Lighting Preferences of Interior Users with Different Personality Traits: Pilot Study

Abstract

In the era of recognising the adverse effects of our activities on the climate, more and more attention is being paid to designing sustainable solutions. The assumptions during such sustainable designs often do not fulfil the user’s needs and comfort. Therefore, we frequently encounter the discrepancies concerning higher energy consumption and user’s modifications in the building systems compared to the design and building use stages. To mitigate these problems in the context of interior lighting design, the authors innovatively researched the lighting preferences of a selected group of respondents based on their personality traits. The Gallup CliftonStrengths assessment tool was used for this research. The research was conducted using an online survey of 101 women from Poland with an average age of 42. The received lighting preferences were analysed using the descriptive statistics and the Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA test by Ranks. Some individuals exhibited preferences for electric lighting parameters that deviate from those recommended by the standards and current technical knowledge. Such preferences can sometimes lead to lower illuminances, maintaining comfort and reducing energy consumption. The knowledge of user’s preferences can reduce the discrepancies between the sustainable design and use stages as users’ interference in device operation will be minimised by meeting their needs, thus achieving sustainable goals.