Overview
This is our entry for the CHI 2009 Student Design Competition. The Energy Pledge concept builds off the work of David Roedl, Will Odom, and James Pierce involving the design and implementation of an eco-visualization for the Energy Challenge, a student competition to conserve water and electricity in the Indiana University Bloomington dormitories. The Energy Pledge allows individuals to pledge conservation actions and be publicly acknowledged for their commitments. We have been working with the Indiana University (IU) Sustainability Task Force to develop the Energy Pledge for the IU Energy Challenge 2009.
Process
User Research
Contextual interviews were conducted with five students living in the IUB dormitories in order to gain insight into student attitudes and behaviors with respect to resource consumption. Participants guided researchers on tours of their dorm rooms as they answered questions related to their usage of resource consuming products and their feelings towards resource conservation.
Qualitative data from contextual interviews painted a rich portrait of student dorm life. Quantitative survey and website analytics data further supported insights that emerged from the analysis of interview data. We present our findings organized into the areas of engagement, social incentive, and knowledge.
Design
Our Proposal
The three primary components of our online system:
1) Consumption Kiosks
Interactive computer kiosks situated prominently in public spaces such as dormitory lobbies. The kiosks allow students to view and interact with the student pledge form and pledge wall. To avoid environmental and financial costs, the kiosks are made of repurposed surplus university PCs or existing plasma screen lobby displays.
2) Student Pledge Form
Allows students to pledge specific conservation actions and calculate the estimated savings associated with pledge actions. Students may post their pledges publicly as well as receive reminders and updates regarding individual and collective pledges. Selecting a name displays a student's pledge details and their contribution comparisons to the benchmark goal.
3) Student Pledge Wall
Contains a space for every student residing in the dormitory. Students may add their names to their spaces on the pledge wall by using the pledge form to pledge specific conservation actions. By visually displaying pledges publicly, the hope is that students will reflect more thoughtfully on the relationships between individual and collective actions.
