Sustainable Behaviour through Design : Digital Interfaces and their Influence on the Perception of Energy Consumption

As a crucial form of energy, electricity plays a big role in the modern lifestyle of today’s society. However, its capacity is not unlimited - hence various strategies related to consumer electricity consumption are put in place in order to adapt to upcoming electricity market changes. From 2027, important regulations will be enforced in order to mitigate traditional expansions of electricity grids, due to high levels of electricity consumption by the general public. To address the upcoming changes and allow a smoother transition, the purpose of this study is to explore and derive a sustainable approach in a digital interface format, in combination with the “nudge” theory utilized to subtly guide consumers towards more responsible electricity consumption. After analyzing existing work (referred to as “State-of-the-Art”, SOTA) and gaining a clear understanding of different nudging mechanisms and their implications in a digital context, the study employs a “State-of-the-Practice” (SOTP) review. Following the in-depth analysis of over thirty existing energy-related applications on the market, the study builds a foundation for generating a design artifact (prototype) that incorporates relevant findings from both SOTA and SOTP, potentially acting as a solution for shifting consumer behaviour. To evaluate the proposed solution, the artifact is tested by a total of 8 domain experts from the energy sector. In continuation of the carried out interview and focus group, relevant findings and insights collected from study participants are presented, outlining overall impressions, solution feasibility in a real-world setting as well as its capacity to address the problem at hand. Lastly, derived findings and improvement suggestions collected from domain experts additionally present a good basis for future work, potentially taking into consideration the suggested improvements, integration of AI, as well as the end-user/consumer perspective.