Narrative design for travel recommender systems.

Abstract

Travel recommender system users are typically forced to express their preferences for travel products or services as highly structured queries or choices among search options that more or less reflect the rows and columns in which the data are stored. This chapter challenges the dominance of the database perspective underlying interface design by reflecting on their limitations in terms of effectively eliciting user preferences and conveying relevant information about holistic holiday experiences. Narratives are presented as a valuable alternative regarding the organization and display of tourism information. An integration of narrative principles is expected to lead to travel recommender systems that can better meet a multitude of informational needs, provide information that more closely matches human memory and communication patterns, support tourism decision-making throughout its various stages and increase user enjoyment of the recommendation process. Most importantly, it is argued that narrative design can enhance the persuasiveness of the recommendations provided by travel recommender systems.