User‐centred design for sustainable behaviour
Abstract
Traditional eco‐design has a strong focus on the supply side. Even when focusing on the use phase of products, it still impacts directly under the control of the manufacturer dominate. However, the way users interact with a product may strongly influence the environmental impact of a product. Designers can try to influence this behaviour through the products they design. Several strategies have been proposed in the literature, such as eco‐feedback and scripting. Existing literature in this field has its limitations. Publications either focus on a single strategy, or do not take a design perspective, or lack empirical data. This paper will present a typology of the different strategies available to designers. This typology will be illustrated with examples and experiments related to two sustainability problems, namely littering behaviour and energy using products. Furthermore, a methodology will be presented for applying these strategies. This will be demonstrated in a case study on an energy meter.
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Customers' appeal to purchase green products might be limited by forced trade-offs on important attributes compared with conventional products, such as price, quality, and performance.
“Customers' appeal to purchase green products might be limited by forced trade-offs on important attributes compared with conventional products, such as price, quality, and performance (Olson 2013;Wever et al. 2008).”
From Servitization for a Circular Economy in Construction (2025) · cites this paper as Wever et al. 2008
Customers express concerns for the environment, but their attitudes are not always reflected in the consumption or management of resources.
“Customers express concerns for the environment, but their attitudes are not always reflected in the consumption or management of resources (Luzio and Lemke 2013;Wever et al. 2008).”
From Servitization for a Circular Economy in Construction (2025) · cites this paper as Wever et al. 2008
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Hebrok, M., & Boks, C. (2017) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.03.069 · Cited by 501 · see citing works
Self-citationThe design with intent method: A design tool for influencing user behaviour
Lockton, D., Harrison, D., & Stanton, N. A. (2010) · Applied Ergonomics · doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2009.09.001 · Cited by 419 · see citing works
Design for Circular Behaviour: Considering Users in a Circular Economy
Wastling, T., Charnley, F., & Moreno, M. (2018) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su10061743 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Assessing eco-feedback interface usage and design to drive energy efficiency in buildings
Jain, R. K., Taylor, J. E., & Peschiera, G. (2012) · Energy and Buildings · doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.12.033 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
Servitization for a Circular Economy in Construction
Mark‐Herbert, C., Berg, E., Aldberg, J., & Roos, A. (2025) · Business Strategy and the Environment · doi:10.1002/bse.4218 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
- Authors
- Wever, R., van Kuijk, J., & Boks, C.
- Affiliations
- Delft University of Technology (NL)
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Wever, Renee
- Venue
- International Journal of Sustainable Engineering
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2008-03
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 9-20
- ISSN
- 1939-7038 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-7046
- OpenAlex
- W2052063632
- Cited by
- 314
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 25.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Sustainable Engineering (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Design and Development
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental Education and Sustainability
- Keywords
- user-centered design, sustainable behavior, eco-design, eco-feedback, scripting, energy-using products, energy meters, environmental impact of products
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