2. Persuade. Engage. Delight.
Live energy data and behavioural change

3. A dismal display
-Live energy displays are in their infancy.
-Display screens are creatively rudimentary:
graphs, charts, statistics and garish colours
tend to dominate.
-They are unlikely to appeal to its busy staff
and student populations who will need to
obtain information at-a-glance, in foyers
whilst waiting for the lift.

4. Superfluous
information
Impenetrable
chart
Clumsy call to
action

7. Lucid Design Group
-The best example we have found is Lucid’s
Building Dashboard
-Makes energy and water use visible in real
time on the web.
-It also encompasses social networks,
weather forecasts, environmental tips and
pledges.

8. Energy and water use
In real time
On the web
+
Profile pages
Real-time competitions
+
Apps!
Set up budgets
Weather forecasts
and more Widgets
+
Connect to social networks
Browse calendars of events
Explore photos of green
building features
+
Animated data-enabled
illustrations of renewable
energy and water systems
+
Green tips for resource
conservation.

12. Manchester Digital
Development Agency
-Live energy display experiment at
Manchester Art Gallery.
-Manchester Art Gallery currently gains
400,000 visitors each year and is owned
and run by Manchester City Council.
-Between 1998 and 2002, it underwent a
£35million refurbishment, but under EU
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive,
the gallery is rated G.

13. Project
-Small display screen by the lift call button.
-The aim was to encourage staff to use the
stairs rather than the lift.
-The screen displayed the cost of energy
used by lift trips the day before.
-Not too aggressive, as some users may not
physically be able to use the stairs.

15. Results
-At first staff engaged and chose the stairs.
-Screen did not change interface or
information, barring the actual figure, staff
soon became accustomed to its presence.
-After two weeks it was essentially ignored.
-Second pilot at the gallery used happy and
sad face icons in kitchen to convey whether
energy use had increased or decreased.
-This was found to be more successful.

16. Learnings
-No change in behaviour if not used
alongside a wider information campaign.
-Results on screen will be more affective
with savings rather than costs.
-Simple graphics are infinitely better than
complicated graphs.
-If comparing days, historic like for like
comparisons average out any anomalies,
i.e compare against the last 12 Tuesdays
rather than just last Tuesday.

18. MMU Focus Group
-Members of the MMU staff and student
populations who had a level of interest.
-Participants were asked whether Creative
Concern could continue to consult with
them on further, developed ideas, and they
confirmed that they could.

19. Energy diaries
-Kettle (all day) -Heating -Water cooling
-Lift -Cooling -Dishwasher
-Microwave -Lights -Fans
-Radio -Toilets -Laminators
-Photocopier, -PCs and servers -Simulation
printer etc. equipment
-Projectors
-Washing up -Toaster -Kiln
-Automatic doors -CCTV
-Hand drier -Phone calls

20. Energy personalities

21. Fear of Look cool
penalties Prizes!
Latest
gizmos
Team spirit
Competitive
Need
support
Reputation
Pressure
from users
Time Funding
pressures cuts

22. Ideas for energy displays
-Groups were given a set of cue cards
showcasing how the live energy displays
might convey their messages.
-Participants were asked about the methods
that spoke most to them, and which they
disliked most.

23. Character-based
-One group disliked stats and felt
characters were a great antidote.
-Message should be simple – ‘today
we are performing better than
yesterday’.
-Fun and would keep the attention of
building users.
-Imagined a polar bear dying as
energy consumption increases! One
group disliked this idea – we’re not
children!

24. Graphs and charts
-One group really liked graphs and
numerical measurements.
-Transparent and, providing it was
simplified, accessible.
-However, they should track more ‘fun’,
accessible things, like ‘food miles travelled
this week in the canteen’

25. Colour & audio
-One group really liked the idea of a wall of
colour, or lights that changed colour
according to how well the building and its
inhabitants were performing.
-Another group really liked the idea of audio
as it is difficult to ignore and more inclusive
for partially sighted and blind building
users.
-Perhaps the audio could be triggered by
sensors?

26. Other ideas...
-Comparisons between buildings? Can be
done using percentages and targets.
Friendly competition!
-Fun theory – we need to be getting people
to change their behaviour without really
thinking about it.
-Why does it have to be a screen? Why not
a physical thing? A cuckoo clock or
barometer.

27. -Why not the energy Olympic games? Each
month of 2012, building users compete
against each other in a different ‘game’.
-Or physical games, like the ones you’d get
at the seaside where you’d roll the balls
and your horse would move along.

29. What can we do different?
Persuasive design
Competition works
Emotionally connect
Big numbers
-
AND
-
The bigger picture

36. Three routes

42. @headstretcher