Persuasive design and building user engagement

Environment
Published: 28 February 2011
Edited: 16 November 2018
by Gerard Healey
ISSN: 2207-466X

This note was reviewed and approved for currency in November 2018.

To perform well, buildings require not only good design and construction but also good operation – and designers cannot dismiss operation as solely the responsibility of occupants. All our designs are teaching or reinforcing behaviours in building occupants, therefore the question to ask ourselves, as designers, is what messages are we sending?

Poor Little Fish Basin
Poor Little Fish Basin – an emotional-feedback device for saving water (Image: Lu, 2010)

This paper presents a conceptual framework for analysis of persuasive designs and applies it to a wide range of examples designed to support or encourage particular behaviours in building users, particularly those which optimise environmental performance.

Note Summary
  1. Introduction
  2. Behaviour model for persuasive design
  3. Examples of persuasive design
  4. Conclusion