The design of eco-feedback technology

TLDR

Eco‑feedback technology delivers behavioral feedback to reduce environmental impact, a field with a 40‑year history but limited HCI studies measuring actual behavior change. The study seeks to determine what HCI can learn from environmental psychology and how HCI should design and evaluate eco‑feedback technology. The authors conduct a comparative survey of 133 eco‑feedback studies, review dominant pro‑environmental behavior models, and summarize key motivational techniques.

Abstract

Eco-feedback technology provides feedback on individual or group behaviors with a goal of reducing environmental impact. The history of eco-feedback extends back more than 40 years to the origins of environmental psychology. Despite its stated purpose, few HCI eco-feedback studies have attempted to measure behavior change. This leads to two overarching questions: (1) what can HCI learn from environmental psychology and (2) what role should HCI have in designing and evaluating eco-feedback technology? To help answer these questions, this paper conducts a comparative survey of eco-feedback technology, including 89 papers from environmental psychology and 44 papers from the HCI and UbiComp literature. We also provide an overview of predominant models of proenvironmental behaviors and a summary of key motivation techniques to promote this behavior.