Study Task 4 - Answering my questions and
furthering my research
After coming up with a range of different (and complicated) ideas, I had a few of questions that I needed answering. I also needed to do a lot of further research:
Types of research
Qualitative Research
Qualitative research is a type of research conducted to establish the audience’s beliefs, feelings, motivations and triggers. Results are often rich in insights.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is a type of research that provides valid data. It’s all about the numbers. Insights can be difficult at times, as quantitative research requires analysis to identify trends.
Primary Research
Primary research is new, not old, information.
Secondary Research
Secondary research is research performed on old data. E.g. New analysis on data gathered last year.
Segmentation
You hear a lot about ‘Market Segmentation’. It means the market of the product, or service, is segmented into groups. Those groups, or segments, represent a part of the customer group or audience. They are usually grouped by demographics such as sex, age, ethnicity, income, occupation etc.
Focus Groups
Focus groups are moderated group discussions whose participants are selected to accurately represent the audience or customer.
Visual Research
Visual research is the gathering of visual information, stuff that a designer will find useful in solving the problem. Visual research is generally the domain of the designer, or the project team, rarely the client.
Visual Research
What are other interactive features I can use in my design?
Parallax scrolling:
Parallax scrolling is this amazing trending new feature that allows the user to scroll down the website with the effect of different layers that move at different rates. It showcases imagery really well as the content seems to fall into place as you scroll.
Here are some examples of really effective parallax scrolling sites:
Jess and Russ
Jessica Hische's wedding website uses imagery and text to fully utilise the parallax scrolling feature.
http://jessandruss.us/
These are Things
This website keeps one image in the same place, showing off the moving background.
This feature would be really useful in displaying the interactive timeline with the artist biographies.
Non scrolling websites
Because I want my navigation bar to be in the bottom half of the home page, it is paramount that the page doesn't scroll so that the user can find the nav bar. Here are some examples of some sites that don't scroll:
Alex Buga
We are Sofa
Disneyworld new Fantasyland
Animation
Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland is not necessarily a functional site for serious information. They've had a bit of fun with this and used amazing interactive animation to show the journey of the new fantasyland.
What is the best way to illustrate a map design of this nature?
I think that to display the information as clearly as possible, an isometric map is needed as it's the easiest way to see the information without it being too complicated. I couldn't find many modern style of isometric map, but these are good examples of isometric maps that show multiple storeys.
On the current St Peter's Basilica website, they have a map showing the interior and exterior of the Basilica:
What features are best to use when designing a tourist website?
I want to know the best way to accommodate all that booking information! I am starting to look at a few tourism websites and how they deal with the mass information required when making a booking similar to this:
Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays
For my site I would like to include a page dedicated to booking a trip to the Basilica, but I also think that a mini booking bar be visible on the home page, as I think that lots of visitors to the site will be visiting for this reason.
For the booking page itself, I want a more elaborate selection of choices to make, offering all the information I found off of the tourist page of the official website. The red page on the Virgin site deals with the mass of info well, while the white one has a lot less info but gives a quick snapshot.
If visitors were to use the mini bar on my site, after clicking 'check availability' (the button to replace 'find holidays' in this instance) it would take you to the booking page and show your results plus more opportunities to elaborate on what they requested.
Thomas Cook
Again, the Thomas Cook site deals with the information needed in a mini bar on the main home page. The use of informal language works well here but I'm not entirely sure how it would work on my site, because I would want my site to be multilingual to accommodate all potential customers, so I don't think informal chat would translate well.
And from there I am looking at tourism websites as a whole to see how they display their information to the viewer:
London Dungeon
Again, the home site has a mini booking feature which confirms that this probably is the best way to go with my site. I like the way that the colour scheme matches the photography used.
The book tickets online tab opens up this mini floating booking page. I would like to include a calendar on my booking page, as I think that not only does it help the visitor to visually browse a lot easier, but events and ceremonies can be shown visually on the calendar. I would also like to show the peak/ quiet times are on the calendar.
Alton Towers
On the Alton Towers site, the priority tabs are the ones to book online. I don't know if this is wholly appropriate for my site since the majority of the site will be dedicated to information about the Basilica, not just how to go to see it.
The Alton Towers site accomodates a lot of different possibilities and combinations to booking - which is what I need for my site. It needs to be clear and concise and do all the working out for the visitor.
Disney World
This is the initial booking site for Walt Disney World. I don't think that this approach is the best way to book but more so browse.
