User experience in yachting design

Mark Vanderbeeken

Image credit: Liviu Tudoran, Luca Troisi

Yachting is an
experience
Image credit: Yaroslov Yakovlev, Luca Troisi

“ The luxury customer expects more.

They want to be surprised, entertained, moved.
They want an experience.”
Helen Burden
Manager, World Luxury Congress
 Absorption
Experience
design areas

Entertainment Education
Passive Active
participation participation

Aesthetics Escapism

Immersion
What is an
experience? 4 components of rarity:

 Natural rarity
 Techno-rarity
 Limited edition
 Information-based rarity
What is an
experience?
Image credit: Luca Troisi

Experience-driven rarity:
 Post-materialistic
 Memorable
 Unique
 Does not conflict with production volume
How can we Experientia services
design an
experience? Understand

In-depth understanding of user needs

through observation and analysis

Envision Design

Research on future scenarios User-centered

and strategy development design concepts and strategies

Test Prototype

Comprehensive usability analysis Strong user experiences

How can we Experientia services
design an
experience? Understand

In-depth understanding of yachters’ needs

through observation and analysis

Envision Design

Research on future water User-centered yachting

culture scenarios and yacht concepts and strategies
strategy development

Test Prototype

Testing of usability and experience Strong user experiences

on yachts from showroom to water
Envision
Image credit: Anders Gloslie

Cultural considerations:
 The US and European markets are
similar
 The Asian marketplace is culturally
very different
 Korean companies know the Asian
cultural context from the inside
Envision

Democratization Human centered New demands

Experience Green vision Boating 2.0

Understand
Product
oriented,
Loss of Complicated not people
exclusivity interaction oriented

Pollutant
process
Few services and no Dealers and
and no sustainable boat shows
experiences materials as contact
 Privacy Natural light management. Dealer visual
management. I want to wake up while the sun is configurator.
I feel like being rising Electromagnetic glass I see it and want it!
alone, Please do not connected to natural light sensors
Understand disturb, Light or to programmable controls.
opportunity map proximity signals.
Designers skills
Image credit: Yaroslov Yakovlev, Luca Troisi

 Collaboration. The ‘lone creative genius’ is being replaced

with interdisciplinary collaborators.
 Empathy. A ‘people first’ approach creates inherently
desirable solutions.
 Experimentalism. Designers need to ask questions and
explore constraints.
 Integrative thinking. Designers need analytical skills,
create solutions that go beyond and improve existing
designs.
 Optimism. Potential solutions are better than existing ones.
Design:
Quiet privacy

Image credit: John Liland, Luca Troisi

Design:
Natural light
management

Image credit: John Liland, Luca Troisi

Design:
Visual
configurator
Design:
Visual
configurator
Design:
Visual
configurator
 Prototyping and testing is the only method to arrive at solid and
Prototyping valuable user experiences. Prototyping can include physical
& testing mock-ups, service prototypes, and experience prototypes.
 Existing market New market
Conclusions
Asian market
situation

New user Evolutionary Revolutionary

Russia Korea
Brazil China
India

Existing user Incremental Evolutionary

Western Western
countries countries
Conclusions
Asian market
situation

European companies Asian companies

Made in Italy, made in UK Technology know-how

Heritage brands Knowledge of local aspects
Expertise Proximity markets
Distance Yacht marinas under developed
High labor cost Product oriented

+ positive elements

– negative elements
 Building a yachting culture also involves building
a waterfront culture - from experiential marinas,
Marinas to the attitude to the sea and sea sports.
Next steps

 Educate designers and yachting professionals

according to modern design paradigms.
 Leverage cultural knowledge to take
advantage over the Western boat builders.
 Know people and devise a design strategy
around lifestyle before designing the product.
Experientia s.r.l.

Torino (HQ)
Via Cesare Battisti 15
10123 Torino
Italia

T +39 011 812 9687

F +39 011 813 4121
info@experientia.com Image credits:
Turin’s IED Yacht class students
www.experientia.com and teacher (Luca Troisi).