Why use "test" in FP+ marketing??

[Laketravis]

My DH is following this discussion with interest, and as he hasn't got an account, has asked me to post that, no, the test finally started properly when they pulled the FP- machines. With any large infrastructure software change, there are various levels of test, and you can't complete it till everything has been running live, as it is finally designed to, and till the engineers have had the chance to iron the kinks on the full system. It's the worst part of the test for everyone concerned (consumers, and the engineers) because the backup is gone, and everyone gets mad when it doesn't work, but it is a vital part of the test!

Could also be that they are no longer testing "the system" and have now moved on to testing the tolerance levels of their guests, which is just as integral a component.

 

[BudgieMama]

Could also be that they are no longer testing "the system" and have now moved on to testing the tolerance levels of their guests, which is just as integral a component.

Personally (me, rather than DH), I think there may be some aspect of this too! But I guess that is also a key component of how the whole thing works!

 

[clsteve]

Could also be that they are no longer testing "the system" and have now moved on to testing the tolerance levels of their guests, which is just as integral a component.

Yep, load balancing - including frustration levels......

 

[clsteve]

My DH is following this discussion with interest, and as he hasn't got an account, has asked me to post that, no, the test finally started properly when they pulled the FP- machines. With any large infrastructure software change, there are various levels of test, and you can't complete it till everything has been running live, as it is finally designed to, and till the engineers have had the chance to iron the kinks on the full system. It's the worst part of the test for everyone concerned (consumers, and the engineers) because the backup is gone, and everyone gets mad when it doesn't work, but it is a vital part of the test!

Which is why it's no longer a test.
Yep, the backup is gone and 100% of the users are using it and paying to use it- and are given no other option to complete their tasks (end-users and CM's). Sounds like no going back or pulling the plug to fix things while everyone uses the old system.

It just passed every test for production

It is absolutely ok to say Disney is testing their business processes and using us to load balance many things. But, the System and its components....that parts done and in prod

 

[ethanwa]

Using the terms "beta" and "test" is the new way for companies not to take blame if something goes wrong. It's actually very common these days.

Google Gmail has the word Beta in it for years.

iCloud by Apple also used that term for a while.

Test is being used by Disney now. Using the "test" label is NOT exclusive to Disney.

Here's an entire article about it from the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB113268410649404315

Ethan

 

[mom2rtk]

I think sixbitslocum could be on to a general end state. To me it basically amounts to a reservation system. Are they gunning for a park-wide experience where there's almost nothing but virtual queues? I haven't been to MK since they re-did Dumbo, but isn't the idea there to free up people to mill around in a certain area until close to their ride time? So what about that concept park-wide? I can imagine a bunch of execs buying into such a concept that would solve all their line issues..."everybody can see 90% of the attractions in our parks (once) with minimal wait times".

I've wondered about it turning into "appointment riding" from the get go. Because FP is the currency by which the new Disney operates. And it's as if they have their own printing press for that currency. I'm not sure they can resist pushing it a little too far.

But as for "virtual queues"? I refuse to call it that. There's nothing virtual about the FP+ return queues I've seen pictured here recently.

As for Dumbo....... I viewed that as a great score for Disney when it went in. Doubling the capacity and adding FP made it exponentially more accessible than ever before. But now that it is no longer "disconnected" and in fact requires one of your 3 limited FPs in the Magic Kingdom, it's a fail in my book.

This is the point.

The System, at the very least, ceased to be in "test" once the FP- machines were pulled out.

Agreed.

Could also be that they are no longer testing "the system" and have now moved on to testing the tolerance levels of their guests, which is just as integral a component.

 

[tj4disney]

Hmm, these are all great points...so there are two components here...

System/technical aspects: Companies envision a new system, and make the changes to bring it to fruition. This can take years and go through various testing stages. While daunting and fraught with peril, it seems like it is relatively easy to have an end goal in mind (ie, eradicate paper, utilize mobile devices, etc), and to be reasonably assured that eventually those goals will be achieved.

Guest experience/load balancing/frustration level: This is where I'm more interested, but less certain about what the end goal is. What does success look like for them? Do they have any pre-conceived ideas, or do they just have to collect a bunch of data first, and then they'll figure out what adjustments they need to make to create the right balance between customer satisfaction and business profit? If they have pre-conceived ideas, what are they? Do they have a range of end states, or is it just "we don't know...we'll just let the data/testing lead us"?

Guess it will be interesting to see where this all ends up.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

I subscribe to the thinking that they are saying "test" because that allows them to make changes, and it manages peoples expectations. By saying test, much of the public will be more patient with glitches and issues because they will not expect as much perfection.

 

[Cookie Princess]

This is the point.

The System, at the very least, ceased to be in "test" once the FP- machines were pulled out.

I agree, the test ended when they shut down the original FP machines which appears to have been a little premature based upon the complaints.

 

[drew64]

They will keep saying test so they can explain away issues and also change at their discretion.

They launched prematurely a system with way too many glitches, lack of education and training of CMS, etc. and by calling it a test expect everyone to just deal with it.

This has been my biggest issue with the whole thing. Our recent trip went well with MBs and FP+ even with the aspects I still don't like, but Disney wants everyone to plan everything 60-180 days out - which we did anyway so don't mind - BUT it is impossible to do so as Disney keeps changing the rules and system on all of us.

When we first booked, it was MB at some resorts, a few months later all resorts. when our cancellation deadline hit, it was FP+ with the option to pull FP-.

Then it was FP+ only and FP machines woudl be gone. A few weeks before it was time to choose FP+, tiering hit.

This is where Disney is losing the PR campaign. Making people pay top dollar to be tests and help them solve for THEIR mistakes.

 

[WillAustin]

I've wondered about it turning into "appointment riding" from the get go.

Me too. As others have said, I'm not sure that's what most paying customers will want. Locked itineraries might work well on a cruise for some people, but I don't think they'll be able to translate it to the resort/theme park and make it work well.

 

[TheDisneyPrep]

I agree... it sounds very cruise-shippy!

 

[clsteve]

Using the terms "beta" and "test" is the new way for companies not to take blame if something goes wrong. It's actually very common these days.

Google Gmail has the word Beta in it for years.

iCloud by Apple also used that term for a while.

Test is being used by Disney now. Using the "test" label is NOT exclusive to Disney.

Here's an entire article about it from the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB113268410649404315

Ethan