Again, I think that this sort of approach to showcasing everything that's on is not very concise, possibly because it's impossible to do absolutely everything in one trip (which is also the case for the Basilica) but this is more appropriate as an addition to a calendar, not instead of, in my opinion.
What visuals are appropriate for a historical, respected monument?
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This more modern/ less 'fun' approach to the design might be more suitable for my website, since the content is informative and historical.
Because of the religious nature of the website, I wanted to look at a few websites for churches that have displayed the information in a respectful, non-corporate style:
Church of the Incarnation
I like the colour scheme and typefaces used on this site but I'm not entirely sure about the overall feel, it doesn't look contemporary enough to work with the format of a website.
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/
I really like the colours and typefaces used on this site as it really works with the old world style artwork in a respective manner. It reflects the style of the Bible itself, but in a modern way that works with the format of a website.
The British Museum
I really like the British Museum's ability to let the images talk for themselves with a dark background the light images stand out really well.
Chester & Cheshire West
The typography on Chester and Cheshire's site compliments the tudor architectural style of the city. This should be addressed on my site also by using at least a serif font to go with the photographs used.
Lincoln Cathedral
The gentle colours on Lincoln Cathedral's site are respectful to the nature of the subject matter.
Barcelona Cathedral
I really like the mixture between modern and old world style in this with the minimalist layout and serif font that corresponds with the architecture of the building. The colour scheme of the site is gentle and lets the fantastic image speak for itself.
Qualitative secondary research
What tourist opportunities are available at St Peter's? How much does it cost? When is the best time to go? What's on?
Hours: St. Peter's Basilica is open daily, Apr-Sep 7:00-19:00;
Oct-Mar 7:00-18:00
Treasury Museum: 9:00 - 18:15 (Apr - Sep) 9:00 - 17:15 p.m. (Oct - Mar)
Grottoes: 7:00-18:00 (Apr - Sep) 7:00-17:00 (Oct - Mar)
Cupola: 8:00 - 18:00 (Apr - Sep) 8:00 - 16:45 (Oct - Mar)
Scavi Office: weekdays 9:00 - 17:00
Sacristy (011) 39 06 6988 3712
Parish Office (011) 39 06 6988 5435
Vatican Switchboard (011) 39 06 6982
Getting to St. Peter's Basilica
By Subway - This map shows the Vatican area and nearest subway stop. Take Linea A (red line) toward Battistini and exit at Ottaviano-S. Pietro. Walk south on Via Ottaviano toward St. Peter's Square.
By Walking - From the city center, the most direct route is to cross the Tiber and walk straight up Via Conciliazioni. A more interesting route is to go under the Passetto arch near Castel S. Angelo and walk up Pio Borgo, providing a more dramatic entrance from the right (north) side of the Piazza.
Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel - (Vatican website)
Hours - Closed on many holidays, check the Vatican Website
Mar-Oct 8:45-15:20, Exit 16:45 Saturdays 8:45 - 12:20 Exit 13:45
Nov-Feb 8:45 - 12:20, Exit 13:45
Closed Sundays, except the last Sunday of the month which is free.
Regular Price - 12 Euros (Vatican Website)
For Guided Tours of the Vatican Gardens or Museum - Vatican Website
Many people still come to St. Peter's Square looking for the entrance to the Museum. The roof of the Sistine Chapel can be seen from the Square, but it's a 10-15 min. walk, north along the Vatican Wall, to the museum entrance. Modest dress is required (though more enforced at the Basilica).
I recommend going early (around 8:00AM), or late (after 11:00AM), as the line can get very long during tourist season..
Mass Schedule for St. Peter's (Masses in Italian)
Daily
8:30 - Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament followed by Eucharistic Adoration
until the 16:45 Benediction
9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 17:00 - Altar of St. Joseph (Left Transept)
Thursday
9:00 - For Pilgrims at the Altar of the Chair (Cattedra)
Sunday
9:00 - For the Parish of St. Peters
10:30 - Altar of the Chair (in Latin)
11:30 - Chapel of Blessed Sacrament
12:15 - Altar of the Chair
13:00 - Altar of St. Joseph
16:00 - Altar of the Chair
17:00 - Vespers at the Altar of the Chair followed by Mass
17:45 - Altar of the Chair |
Sacrament of Penance (right transept)
Approach the attendant at the right transept (far right of the papal altar) and indicate that you want to enter for confession. The attendant can direct you toward the language of your choice, which is indicated on the wooden confessionals.
