A Systems Approach to Improving the Spectator Experience at Collegiate Football Games; The Effect of Online Tools on Residential Real Estate

The technical report focuses on improving the spectator experience at collegiate football games. Overall, traffic congestion, repetitive in-game activities, and a website that is difficult to navigate diminish the customer experience for UVA football game spectators. Proposed solutions to mitigate these issues include an updated traffic plan, a rearrangement of workers at entrance gates, updated in-game entertainment, and a restructured game day website. Incorporating these recommendations will improve the customer experience for UVA home football game spectators, enhancing the stadium atmosphere on game day and helping build a more loyal fan base.

The STS report focuses on the effect of online tools on the residential real estate market. Online tools such as Zillow have revolutionized the residential real estate market by enabling homebuyers and sellers to view homes without the assistance of a real estate agent in a way like never before. By utilizing the SCOT framework, the effect of such online tools on residential real estate was analyzed. Scholars and real estate agents have scrutinized Zillow for providing inaccurate Zestimates while other homebuyers and sellers appreciate the new supply of information at their fingertips. Homeowners have accused Zillow of contributing to racial steering and displacement while Zillow executives claim they are only supplying information which is then used by outside policymakers. Homebuyers and sellers use Zestimates to determine a homes value which Zillow executives have used to make low offers and high sales. Going forward, Zillow must increase transparency to gain trust from its users. It is recommended that Zillow shows how Zestimates are calculated for homes and provides confidence intervals to each Zestimate. Furthermore, it is recommended that Zillow focus solely on being a trustworthy supplier on information; thus, Zillow should not return the iBuying program.