Trigger Features on Prototypes Increase Preference for Sustainability

Abstract

The gap between customers preferring sustainable products in surveys and actually buying sustainable products in the market can be addressed through design. Our previous research proposed a method for creating design features that trigger thoughts of sustainability, termed ST (sustainability triggering) features. In the research presented here, a selection of ST features generated from the previous experiment was designed into realistic toaster prototypes. Subjects participated in a test vs. control purchase experiment, in which some “customers” saw a subset of toasters with ST features during purchasing tasks and some did not. First, subjects selected a subset of toasters for purchase. Then, they chose one from that set for a final purchase. Next, they wrote an email with instructions on how to select a toaster to a hypothetical purchasing agent. Finally, they answered interview questions and rated/ranked toasters. The coded email and interview results demonstrate that exposure to ST features significantly triggered the possible use of sustainability as a purchase criterion.