Gamification for Sustainable Travel : Encouraging sustainable travel experiences through a digital service
Qureshi, Talia (2025)
2025
Tietojenkäsittelyopin maisteriohjelma - Master's Programme in Computer Science
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-12-29
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2025122412121
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2025122412121
Tiivistelmä
The global tourism industry contributes significantly to carbon emissions, creating an urgent need for sustainable travel practices. However, despite growing environmental awareness, many travelers struggle to adopt eco-friendly habits due to systemic obstacles and practical constraints. This thesis investigates these barriers and explores how gamified digital services can be designed to motivate behavioral change among young international travelers. A review of related work establishes the theoretical framework for this study, examining the environmental imperative of sustainable tourism and the specific barriers, such as financial constraints, informational gaps, and psychological factors, that deter travelers. Furthermore, it analyses the principles of gamification, highlighting a gap in empirical research regarding their application in minimizing the environmental footprint of tourism.
Adopting a User-Centered Design (UCD) framework and a pragmatic mixed-methods approach, the research began with a survey of 47 participants, particularly young international travelers. The findings identified a "Triad of Barriers" hindering sustainable choices: inconvenience 51% (n=24), an information deficit 48% (n=23), and high costs 42% (n=20). Notably, 74% (n=35) of respondents were unaware of existing digital tools to assist them in planning a sustainable trip. These insights informed the design of "EcoTravel," a high-fidelity mobile prototype featuring an integrated "Eco-Score" for transparency, a personal goal tracker, and a gamified rewards system.
The prototype was evaluated through usability testing using the Think-Aloud Protocol (n=5). The results demonstrate that while competitive mechanics like leaderboards are ineffective for young international travelers, users are highly motivated by personal goal setting and tangible rewards that offset the cost of sustainable travel. The study concludes that successful gamification in tourism must prioritize proactive data transparency and economic value over social competition. This thesis contributes to the field by providing a digital service prototype to overcome the challenges of sustainable travel planning.
Adopting a User-Centered Design (UCD) framework and a pragmatic mixed-methods approach, the research began with a survey of 47 participants, particularly young international travelers. The findings identified a "Triad of Barriers" hindering sustainable choices: inconvenience 51% (n=24), an information deficit 48% (n=23), and high costs 42% (n=20). Notably, 74% (n=35) of respondents were unaware of existing digital tools to assist them in planning a sustainable trip. These insights informed the design of "EcoTravel," a high-fidelity mobile prototype featuring an integrated "Eco-Score" for transparency, a personal goal tracker, and a gamified rewards system.
The prototype was evaluated through usability testing using the Think-Aloud Protocol (n=5). The results demonstrate that while competitive mechanics like leaderboards are ineffective for young international travelers, users are highly motivated by personal goal setting and tangible rewards that offset the cost of sustainable travel. The study concludes that successful gamification in tourism must prioritize proactive data transparency and economic value over social competition. This thesis contributes to the field by providing a digital service prototype to overcome the challenges of sustainable travel planning.