A More Satisfying Customer Journey Through Mariehamn Airport : How to develop the customer experience with service design methods

The purpose of the master’s thesis was to develop the customer experience at Mariehamn Airport with service design methods. The thesis work was commissioned by Finavia. Finavia is the Finnish airport operator that operates 21 national airports. In the theoretical part of the thesis service design as science and the research methods for the thesis work are presented. The customer journey is analyzed, studying quantitative customer satisfaction results and benchmarked through Gemba walks. The theoretical part extends into two key aspects often necessary to create customer satisfaction; innovation and quality. Customer satisfaction at the airports is a high priority for Finavia. The customer satisfaction is measured regularly at the airports. The aim of the thesis research is to identify and choose touchpoints for development along the customer journey at Mariehamn Airport. In order to make the overall customer journey through the airport more satisfying and to meet the criteria of customer satisfaction stipulated by Finavia. The focus areas for service design development are the first impression and pleasantness of the airport and the food and beverage services at the airport. The service design development work is done according to the service design sprint method, allowing many ongoing development projects simultaneously. The results of a more satisfying customer journey through Mariehamn Airport could be measured after the service development insertion. The positive trend in the customer satisfaction was not only met, it exceeded the criteria stipulated by Finavia