon team is now focused on digital transformation. All levels of the organization are engaged in facing the complex digital transformation challenge; delving deeply into data, processes, and employee journeys to further enhance the customer experience at the blissful destination.
