Work

MySörmland

Team
Andreas Stavrakis
Ann-Kristin FriedrichNehalika JethwaniVinícius AlvesVicram V.
CONTRIBUTION
Research
Strategy
High-fi prototype
Storytelling
Duration
3 weeks
Tools
Miro
Figma
OVERVIEW

Background

Katrineholm is a municipality located in Södermanland County, Sweden, within the region of West Sörmland. It has historically been a central point connecting various parts of Sweden. Katrineholm offers a mix of cultural attractions, natural beauty, and modern amenities, and it's surrounded by lush forests, scenic lakes, and historic sites, which are ideal for outdoor activities, tourism, and exploring Swedish heritage.


We were tasked to boost tourism and make Katrineholm THE tourist destination.



So we set out to explore:
‍
How might we enhance collaboration among regional stakeholders, boost tourism and community engagement and drive digital innovation in Västra Sörmland?
OVERVIEW

Product preview

MySÖRMLAND B2B site and B2C app.
RESEARCH

Secondary Research

We explored existing studies on:
Digital platforms
Itinerary generators
AI-driven business-model innovation
RESEARCH

Interviews

We went to Katrineholm to find more about the region and the locals.
We interviewed: 



5 local businesses focused on tourism, agriculture, and hospitality.


Common pain points:
Lack of marketing recources
Limited event exposure
Desire to collaborate on eco-friendly products
15 Residents and Tourists — aged 13 – 65.


Common pain points:
Often unaware of nearby events
60% discovered events only through word-of-mouth
70% expressed interest in an app that offers tailored recommendations
Main Insights
  • Businesses Value Collaboration but Lack Formal Tools
  • Tourists Are Unaware of Existing Activities and struggle to maximize their visits
  • Residents Feel a Lack of Local Activities
RESEARCH

Limitations

During our research, we identified several key limitations in the current ecosystem.

There is no engaging platform that effectively allows both visitors and residents to discover activities, as existing booking platforms focus solely on individual event reservations without enabling users to combine and plan their activities seamlessly. 



Additionally, there is a lack of tools that facilitate collaboration between businesses, hindering opportunities for joint marketing and resource sharing. Furthermore, the existing platforms require significant enhancements to better meet the needs of businesses, ensuring they can fully leverage digital tools for growth and engagement.

Problem Statement:


Västra Sörmland struggles with limited event visibility and business collaboration, making it difficult for residents and tourists to engage while businesses miss opportunities to connect and grow.
DEVELOPMENT

Ideation

We brainstormed around two primary components:
  • B2B Portal – Which would help businesses collaborate on marketing, product innovation, and logistics. Developed as a website for better accsesibility to our target audience.
  • B2C Mobile App – Which would provide gamified personalized event recommendations and navigation driven by Ai (GPT-SW3), boosting visibility for local events, businesses and collabs.
Stakeholder Map
DEVELOPMENT

Concept Validation – Stakeholder Feedback

We conducted a quick round of guerilla testing to validate our designs, collecting feedback on the B2C mobile application from 5 end users (a mix of residents and visitors) and on the B2B website from 3 local businesses.

What Worked Well:
  • Users found the swiping experience both engaging and intuitive, likening it to popular dating apps.
  • Participants liked the idea of having an instant itinerary based on their swipes, saving them planning time.
  • Local businesses appreciated a centralized platform where they could list events and collaborate with other businesses.
What Didn’t Work:
  • In-App Chat Feature (Removed). We initially included a chat function to let users coordinate plans or ask businesses questions. However, testers found it redundant since most already use social media or direct messaging
  • Advanced Filter Options (Deprioritized).We included complex filters (e.g., “Eco-certified,” “Kid-friendly,” “Pet-friendly”) in the first prototypes. Businesses felt it was too detailed for a start-up platform, and users barely used them during tests.
DEVELOPMENT

High-Fidelity Prototyping

These high-fidelity models accurately reflected the final design, enabling us to refine the user interface, enhance accessibility, and ensure ethical alignment of personalized features before development.



The application's features:  



  • Swipe bettween events until you have a certain number.
  • An Ai will create you a schedule you can follow while you visit the city. Specifically, GPT-SW3 which is a Swedish-trained, open-source designed for multilingual use and cultural relevance
High definition App Prototype

The website's features:
  • Search, Compare, and Connect with Local Business Services.

  • Collaborate with local Businesses to Build Better Experiences.
  • Businesses can upload their events through the website directly to the application.
High definition Site Prototype
CONCLUSION

The Value

Presenting at the business and destination company +Katrineholm
Feasibility for Customers:
Easytrip.ai
Customers AI-curated itineraries boost engagment (Burström et al., 2021)
Swiping encourages exploration, inspired by gaming and dating apps
Feasibility for Businesses:
SAP Business Network
Business Collaboration Platforms expand reach and lower costs
Integrated booking simplifies reservations, enhancing satisfact
Benefits:
  • Engaging Discovery Fun and easy way to explore activities with swiping and AI suggestions.
  • Seamless Planning Combines and connects events into personalized itineraries.
  • Collaboration Tool Simplifies partnerships and joint offerings.
  • Enhanced Support provides data to better align services with demand.

Challenges:
  • User Adoption Attracting enough users  in a small market.
  • AI Accuracy and Bias Ensuring accurate and relevant itinerary recommendations.
  • Business Engagement Encouraging businesses to join and actively use the platform.
  • Data Privacy and Trust Ensuring trust and compliance with data regulations.
CONCLUSION

Personal Contributions

I contributed on the interviews, research, strategy and designed both the low-fidelity prototypes and the high-fidelity prototypes alongside Vicram V.
Special thanks to Camilla Lindgren, Business and Place Developer at the business and destination company +Katrineholm, and Jakob Jansson, CEO of +Katrineholm, for their invaluable guidance and support and their valuable feedback and willingness to implement our design suggestions.. We also appreciate the Hyper Island community for providing a collaborative environment. We are grateful for the input from our peers and mentors, which significantly contributed to the success of this project.
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