Daily
7:00 to 12:30 and Apr-Sep 16:00 to 18:00; Nov-Mar 15:00 to 18:00
Sunday
7:00 to 13:00 and Apr-Sep 16:00 to 18:00; Nov-Mar 15:00 to 18:00 |
Papal Event Tickets
The easiest way to get tickets just days before the Wednesday General Audience with the Holy Father is to go to St. Peter's Square, find the Bronze Doors to the Apostolic Palace, and request them from the Swiss Guards. If you want tickets far in advance, have a large group, or require Papal Mass Tickets, try one of the following resources. Note: Christmas and Easter Papal Mass tickets are difficult to obtain.
US Visitors Office to the Vatican, Via dell' Umiltá 30, 00187 Rome, Italy
Phone: (011) 06.6900.1821 Fax: (011) 39 06 679 1448 Email: nacvisoffrome@pnac.org
Bishops' Office Papal Calendar
Santa Susanna, the American Church in Rome, has an excellent website that allows you to request tickets online.
Letters to the Vatican should be addressed to: Archbishop James Harvey, Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Vatican City 00120. Ph: (011) 39 06 6988 4857; Fax: (011) 39 06 6988 5863
When the Pope is at his summer residence (July and August), the General Audience is held in the Courtyard in the town of Castelgandolfo. He leads the prayer from his study window. Tickets are not required for this event, but at Castelgandolfo (16 miles out of Rome) space is very limited.
Vatican Calendar of Papal Celebrations |
Dress Code
The Dress Code is strictly enforced at St. Peter's Basilica. No shorts, bare shoulders or miniskirts. This applies to both men and women. Even if you get through security, you will be turned away by the attendants at the door. On a hot summer day, I've seen dozens of men in shorts turned away. |
Vatican Post Office
This is a great place to send a send a post card home, or collect stamps. There are two Post Office locations in St. Peter's Square, along the Charlemagne Wing (left side) and just beyond the colonnades on the right side. Items must have Vatican postage and be mailed from the Vatican. There is also a Post Office in the Vatican Museum |
Climbing the Cupola
Hours 8:00 - 18:00 (Apr - Sep) 8:00 - 16:45 (Oct - Mar)
Cost 7 Euros for elevator, 6 Euros for stairs
At the entrance to the basilica, there is a sign that directs you to the far right of the portico (past the Holy Door) and to the kiosk for the elevator. This area can sometimes be entered from the stairs in the baggage check room at the lower right of the basilica.
If you're with someone who doesn't want to climb the 320 steps to the top of the dome, they can still take the elevator to the roof, enjoy the view from the gallery inside the dome looking down into the basilica, and then hang out at the gift shop and coffee bar, while the others make the climb. If you're overly energetic, you can take the stairs that winds around the elevator to reach the roof.
As you exit the interior gallery at the base of the dome, you have the option of going up the dome or down to the roof level. If you make the climb, you'll pass several small windows that provide a view. At the top you receive the views so often seen in photographs. See if you can spot Rome's other great dome, the Pantheon.
Back on the roof, you have access to restrooms, water fountains, a gift shop and a new coffee bar. Take a walk to the front of the basilica to look into the Square and observe the huge statues on the facade. When you're ready to depart, there is again the option of elevator or stairs. Along the walls of the stairs are inscriptions listing some famous people who visited St. Peter's Basilica.
The cost to take the elevator to the roof is 7 euros. It is 6 euros to walk up the stairs around the elevator. I highly recommend the elevator, as there is nothing to see along the stairs, and it's a strenuous walk.
But at the other exit elevator, consider taking the stairs down, as this area contains marble plaques of all the famous who have visited the dome over the years. |
Grottoes (Map)
The Vatican Grottoes is the level below the floor of St. Peter's where many popes and a few royals are buried. Below the Grottoes is the ancient Necropolis (seen on the Scavi tour), which is the Roman "city of the dead" and excavations of St. Peter's tomb.
The Grottoes used to be accessed by stairs from either the St. Longinus or St. Andrew statues near the papal altar. The normal exit was to the right (north) external side of St. Peter's, near the elevator kiosk for the roof. This area is now the normal entrance, with the exit to the south of the basilica.
