Client
Year
2020
I led the research to uncover visitor motivations, fears, and expectations, shaping the fan experience strategy for the World Cup in Qatar and guiding creative solutions for a lasting impact.
Overview
Understanding the motivations, hopes, and fears of World Cup visitors was key to shaping an experience strategy that left a lasting legacy for Qatar. The project mapped emotional drivers to create seamless and memorable experiences.
Client
Imagtion
Industry
Entertainment
Service
Qualitative Interviews
Service Design
Research Analysis
Duration
17 Days
The Challenge
With an influx of tourists, many with limited knowledge of Qatar, the project explored visitor expectations, barriers, and opportunities.
Research insights guided the overall strategy to enhance engagement and cultural connection.
Solution: Targeted interviews
Through targeted interviews and persona development, the project identified key insights, mapped visitor journeys, and uncovered opportunities to enhance fan experiences while addressing concerns.
Recruitment strategy:
After identifying the target interviewees, we developed a rapid recruitment and prescreening process to secure the most relevant participants within a tight timeframe.
We used targeted Facebook ads and screening survey responses.
The focus of this study was to engage individuals interested in travelling to Qatar during the World Cup, either as:
How we selected the best participants:
Football Fans attending the games
Tourists looking to experience the atmosphere and destination
Interview structure:
The remote interview lasted between 45 minutes and 1 hour and was structured into five parts:
Introduction – A casual conversation about football to ease participants into the discussion.
Past Experiences – Encouraging participants to share lasting impressions from previous events.
Expectations for Qatar – Exploring concerns, hopes and desired activities.
The 4 Themes of Tourism – Discussing the beach, desert, Qatari culture, and city wonders (with visual prompts).
Wrap-up – Closing the interview with final thoughts on traveling to Qatar.
Analysis and insights:
Transcribe and code the interview scripts by identifying key themes and broad thematic categories, such as Football Experience, Cultural Expectations, Concerns About Qatar, and Tourism Activities.
Next, develop specific codes, including ‘Motivation to Travel,’ ‘Cultural,’ ‘Misconceptions,’ ‘Activity Preferences,’ ‘Fears and Concerns,’ and ‘Memorable Moments.’
Refine the codes that emerged from the data and reapply them to the transcribed interviews.
The process will allow us to organise the data into thematic pillars and group the insights for each pillar, summarising key insights.
The presentation summary included direct quotes, themes that emerged, and patterns identified across participants.
Visitor Mapping:
Focus of maps:
The map outlined key touchpoint along their experience, from pre-arrival expectations to post-event reflections, including emotional drivers, behaviours, and barriers at each stage.
I've enhanced the clarity of our pillar insights throughout the journeys by using vibrant colour-coding to highlight the key themes and make it easier to see where they truly resonate.
The Result
Research insights shaped the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Countdown Clock, symbolising Qatar’s heritage and future ambitions. The clock became a key point of fan engagement, fostering local connections and global conversations.
The design enhanced Qatar’s cultural presence, reaching over 1 million fans across 100+ countries and earning the Design Middle East Award for Innovation in Design. FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised it: "I have never seen anything like this before in decades.
Despite being constrained by a 17-day timeline, I gained valuable insights into time management, task organisation, and effective communication during this research project.
Summarising interviews for client engagement:
Summarising key points from interviews and sharing them with the team enhanced clarity and kept clients engaged. We maintained momentum and reassured clients by providing snapshots after each interview, reducing anxiety and improving collaboration.
Organising for effective time management:
Efficiently scheduling interviews with a 30 to 45-minute buffer was crucial. This prevented overlap, avoided wasting participants' time, and allowed me to recharge between sessions, ultimately enhancing my focus.
Collaborative tools for remote work:
Working remotely emphasised the importance of collaborative tools. Using Google Docs enabled real-time updates and seamless information sharing, which improved decision-making and reduced miscommunication.
In summary, the challenges of a limited timeframe provided valuable lessons in organisation, communication, and adaptability—skills I will continue to develop in future research endeavours.
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