The development of community products using design thinking based on cultural heritage: A case study of Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand

Abstract

The purposes of this research were 1) to study community products towards the development of product potential for tourism, 2) to develop community products using design thinking methods using the cultural heritage capital, and 3) to assess tourist satisfaction towards community products based on cultural heritage. The research was conducted in three phases: Phase 1 studying community products towards the development of product potential for tourism, Phase 2 developing community products using design thinking methods using the cultural heritage capital, and Phase 3 assessing tourist satisfaction towards community products based on cultural heritage. For Phase 1, two cultural tourism communities in Kamphaeng Phet Province, Thailand, were chosen for this research. The development of community products included consideration of community potential, cultural heritage, and tourism products (CCT), and these resulted in CCT Model. For Phase 2, the use of the five stages of design thinking and design thinking tools were employed with CCT Model of the communities in order to create their community products based on cultural heritage (i.e., three products for each community). For Phase 3, the satisfaction of 100 tourists were assessed in terms of five aspects, including 1) connection with tourism, 2) connection with cultural heritage, 3) value based on identity and cultural heritage, 4) marketing ability, and 5) product quality. The community products were successfully created, and the overall satisfaction assessment result was at a high level. Recommendations for further research are also discussed.