Cross-border activity: User behaviour changes Living Lab
methodology
Botnia Living Lab
Background info on two cases
• SABER Case– Purpose to save 20% energy by visualizing consumption in private
homes– User involvement to give input on technology usage and usability– Consumers get full control of their energy consumption
• SITE case– Purpose to save 20% energy by visualizing consumption in a school– Involvement of the pupils designing the visualization– Three displays visualizing consumption in three different locations
• Classroom showing their consumption• Canteen showing whole schools consumption• Kitchen showing the kitchens consumption
Lessons learned from the cases
• Longitudinal studies are essential• Stimuli is important to create behavioral changes– Reminders from system. (e.g. a graph of the month usage
sent via e-mail)– Personal consultation and guidance based on individual
situation– Visualization in real time. In a central place in house (e.g.
kitchen). • Base-line investigation to get status from start to
be able to compare (energy consumption, behavior, attitudes)
What do we know from theory?
Energy consumption decreases when stimulated by:– Money– Real time feedback– General information about energy saving– Energy consumption directly linked to effects on environment and
climate• Challenges:
– Numerical representations do NOT lead to behavior change or increased awareness of their consumption
– Get feedback to work in the long run, users become accustomed– How the feedback should be presented to the users– Many web-services included barriers to usage and change such as
login or problems related to the artifact
Theoretical design implications
• Discrete feedback – non-intrusive• Micro activity based information – not general• Link to individuals – not collective• Give personal feedback• Users want to share their status for mutual
encouragement and development• Controllable – adjustable• Illustrate real-time data and history (trends and
changes)• Feedback in positive terms stimulates change – it
should be fun
Luleå Energy Case
• Test energy visualization technologies in private households
• Recruit and select 40 households• Baseline questionnaire about their interest in the
environment and energy consumption• Implement the technology• Each month a task and a few questions will be
sent to the users• Each task relates to psychological motivators and
ways to save energy
Examples of motivators and actions
• Idealism – improve society– Increase their awareness of how their decreased energy consumption is
beneficial for the society and environment• Curiosity – want knowledge
– Encourage users to compare and work with their energy consumption to increase their knowledge about the subject
• Independence – be autonomous– Activities that offers several options among which they can choose
• Saving – value prudence– Ask the users to, for example, count their energy saving in money
• Status – social standing– Highlight those who have saved most energy for a month
• Social contact – peer companionship– Arrange discussion forums and social media contact where they can discuss
their energy saving tips with each other
Follow up
• After each assignment, the users will get a few questions regarding: – follow up on the assignment as such to make sure they
have done it (e.g. fill in energy consumption)– the assignment as such: easy/difficult, fun/boring, etc– their experience of their energy consumption behavior
related to the assignment: influenced or not
Identified KPIs in case (how to measure behavioral changes)
• Energy consumtion (increase – decrease) • Activities with the purpose to save energy related
to motivators• Attitudes towards energy saving. (positive –
negative)
Questions
• How to stimulate behaviour change by giving them assignments? – Which tasks could be stimulating?
• How can motivators be used as a means to stimulate behaviour change?
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