One interest in the persuasive services project is how CO2 information is presented. We have explored existing examples, different efforts and strategies for making the information easier to understand and more persuasive, and organized them into three different general groups based on the strategy used:

A. Comparing with a baseline

A common strategy is to put the quantitative information in context by using a baseline into which the data is compared.

This baseline can be just a way to improve the readability and have a sense of scale as for instance in Dopplr, where the emissions are presented graphically in bars so it is easier to see the scale differences.

The baseline can also be normative, comparing the emissions with an ideal or recommended behavior. One example is in the WWF carbon calculator where your result is presented in relation of how many planets would be needed if everyone lived like you. There is a recommended goal (living under “one planet” footprint) and the carbon information is presented in relation to it.

B. Comparing with other CO2 emissions

Another way to make the information easier to grasp is to translate it into the equivalent of another unit we can relate better to, e.g. the hours a light bulb have to be on for emitting such amount. An analogy often used is to use trees, translating CO2 information into the number of trees that would be needed to absorb it.

Dopplr uses this strategy in their yearly report sent to the users by email with aggregated information from their trips. It compares your carbon footprint with how much driving a Hummer during a year emits (How many kilometers of driving is not specified).

Another example can be seen in the polemic around Google search energy use. The Sunday Times published that two searches accounted for 7 grams of CO2, as much as boiling water for a cup of tea. The story was then refuted, but the use of the analogy of the cup of tea was a success, making the information much easier to grasp that the sole 7 grams. This success can be seen in the proliferation afterward of stories such as “A Google or a Cup of Tea: which warms the globe the most?” and can be seen as representative of the power of translating abstract information into everyday concepts to which we can relate.

This strategy has been also adopted with persuasive intents in marketing. Volkswagen used an iPhone application for demonstrate how little their new eco-fuel model emitted. The user blows in the microphone and it calculates how many kilometers the car can travel emitting the same CO2 as your breathing. Jazzcalculator a web service also from Volkswagen follows the same concept. It compares the CO2 emitted by traveling to the number of hours that a jazz band needs to play for emitting that (based on their breathing volume). For instance a trip of 200km emits 4,14kg of CO2 that equals 6:56 hours of jazz jamming (see figure 3).

C. Linking with the physical world

Carbon dioxide is invisible and odorless. When referring to emissions a measurement of weight is used, but this is not an easy understandable unit for a gas. Then another abstraction exists in that CO2 is just a cause of the problem, climate change, and its connection is not straightforward at the level of individual actions. These abstractions make the information difficult for users to understand. Different persuasive attempts have tried to close the gap by connecting the information with the physical world and with the consequences.

An example of trying to make emissions more physically visible is a WWF campaign where a cloud shaped black bag was attached to a car. The car was running during a day filling the bag with the exhaust making the emissions visible.

Sea level rise is one of the consequences of expected global warming. Even if it is not possible to link quantitative with individual actions it is possible to raise awareness about the connection. One example is this stunt in a bridge in Amsterdam, pointing out that driving will help water to reach that high level.

So..

The above examples show a trend to transform carbon dioxide into units that are easier for users to grasp. These alternative representations can be seen as a way to get around the fact that most people have poor carbon literacy. By using representations that users can relate to – things and actions encountered in everyday life – a greater understanding of climate impact can be achieved. We used these ideas as input for creating our application carbon.to

If you know more examples, please put comment and put the links!

Jazz calculator is a flash web site advertising the new eco-fuel VW Passat. It compares its low carbon emissions with the emissions a jazz band generate while playing (breathing generates CO2..). Even if the comparison is quite absurd (that’s the point) I think that its persuasion intent, to show how small the car emissions are, is pretty effective. This idea is quite in line with some of the discussions we’ve had at persuasion, and in line with carbon.to.

By DDB stockholm

The same agency developed a similar idea for the iphone, where your breathing emissions when blowing in the iphone mic were compared with how many km the car could drive emitting the same.

The usability of carbon dioxide information from sustainablecommunications on Vimeo.

