Skip to main content

Pursuing Leisure: Reflections on Theme Park Visiting

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) volume 21, pages 43–79 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

In this paper, we present the theme park as a novel commercial setting and distinct cultural ecology for CSCW research, presenting challenges to technology designers interested in supporting cultural visiting activities. We report findings from an empirical field study of theme park visiting by groups. Our account focuses on how visitors encountered the theme park, and how they worked with or “geared in” to what the park provided in order to pursue leisure activities to their own ends. We further demonstrate that, whilst theme park visiting features thrilling and fun activities, it also features the prosaic concerns of planning, parenting and money that connect it to ordinary social life. As such, we present the theme park as a setting in which work and leisure are intertwined as concerns of both visitors and the park, for producing and consuming theme park experience. We have focussed on the work of visiting groups to pursue leisure, and their combined use of park-provided and personal technologies in various “trajectories of interaction” within the park. Our findings point to considerations for the design of services that connect with park-provided and personal technologies to support group visiting, in theme parks and related settings.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Figure 1
Figure 2

Notes

  1. http://www.altontowers.co.uk

  2. http://www.horizon.ac.uk

  3. http://www.facebook.com

References

  • Adams, J. A. (1991). The American amusement park industry: A history of technology and thrills. Boston, MA: Twayne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aoki, P., Grinter, R., Hurst, A., Szymanski, M., Thornton, J., Woodruff, A. (2002). Sotto voce: Exploring the interplay of conversation and mobile audio spaces. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’02). (pp 431–438). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Apted, T., Kay, J., Quigley, A. (2006). Tabletop sharing of digital photographs for the elderly. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’06). (pp. 781–790). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Balabanović, M., Chu, L. L., Wolff, G. J. (2000). Storytelling with digital photographs. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI’00). (pp. 564–571). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Bedwell, B., Schnädelbach, H., Benford, S., Rodden, T., Koleva, B. (2009). In support of city exploration. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI’09), (pp. 1171–1180). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Bell, G. (2002). Making sense of museums: The museum as a cultural ecology. Technical Report. Intel Corporation

  • Benford, S., & Giannachi, G. (2011). Performing mixed reality. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benford, S., Crabtree, A., Flintham, M., Greenhalgh, C., Koleva, B., Adams, M., Tandavanitj, N., Row Farr, J., Giannachi, G., Lindt, I. (2011). Creating the spectacle: Designing interactional trajectories through spectator interfaces. ACM Trans. Comput.-Hum. Interact. 18, 3, 28 pages

  • Brown, B. & Chalmers, M. (2003). Tourism and mobile technology. In Proceedings of ECSCW’03. (pp. 335–354). New York, NY, USA: Springer-Verlag.

  • Brown, B., Chalmers, M., Bell, M., Hall, M., MacColl, I., Rudman, P. (2005). Sharing the square: Collaborative leisure in the city streets. In Proceedings of ECSCW’05. (pp. 427–447). New York, NY, USA: Springer-Verlag.

  • Cheverst, K., Davis, N., Mitchell, K., Friday, A., Efstratiou, C. (2000). Developing a context-aware electronic tourist guide: Some issues and experiences. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI’00). (pp. 17–24). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Costello, B., Muller, L., Amitani, S., Edmonds, E. (2005). Understanding the experience of interactive art: Iamascope in Beta_space. In Proceedings of 2nd Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment (IE’05). (pp. 49–56). Sydney, Australia: Creativity \& Cognition Studios Press.

  • Crabtree, A., Rodden, T., & Benford, S. (2005). Moving with the times: IT research and the boundaries of CSCW. Computer Supported Cooperative Work., 14(3), 217–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crabtree, A., Benford, S., Greenhalgh, C., Tennent, P., Chalmers, M., Brown, B (2006). Supporting ethnographic studies of ubiquitous computing in the wild. In Proceedings of ACM conference on Designing interactive systems (DIS’06). (pp. 60–69). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Cross, G. S., & Walton, J. K. (2005). The playful crowd: Pleasure places in the twentieth century. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dann, G. M. S. (2003). Noticing notices: tourism to order. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(2), 465–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dib, L., Petrelli, D., Whittaker. S. (2010). Sonic souvenirs: Exploring the paradoxes of recorded sound for family remembering. In Proceedings of the 2010 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW’10). (pp. 391–400). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Durrant, A., Golembewski, M., Kirk, D. S., Benford, S., Rowland, D., McAuley, D. (2011a). Exploring a digital economy design space in theme parks. To appear in Proceedings of DESIRE '11. New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Durrant, A., Rowland, D., Kirk, D. S., Benford, S., Fischer, J. E., McAuley, D. (2011b). Automics: souvenir generating photoware for theme parks. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’11). (pp. 1767–1776). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Edensor, T. (1998). Tourists at the Taj: Performance and meaning at a symbolic site. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Featherstone, M. (1992). Postmodernity and the aestheticisation of everyday life. In S. Lash & J. Friedman (Eds.), Modernity and identity (pp. 265–290). Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleck, M., Frid, M., Kindberg, T., O’Brien-Strain, E., Rajani, R., & Spasojevic, M. (2002). From informing to remembering: ubiquitous systems in interactive museums. IEEE Pervasive Computing., 1(2), 13–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frohlich, D. M. (2004). Audiophotography: bringing photos to life with sounds. New York, NY: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. (1968). Time for dying. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenfield, A. (2006). Everyware. The dawning age of ubiquitous computing. Berkeley, CA, USA: Peachpit Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gurwitsch, A. (1979). Human Encounters in the Social World. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press.

