ABSTRACT
The aim of this research project is to provide design principles to build a platform that allows
the translation of a documentary film festival physical experience into a digital experience, by
coupling the concept of experience economy with the current digital context, technological
and societal trends, but also with value co-creation as an innovative approach. This research is
executed through a case study focused on one of the most important documentary festivals in
the world, CPH:DOX, based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Among the problems encountered by CPH:DOX was the fact they couldn’t engage people
who were not able to physically attend the festival. Moreover, they were missing more interaction
with users online. CPH:DOX’s objective was to create a digital universe of the festival.
The aforementioned issues led to the following research question:
In what way can a documentary film festival translate the physical festival experience into an
digital experience?
Theoretically, this research begins with the concept of experience, drawing on the experience
economy. Afterwards, value co-creation is introduced, as to provide an innovative approach
to staging experiences. These theoretical contributions were complemented with technology
and society trends, which frame the translation from physical to digital in the framework of
this research. The framework concludes with six design principles for building a digital platform
particularly for documentary film festivals.
Methodologically, this case study is developed throughout a quantitative mono-method research
design. The principles provided in the framework were implemented in the prototype
of a digital platform, which was assessed in an online questionnaire.
The theoretical framework was applied to analyse the results from the survey. Apart from
testing the design principles, the concept of experience economy was revised, and a series of
tailored-made recommendations were provided to CPH:DOX. These included engagement
dimensions and technology features to implement in the platform where the user co-creates
his/her unique digital experience.