Sustainability in the workplace: Nine intervention techniques for behavior change

Abstract

Human activity creates some of the greatest environmental challenges on the planet. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research on sustainability increased dramatically in the past five years. Researchers argue that technology plays a critical role in changing people's belief and behavior towards sustainability. Much of the sustainable HCI research currently focuses on domestic environments. However, 36% of electrical energy is used in the workplace and through office workers' behavior modification savings between 12% to 20% are possible. We investigate nine intervention techniques based on a review of studies in the fields in Persuasive technology, HCI, Ubicomp, environmental psychology, energy efficiency, and green building. We introduce related studies and design examples, and discuss design issues using our suggestions in designing persuasive systems for the workplace. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.