  • Halloran, J., Hornecker, E., Fitzpatrick, G., Weal, M. J., Millard, D. E., Michaelides, D. T., Cruickshank, D. G., De Roure, D. C. (2006). Unfolding understandings: Co-designing UbiComp In Situ, over time. In Proceedings of ACM conference on Designing interactive systems (DIS’06). (pp. 109–118). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Harrison, J. (2001). Thinking about tourists. International Sociology, 16, 159–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, C., & vom Lehn, D. (2004). Configuring reception: (Dis-)Regarding the ‘spectator’ in museums and galleries. Theory, Culture and Society., 21(6), 43–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, C., Luff, P. K., vom Lehn, D., Hindmarsh, J., & Cleverly, J. (2002). Crafting participation: designing ecologies, configuring experience. Visual Communication, 1(1), 9–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilliges, O. & Kirk, D. S. (2009). Getting sidetracked: display design and occasioning photo-talk with the photohelix. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’09). (pp. 1733–1736). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Hsi, S., & Fait, H. (2005). RFID enhances visitors’ museum experience at the exploratorium. Communications of the ACM, 48(9), 60–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchins, E. (1996). Cognition in the wild. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacucci, G., Oulasvirta, A., Ilmonen, T., Evans, J., Salovaara, A., (2007). CoMedia: Mobile group media for active spectatorship. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’07). (pp. 1273–1282). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Jacucci, G., Oulasvirta, A., & Salovaara, A. (2007). Active construction of experience through mobile media: a field study with implications for recording and sharing. Personal Ubiquitous Comput, 11(4), 215–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, K. R., & Wills, J. (2005). The invention of the park: From the Garden of Eden to Disney’s magic kingdom. Oxford: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, J., Rowland, D., Rennick Egglestone, S., Benford, S., Walker, B., McAuley, D. (2011). Breath control of amusement rides. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’11). (pp. 73–82). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Moore, A. (1980). Walt Disney World: Bounded ritual space and the playful pilgrimage center. Anthropological Quarterly, 53(4), 207–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nardi, B. A., & O’Day, V. L. (1999). Information ecologies: Using technology with heart. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunes, M., Greenberg, S., Neustaedter, C. (2008). Sharing digital photographs in the home through physical mementos, souvenirs, and keepsakes. In Proceedings of ACM conference on Designing interactive systems (DIS’08). (pp. 250–260). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • O’Hara, K. (2008) Understanding geo-caching practices and motivations. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’08). (pp. 1177–1186). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • O’Hara, K., Kindberg, T., Glancy, M., Baptista, L., Sukumaran, B., Kahana, G., Rowbotham, J. (2007). Social practices in location-based collecting. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’07). (pp. 1225–1234). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Pausch, R., Snoddy, J., Taylor, R., Watson, S., Haseltine, E. (1996). Disney’s Aladdin: First steps toward storytelling in virtual reality. In Proceedings of SIGGRAPH’96. (pp. 193–203). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Peesapati, S. T., Schwanda, V., Schultz, J., Lepage, M., Jeong, S., Cosley, D. (2010). Pensieve: supporting everyday reminiscence. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’10). (pp. 2027–2036). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Rennick Egglestone, S., Whitbrook, A., Leygue, C., Greensmith, J., Walker, B., Benford, S., Schnädelbach, H., Reeves, S., Marshall, J., Kirk, D., Tennent, P., Irune, A., Rowland, D. (2011). Personalizing the theme park: Psychometric profiling and physiological monitoring. In Proceedings of User Modelling and Personalisation (UMAP’11), (pp. 281–292). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.

  • Salovaara, A., Jacucci, G., Oulasvirta, A., Kanerva, P., Kurvinen, E., Tiitta, S., (2006). Collective creation and sense-making of mobile media. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’06). (pp. 1211–1220). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Sarvas, R. & Frohlich, D. M. (2011). From snapshots to social media - the changing picture of domestic photography. Springer Publishing Company

  • Sarvas, R., Oulasvirta, A., Jacucci, G. (2005). Building social discourse around mobile photos: A systemic perspective. In Proceedings of MobileHCI’05, (pp. 31–38). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Schnädelbach H., Rennick Egglestone, S., Reeves, S., Benford, S., Walker, B., Wright, M. (2008). Performing thrill: Designing telemetry systems and spectator interfaces for amusement rides. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems (CHI’08). (pp. 1167–1176). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • Smith, J. A. (2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Urry, J. (2007). Mobilities. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • van den Hoven, E. & Eggen, B. (2005). Personal souvenirs as ambient intelligent objects. In Proceedings of the 2005 joint conference on Smart objects and ambient intelligence: innovative context-aware services: usages and technologies (sOc-EUSAI’05). (pp. 123–128). New York, NY, USA: ACM.

  • vom Lehn, D., Heath, C., & Hindmarsh, J. (2001). Exhibiting interaction: conduct and collaboration in museums and galleries. Symbolic Interaction, 24(2), 189–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank our research participants and our partners, Alton Towers and Picsolve, for their contributions to the study. We also thank Bob Anderson and a number of anonymous reviewers for their generous advice on previous iterations of this paper. This research was funded by RCUK through the Horizon Digital Economy Research grant (EP/G065802/1).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Horizon Digital Economy Research, University of Nottingham Innovation Park, Triumph Road, Nottingham, NG7 2TU, UK

    Abigail Durrant, David S. Kirk, Steve Benford & Tom Rodden

Authors
  1. Abigail Durrant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David S. Kirk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Steve Benford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Tom Rodden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abigail Durrant.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Durrant, A., Kirk, D.S., Benford, S. et al. Pursuing Leisure: Reflections on Theme Park Visiting. Comput Supported Coop Work 21, 43–79 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-011-9151-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10606-011-9151-1

Key words

  • theme parks
  • cultural visiting
  • visitor experience
  • leisure
  • tourism
  • ubiquitous computing
  • souvenirs