Stimulating consumers to save water is a challenge and an opportunity for water demand management. Existing ICT systems for behavioural change often do not consider the underlying behavioural determinants in a systematic way. This paper discusses the design of the behavioural change and incentive model combining smart meter data with consumption visualisation and gamified incentive mechanisms to stimulate water saving. We show how the design of such a system can be related to a holistic behavioural change model and how this systematic mapping can inform the design of an integrated incentive model combining different incentive types (virtual, physical, social). The model is implemented in the SmartH2O system and deployed in two pilots. We present the preliminary results for the Swiss pilot, which indicate reduced water consumption, positive user feedback and overall suitability of the designed incentive model.
In a world affected by the constant growth and concentration of the population in urban areas, the problem of preserving natural resources has become a priority. A promising approach to resource conservation is demand management, i.e., the ability to positively influence the behaviour of the population towards more sustainable consumption. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have shown a great potential in influencing consumers' behaviour, which could be exploited for the common good. However, the design of so-called persuasive systems for environmental purposes is a challenging task, because it cannot be based solely on the utilitarian motivation of users, but must be able to trigger a broader range of engagement factors deeply rooted in the human psychology. In this paper, we review the main design principles and models at the base of a class of persuasive system that exploits gamification and Games with a Purpose (GWAPs) to engage users towards sustainability; we identify the most commonly used incentive mechanisms for inducing behavioural changes; and present a selection of gamified systems for energy and water conservation. From such a survey, we distill design guidelines to be applied in the design of demand management socio-technical systems.
This paper presents the research objectives of the enCOMPASS project, which aims at implementing and validating an integrated socio-technical approach to behavioural change for energy saving. To this end, innovative user-friendly digital tools will be developed to 1) make energy data consumption available and understandable for different types of users and stakeholders (household residents, office employees, school pupils, building managers, utilities, ICT providers) and to 2) empower them to collaborate in order to achieve energy savings and manage their energy needs in efficient, cost-effective and comfort-preserving ways. The project will demonstrate how this can be achieved with a novel approach that integrates user-centered visualisation of energy data from smart sensors and user-generated information with context-aware collaborative recommendations for energy saving, intelligent control and adaptive gamified incentives enabling effective and sustained behavioural change.
a b s t r a c tUser video tagging can enhance the indexing of large collections of videos, or can provide the basis for personalizing output. However, before the benefits of tagging can be reaped, users must be motivated to provide videos with tags. This article describes a two-stage study that aimed at collecting the most important motivations for users to tag video material. First, focus groups with internet users were held to elicit all possible motivations to tag videos on the internet. Next, 125 persons ranked these motivations for two cases via an online survey and responded to statements that assessed their acceptance of personalized output, based on their tags. Motivations related to indexing appear to be far more important for people than motivations related to socializing or communication. Furthermore, people were moderately positive about personalized output, based on their tags. Finally, important user barriers to tagging are discussed.
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