Enhancing Gardens by the Bay’s digital experience with smart itinerary planning, adaptive routing, and in-app tips to boost visitor engagement and revenue.
Project type: Website & mobile app feature expansion
Role: UX/UI designer
Tools: Figma
Duration: 2 weeks
Gardens by the Bay is a world-class attraction in Singapore, drawing millions of visitors each year to its iconic conservatories and scenic outdoor gardens. This school project explores opportunities to enhance its digital ecosystem through its website and app. By introducing an all-in-one itinerary planner, smart route optimisation, and engaging in-app features, our goal is to streamline the visitor experience while boosting engagement and revenue. Using a user-centric design approach, we created a solution that caters to both meticulous planners and spontaneous visitors, ensuring a memorable visit to the Gardens.
Overview
The business opportunity:
Online research shows that 80% of users are willing to pay for enhanced digital experiences, which can directly boost conversions and revenue.
Since 72% of Gardens by the Bay's revenue comes from ticket sales, providing a seamless digital journey is crucial for maximising visitor experiences, driving sales and encouraging repeat visits.
Gardens by the Bay's world-class on-site experience, coupled with upcoming expansions like Bay East Garden in 2027, emphasises the need to strengthen digital touchpoints to attract new and returning visitors.
Research findings:
Visitors planning their day at Gardens by the Bay often rely on multiple sources to gather essential information such as must-visit spots, walking distances, and dining options.
Critical details like dietary-specific dining and wet weather plans are hard to locate, making the planning process both time-consuming and mentally taxing.
With limited time, tourists struggle to optimise their itinerary and maximise their time effectively.
They also worry about missing hidden gems, like the best photo spots along the way.
Persona & Problem Statement
User 1 - Bryan, the detail-oriented planner.
Problem Statement:
Solution
An all-in-one platform itinerary planner for users
Meticulous planners can use the itinerary planner on Gardens by the Bay's website to effortlessly plan their day.
The tool provides a quick overview of essential details—walking distances, transit times, attraction durations, dining options, and wet weather contingencies—with optimised routes.
Users can personalise their itinerary by adding or removing attractions and adjusting start and end times.
Itinerary planner will also recommend kid-friendly attractions if families are brining kids.
The planner also includes options for kid-friendly attractions and wheelchair accessibility, ensuring routes avoid stairs and escalators.
Spontaneous visitors purchasing tickets on-site can use Gardens by the Bay's app to plan their day efficiently.
By entering their available time, the itinerary planner recommends a mix of paid and free attractions along with dining options to make the most of their visit.
In-app features to enhance user's experience at Gardens by the Bay
Wet weather plan with nearby locations to purchase umbrellas.
Photo tips and recommended spots.
Seasonal bloom highlights.
Bottle filling stations to beat Singapore's heat.
Dining options with dietary needs, Google reviews, and price range.
Notifications on prime photo spots and weather-based itinerary updates.
Significance and Benefits of these Features
For visitors (based on usability test feedback):
Simplified Planning: All-in-one platform eliminates the need to search multiple sources for essential information.
Reduced Uncertainty: Route optimisation and a wet weather plan ease mental load and prevent unexpected surprises.
Enhanced Experience: In-app features like photo tips, recommended spots and weather-based itinerary updates serve as delightful enhancements throughout visit.
For Gardens by the Bay:
Increased Outreach and Revenue: Exceptional visitor experiences boost word-of-mouth and social media buzz, attracting more visitors and revenue.
Encouraging Repeat Visits: A memorable visit increases the likelihood of guests returning.
Boosting Dining Revenue: Dining options with dietary filters, reviews, and price indicators simplifies decision-making, encouraging visitors to dine on-site.
Optimised Logistics & Crowd Control: Insights from itinerary planner data reveal visitor patterns, enabling better crowd management and operational planning.
Iterations Based on Usability Test Results
Improving icon clarity by adding labels (for e.g. My Route, Attractions etc.) for immediate recognition.
Enhancing photo spot navigation by simplifying text and adding a video guide for clearer directions.
Next Steps
App enhancements
Mapping out pathways between attractions on the map
Marking sheltered walkways on the map to enhance wet weather planning
Introduce a post-visit engagement feature that notifies visitors about new attractions and seasonal exhibits, encouraging repeat visits.