One of the highlights of the visit is the view into the confessio, the area in front of St. Peter's tomb. The Niche of the Pallium, with the bronze urn containing the woolen stolls given to new Archbishops, is often mistakenly thought to hold the bones of St. Peter. |
Information Office
The Information Office is on the left (south) side wing of St. Peter's, often called the Charlemagne Wing. This area is accessed by several doors and has a Post Office on the far (west) end and the information desk on the near (east) end. This is a good spot to ask about the free tours of St. Peter's and to exchange money. |
Restrooms
There are three main restroom areas. Along the Charlemagne Wing (left side), beyond the colonnades on the upper right side, and in the bag check area on the lower right side of the facade of the basilica. The bag check area has the newest restrooms and from here you can rent the audio tour of the Basilica. |
Weddings at St. Peter's
It is possible to get married in the Chapel of the Choir at St. Peter's Basilica.
See also: Weddings-in-Italy website by Regency. |
Scavi Tour (St. Peter's Tomb)
This 90 min. tour into the Excavations of the Necropolis (City of the Dead) underneath St. Peter's, is one of the most interesting in all of Rome, but you must book well in advance. Start by going to the Vatican Website. The Excavations Office email is: scavi@fsp.va
Fax (011) 39 06 6987 3017
You'll need to email the Excavations Office the number of visitors, names, language, contact info in Rome, and time period desired. Try to be flexible on the dates and times. Groups are limited to apx. 15, and no children under 11 are allowed. See: Sample Reply from Scavi Office
The office is on the left (south) side of the basilica, through the Arch of the Bells. Just walk up to the Swiss Guards with reservation in hand and say Scavi.
Information on the Necropolis is found in Margherita Guarducci's book "The Tomb of St. Peter" |
Seeing the Pope
On Sundays at noon, the pope usually (if he's in town) appears at the second window from the right of the Apostolic Palace, to pray the Angelus and bless the crowd in the Square. Benedict XVI has continued this tradition, no ticket required.
Otherwise, you can attend the Wednesday General Audience held in St Peter's Square. In winter the audience is held in the Paul VI Hall accessed just to the left of the Square. Tickets are required for the Audience, but are easily obtained. See Papal Event Tickets
When the Pope is at his summer residence (July and August), the General Audience is held in the Courtyard in the town of Castelgandolfo. He leads the prayer from his study window. Tickets are not required for this event, but at Castelgandolfo (16 miles out of Rome) space is very limited.
The Bishops' Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican maintains a Papal Event Schedule at:
http://www.pnac.org/general/visitors_office/papaleventscalendar.htm |
Sistine Chapel
People still come to St Peter's Square and ask how to get to the Sistine Chapel. This is the wrong entrance. The Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums and that entrance is a 10-15 min. walk along the Vatican Wall from the Square. (See: Getting to the Vatican Museum). You can however, from the Square, see the roof of the Sistine Chapel that emits the famous black or white smoke during the papal elections. It's the angled roof just to the right of the basilica, but the stove pipe is removed after the conclave. |
Tomb of John Paul II
The tomb of John Paul II is in the grottoes below the floor of the Basilica. (See: Grottoes Map) This spot was previously occupied by the tomb of John XXIII, who's body was moved up into the basilica. When the grottoes were reopened after the burial of John Paul II, the normal exit to the exterior right (north) of the basilica became the entrance to accommodate the large crowds. |
Tours
The are many ways to obtain a tour of St Peter's Basilica. The simplest way may be to print out Fr. Carolan'sone page walking tour, and do it yourself. The bag check area to the right of the basilica entrance, now rents an audio walking tour which is very good. Check at the Information Desk near the Post Office on the left of the basilica for the free guided tour schedule. These one hour tours are conducted by seminarians from the N.A.C. or the English Guides to St. Peter's, and depart around 2:15PM. Finally, many tour companies in Rome offer free tours of the basilica, some of which meet around 10:00AM at the obelisk. After the free tour, these guides will invite you to their pay tour of the Vatican Museum |
Schedule a Special Mass
If you have a priest in your group and want to schedule a special mass at the Clementine Chapel near St. Peter's tomb, contact Dottore Antonio Grimaldi.
Fax: (011) 39 06 698 855 18
Tel: (011) 39 06 698 81496
The Clementine Chapel is located on the grottoes level below the basilica.
Space is limited in this small chapel. (apx. 12 persons)
If you would like to get married at St. Peter's Basilica, see the following website:
http://www.santasusanna.org/weddingsRome/stPeters.html
The Vatican does NOT accept mass stipends for masses to be said at St. Peter's Basilica.
5 Websites :
These are things
New Fantasyland
Barcelona Cathedral
The church of Jesus Christ and the latter day saints
Virgin Holidays
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