Increasing the attractiveness of alpine zoos

It has now become a well-established practice for us to work together with practice partners for the Service Design Sprint in the 2nd semester of the Master's degree in Entrepreneurship & Tourism. This year we had the honor of having two partners on board: the Alpine Zoo in Innsbruck and the Assling Wildlife Park in East Tyrol. What was new this year, however, was that the entire course took place at the Alpenzoo. Practically next door to us at Weiherburg Castle, we were able to hold our three-day course in the Hans-Psenner Hall with a view of the world's largest cold-water aquarium.

The first day got off to a classic start with an introduction to the course, the topic itself and the presentations by the two practical companies. André Stadler, Director of Alpenzoo Innsbruck, gave us an exciting insight into the history of zoos and covered the four pillars of a modern zoo: recreation, education, research and species conservation. The zoo's offer is already very well positioned. From the Zoomobil for visitors with limited mobility, children's tours, family activities, school projects, evening tours, a successful podcast, external exhibitions at the train station or ice sculptures on the Seegrube to zoo yoga or an interactive Lego picture at the entrance, the Alpenzoo Advent calendar or its own Monopoly. Assling Wildlife Park, on the other hand, has a completely different corporate structure. As a family business, it puts a lot of heart and soul into its work and therefore struggles with many financial and personnel challenges. Here too, Carmen Lukasser gave us an exciting insight into the history of the company, the range of offers, the guest structure and current projects.

In the first research phase, the students were provided with desk research material and had to define their initial research questions. As we were on site, we were able to use the opportunity to get in touch with guests of the Alpine Zoo very easily. However, in order to shed light on the supply side as well, interview partners were available in the afternoon:Johannes Anzengruber (Deputy Mayor of the City of Innsbruck and Vice President of the Alpine Zoo), Christine Oppitz-Plörer (City Councillor of Innsbruck and also Vice President of the Alpine Zoo), Anton Larcher (Tyrol's State Hunting Master), Thorsten Schwerte (zoology at the University of Innsbruck), zoo director André Stadler, zoological curator Dirk Ullrich, operations assistant Mcihael Winkler, Carmen, Johannes and Markus Lukasser (Assling Wildlife Park), the mayor of Assling Reinhard Mair and TVB chairman Franz Theurl.

On the second day, all the findings were compiled on a "research wall" and the data structured in order to define so-called "HOW MIGHT WE" questions were defined. These served as the basis for the development of ideas, the so-called "ideation" phase.

Initial ideas were then prioritized with the help of an idea portfolio and the selection was worked out using "service ads", one-sided advertisements. These were also tested on site with guests and feedback was obtained quickly. These original ideas were further developed using an iterative approach.

The third day was all about prototyping. Here, physical prototypes were built out of cardboard or with the help of Lego and Playmobil in order to test the ideas again with the help of experts and guests. The final project ideas were then presented to the Alpenzoo and Assling Wildlife Park in the form of a 3-minute pitch.

Feedback from Alpenzoo & Assling

"I really loved taking my Service Design class at the Alpenzoo. At first, it was a bit confusing, but as time went on, I realized it was totally worth it. The subject itself was fascinating, exploring how to design services that make user experiences better. The class was full of interesting ideas and discussions that inspired my creativity and made me see things from a wider perspective. Working in groups and collaborating was important because it let us share different opinions and develop innovative solutions together. Overall, it was a great experience that taught me to appreciate the world of Service Design." (MCI Master student)

"I appreciated the fact that the project we worked on was a 'real-life project' and that our work was actually implemented. It had a special significance, and you could feel that we could make a real impact. It's wonderful to see that our ideas have been accepted, and some of them are likely to be implemented. It motivated us, and it gave us a sense that we can create something tangible and positive." (MCI Master student)

"Holding the Service Design course at the Alpenzoo was a success on many levels. On the one hand, I think the students gained a lot from being 'on site'. Ideas could be tried out directly on the Alpine Zoo audience. On the other hand, the Alpenzoo got an unvarnished view from the outside, which resulted in many ideas for the development plan. That was very valuable for us. It also strengthened the cooperation between the Assling Wildlife Park and the Alpine Zoo. Joint projects are irreplaceable on our common path. And finally, I think it was also a very varied place for the tutors to teach." (André Stadler, Director of the Alpine Zoo)

"It was an incredibly great event for us. The commitment of the students and the wealth of ideas that was displayed was exciting to see. Of course, it was a shame that the students couldn't explore our wildlife park in person. And yet so many projects came out of it. We will think about how we can implement them and incorporate them into our vision for the future. We were very pleased to be a part of this project and would be delighted if one or two of them made it to East Tyrol to visit us." (Carmen Lukasser, Assling Wildlife Park)

Our thanks go to ...

• the Alpine Zoo for their hospitality and the unique opportunity to hold the entire course directly on site,
• the Assling Wildlife Park for agreeing to this experiment and giving the students an insight into their daily work,
• all the experts who answered the students' questions,
• and our two long-standing colleagues Markus Hormeß from work.play.experience and Klaus Schwarzenberger from Smaply.