When Gamification Meets Sustainability: A Pervasive Approach to Foster Sustainable Mobility in Madeira

Abstract

In this paper, an approach to increase the use of public transportation by tourists, exploiting pervasive technologies and a smart objects infrastructure, is presented. The idea behind our platform is to take advantage of gamification and smart technologies (such as iBeacons technologies and smartphones) to engage users and persuade them to use (more) sustainable means of transport. The Beacons, in fact, acts as a provider of authentic contents related to the story of Madeira, assisting and locating the user in his/her adventure. We carried out a case study on the Madeira island, a well-known touristic destination where several bus lines allow tourists to reach the different sight-seeing places. Moreover, a preliminary usability test and a SUS questionnaire were performed to assess the usability and facility of use of the application.