First I had a look at a website about useful design tools like mind mapping, prototyping and role playing games. There are plenty of others and they all serve to understand how people use an object in real life before we create the actual product. But this time we had to use ethnography as a design tool. Ethnography is about observing people in their own environment where they act natural. It helps to understand the relationship between a product and the target audience. We had to visit a place where we've never been before so we wouldn't feel comfortable. I think it helps us being aware of the place and the people. I've chosen the Tropicana Casino a posh district of Budapest but before I went there I did some practicing by watching people on the Underground.
I moved back to Hungary for a couple of months and I quickly bought a cheap bicycle to travel because I felt public transport is really depressing. I bought two tickets to observe underground traveling and find out why? First of all the Underground is a place where all social classes travel together and it generates some tensions. It shouldn't be like this but there are so many problems in this country and you can feel the stress around you. I've realised earlier there are two raw of seats facing towards each other in the metro cars which force you to stare the people opposite, the floor or any random point in the car. Many people are actually reading, playing cross word/Sodoku or playing with their mobiles just to do something. Staring is very impolite but you can see all the extremes of the society on the underground so you have to have a look around. Nobody wants to get into trouble though so everybody tries to be as polite as possible. You can catch other people's eyes as they give you a look but in a second they change their object to look at. It's quite uncomfortable and it could be changed by rearrange the seats to something like on a train. Me personally always enjoyed watching people and underground is the best place to find out what's going on in the society so normally I don't mind the seats but a lot of people do. The other very annoying circumstance in the travelling experience is the state of the cars. Imagine very old, rusty Russian metro cars with graffiti tags all over the windows. It definitely has an effect on the passengers. It makes them feel even more unsecured. No security gay, no CCTVs just you and a lot of different people in a dodge metro car. Probably that's why everybody moves to the other side of the car if a group of gipsies get on the underground. There's too much discrimination going on in Hungary but small changes could help a lot.
After a little walk in the posh district of Budapest with all the fairy lights on I arrived to my destination. It wasn't hard to find it, it has a huge entrance arch with a flashing red 'Tropicana Casino' light on it. It looks like a hotel's entrance and the reception has the same feeling. They take your ID than take a picture of you and than you get a credit card kind of thing. You can sign in with the card with no hassle at any time in the future. So we were allowed to enter by a nice, elegant security man. I took two other girls and later gave them some money to play with while I'm writing. But first we went to the bar. I instantly realized their branded matches and the drinks came with branded coasters. They have a tropical bird on them sitting on a palm tree. The whole image of the place was like being in 'Waikiki' from the 'Hotel' board game. They created a perfect place to feel relaxed.
The most conspicuous thing was definitely the tropical design. In the middle of the room there were about five fake palm trees with lights at the bottom. The place was fairly dark apart from these warm lights hidden among fake plants around the room. The other light source was a fake glass roof over the palm trees and the poker tables which were located round the trees. The roof gave a botanic garden feeling to the place and highlighted the poker tables. It was old looking with painted plants on the edges. The mood of the place was like being in a cave but the lightning made it mysterious and warm. Palm tree motives were also used on the carpet design and on the uniform of the poker table guys. The colours were mainly green, blue and some warm red touches. Over the Bar, the Cassa and the roulette tables grass thatched roofs accentuated the tropical feeling. So the design of the place was very successful and created a really relaxed feeling. Although we weren't relaxed because it was obvious that we've never been at such a place and everybody was staring at us for a while. Than they kept playing so we were fine. My friends started to play after the helpful security guy explained how the machines work. The 'one-arm bandits' were on the walls with comfy little chairs. You can choose from several designs on the touch screens just in case you're bored with the fruits. So I started to watch people. The staff was more elegant than most of the audience: two sexy, black dressed girls at the bar and young guys in light coloured palm tree patterned shirts at the tables. The security men were the most elegant. The customers were normal people mainly in jeans or something casual. Most of them were men in their 50's but at the machines there were mainly women. A couple of guys in their 30's were playing poker, they were talking sometimes but haven't seen too much socialising elsewhere. The Bar was empty too so it wasn't about drinking either. In general there wasn't any moving in the room apart from the security man who walked around sometimes. It was all about playing and spending time at a nice relaxed place. Although I don't think many of the customers realised the design features because they were lost in the game. People playing at the machines were just staring at the screen and pushing the button. I couldn't decide if they are looking for luck, want to leave with a bunch of money or just the addiction of playing keeps them in this mysterious cave. Anyway it's a comfort zone for them because they fit in the society of the club and they found a way of recreation that they enjoy. I think it's still better than drink in a pub and playing helps lonely people to spend their time among others and not at home on their own. Tropicana created a place where adults can enjoy the experience of playing and the feeling of a holiday.
I've learned from this assignment how small things can change a lot. Like the lightning, the colours and the mood of the staff. I've learned to pay attention for the details and to keep enjoy watching people. I think I have to find my target audience and learn what they need.