Small presentation part of the World Usability Day 2009 activities. Disclaimer: I was sick so I was a bit slow and drowsy.

I saw the idea of linking to the source that was one of the prototypes from my master thesis in one anime serie (Net Ghost PiPoPa). The basic idea is the same, to use ict to create a link between the individual product and its producer in the moment of buying.

The food is tagged, in this case a QR code.

The screen at the shop plays a video of the producer telling the story behind the food.

Using persuasive techniques for (short term) beavioral term. Well done (at least as ad stunt). Check the video.

Via webbsverige

Good Guide, empowering consumers, making data transparent through ICT. I like it. Check their iphone app too.

(Met some of the people working there when at Berkeley last spring)

Carbon guilt is a common problem these days. I’m still wondering around how to balance the fact that we actually need to change pretty radical with scaring away people with a guilty feeling.

At greengaged they set up a confession cabin for lightening our environmental souls. I think it is a pretty interesting topic they are pointing out.

Photography by Travis Drever

Info at : Greenengaged.

In our everyday life we are increasingly exposed to carbon dioxide information for our everyday life. From the grams CO2 the burger we ordered produced to the tons our travel created. I am exploring the concept of carbon literacy, our knowledge to interpret, understand and relate carbon dioxide information. My hypothesis is that ICT applications can be used to to improve carbon literacy , and so to make better decisions to reduce our carbon footprint.

Together with Henrik Berggren and David Kjelkerud I participated in the 24h development camp Ecomo09 inLondon. The ideas was to spend 24 hours, from 6.pm to 6.pm developing an application from scratch, in this case with an environmental theme. After some brainstorming sessions we decided to focus on an application to improve transform carbon information between different units.

Hacking at 3.a.m

The result is carbon.to a web application that allows to:

• Transform carbon dioxide information to other units for example km of train.
• Compare different footprints for instance how many apples footprints equal a 4 hours flight
• Use as an API to transform CO2 information and present it in your own service in another unit. For instance: carbon.to/apples?co2=10 gives you back an XML with how many

Screenshot

We will keep in updating the service and we will also try to analyze the impact and what it needs to be improved. Have a look and play around with it!

The paper written together with Daniel Spikol at CeLeKT has been accepted at Mobile Human Computer Interaction 2009 in the workshop on Sharing Experiences with Social Mobile Media.

Here is the abstract:

We have a personal relationship with mobile phones, since they are closer to us than any other technological device. They are ubiquitous (60% of the world population owns one), individual, and pervasive through our lifestyle (we have them with us all the time and everywhere). These modern devices are nearly as powerful as personal computers, always connected to Internet and loaded with sensors like GPS and accelerometers. These mobile devices offer the opportunity to persuade users to change attitudes and behaviors towards personal health and environmental issues. For this paper we will focus on the design of a mobile application for reducing in carbon dioxide emissions, using the definition of “Climate Persuasive Services” that can change personal attitudes and behaviors regarding climate change for reducing greenhouse gases emissions. The paper presents design practices that have resulted in a prototype mobile application.

I will post the pdf soon.

The paper I presented at Persuasive 2009 is now available for download as PDF at ACM. Please have a look at it!

Here is the abstract:

ICT has reshaped our society, and with the current accelerating development of technology, and its wider distribution throughout the globe, they will continue doing so even more. These changes in society are important for sustainability. They affect the physical way the society and the environment interact, but they also affect the way people think, learn and behave.

We suggest that the persuasive power of ICT can be oriented towards climate change. For this purpose we define the concept of “climate persuasive services” as ICT applications that change personal attitudes regarding climate change and/or change behavior towards reducing greenhouse gases emissions. We consider mobile phones, pervasive sensors and social media as three key technological drivers for the development of climate persuasion applications.

We have analyzed the use of persuasion principles in existing web and mobile applications forming three clusters: tracking carbon footprints, sharing goals and making green behavior easier. Based on this analysis, we suggest a more planned use of persuasive principles, and propose six different opportunities for improvement.