Sustainable technology or sustainable users?

Abstract

The main question posed in this book is how to manage humantechnology interaction to optimize its various outcomes. Sustainable use and a sustainable society are focal points in this analysis. In the traditional technical approach, solutions for sustainability are looked for in technology: for example, a washing machine is made more energy-efficient when it uses less water and suffers less heat loss. These kinds of measures have been proposed repeatedly in past decades. Although these improvements certainly have merit, it has become evident that consumption levels cannot be reduced sufficiently by this approach. The simple reason is that it does not deal with the intensity and way of use. An increment in use may compensate for efficiency gains. Neither does it deal with inefficient behavior by the user. These constraints caused by users have made engineers long for full automation, assuming that by excluding the user from the operational process, the efficiency, for example of a washing machine, can be optimized. One might wonder if such a setup would really lead to more sustainable use. In this part of the book we focus on the interaction between technology and users, and show how outcomes in technology are shaped by this interaction, how the user affects the system, and what roles are being played by the system and by the user. A sustainable use of technological systems can only be accomplished if we understand better the nature of this interaction process. Consistent with the map outlined in Part 1, different modes of human-technology interaction can be distinguished. The papers in this part of the book have shed some light on these distinctions, not only at the conceptual level, but by offering empirical data as well. First of all, technological efficacy requires that the user be willing to allocate control to the system. © 2006 Springer.