Service design: suggesting a qualitative multi-step approach for analyzing and examining theme park experiences

This article proposes and applies a multistep qualitative approach for evaluating service experiences, adapted from the emerging field of service design, in a theme park. It is argued that service design offers effective methods for analyzing and developing complex service experiences. By applying ‘persona’, ‘observation’, ‘guided interviews’, and ‘visualization’ methods to a theme park at the Gold Coast, Australia, it is found that the multistep approach delivers comprehensive insights into customer experiences and identifies critical incidents that take place during the service experience. As such, this study suggests a new method of how to analyze and evaluate service experiences.