Virtual Passenger Testing for Cruise Ship Reservation Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cruise ships face challenges in ensuring the correct operation of mobile applications and on-board systems due to the complexity of managing hundreds of legacy systems with different operating systems and interaction requirements, which can negatively impact the guest experience by making it difficult to test and troubleshoot reservation functionalities without disrupting passenger services.
Innovation Solution
A virtual testing platform is introduced that simulates virtual passengers and virtual cabins, allowing employees to test reservation functionalities in real-time without affecting actual passengers, by creating virtual accounts that are not counted in the manifest and automatically canceling successful bookings made by virtual passengers, thus ensuring accurate passenger counting and maintaining system reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual passengers are used for testing reservation functionalities, then system reliability is improved through real-time testing capability, but device complexity increases due to the need to manage virtual cabin assignments and manifest exclusions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual passengers as digital copies that mirror real passenger behaviors and interactions with the reservation system. These virtual passengers use the same mobile application and follow the same booking workflows, allowing comprehensive testing without requiring physical test subjects. The virtual passengers are assigned to virtual cabins that replicate the structure and numbering of actual cabins, enabling realistic scenario testing while maintaining system integrity.
2Productivity
If real-time testing during sailings is enabled, then productivity is improved through rapid issue diagnosis, but loss of time increases due to the overhead of managing virtual passenger manifests and bookings
Solution Approach 1:
Virtual passengers are pre-configured with test profiles, assigned to virtual cabins, and prepared with test booking scenarios before the sailing begins. The system pre-loads virtual passenger data and cabin assignments, so that when testing is needed during the sailing, the infrastructure is already in place. This eliminates the need to create and configure test accounts during critical testing windows, allowing immediate deployment of testing activities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If virtual cabins are created for testing purposes, then adaptability is improved through flexible testing scenarios, but manufacturing precision decreases due to potential errors in virtual cabin assignment and manifest management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual cabin layer that acts as an intermediary between the physical cabin infrastructure and the testing requirements. Virtual cabins are mapped to physical cabin numbers and structures, creating a buffer zone that isolates testing operations from the actual passenger manifest. This intermediary layer allows flexible creation and modification of test scenarios while maintaining precise tracking and management through automated system controls that prevent assignment errors.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual testing platform for a cruise ship is described. An example platform obtains information indicative of passengers of a sailing of a cruise ship, the information indicating assignment of the passengers to respective cabins of the cruise ship. A first subset of the passengers who represent virtual passengers and a second subset of the passengers who represent real-world passengers are determined, with the virtual passengers being indicated as not having arrived to board the cruise ship, such that the virtual passengers are not counted as being embarked on the cruise ship. Requests for activities received from applications are responded to, with the responses indicating whether the bookings were successful, and with each request being determined as being associated with a virtual passenger or a real-world passenger. The successful bookings associated with virtual passengers are triggered for cancellation.