A master programme thesis from Aalborg University
Designing for Group Travel Planning: A Human-Centred Application with AI-Powered Personalised Recommendations
Author(s)
Term
4. term
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-08-07
Pages
79 pages
Abstract
This thesis investigates how human-centred design can enhance the digital group trip planning experience for young adults through the integration of artificial intelligence and personality-based recommendations. Grounded in the Design Thinking framework, the study applies a mixed-methods approach including qualitative interviews (N=6), a quantitative survey (N=94), and usability testing (N=8) to identify key user pain points and inform the design of a digital planning application. The proposed solution, a Group Trip Planning Hub, combines collaborative features such as availability coordination with a novel AI-powered, personality-aware itinerary recommendation system. By leveraging prompt abstraction, the application enables natural-language-based personalisation without requiring users to write prompts themselves. Usability testing demonstrated high task success, ease of use, and a clear user preference for personalised over generic itineraries. The findings contribute to the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, UX, and tourism technology by demonstrating how hybrid GUI–CUI systems and personality-aware recommender strategies can reduce planning friction. The study also highlights ethical considerations in AI transparency and data use. While the solution shows promise, limitations include simulated group setting and a lack of longitudinal testing. This thesis offers actionable design insights for AI-integrated planning tools and suggests directions for future research in ethical, personalised, and collaborative travel technologies.
Documents
Colophon: This page is part of the AAU Student Projects portal, which is run by Aalborg University. Here, you can find and download publicly available bachelor's theses and master's projects from across the university dating from 2008 onwards. Student projects from before 2008 are available in printed form at Aalborg University Library.
If you have any questions about AAU Student Projects or the research registration, dissemination and analysis at Aalborg University, please feel free to contact the VBN team. You can also find more information in the AAU Student Projects FAQs.