When an eco-feedback system joins the family
When an eco-feedback system joins the family
The dynamic, chaotic, intimate and social nature of family life presents many challenges when designing interactive systems in the household space. This paper presents findings from a whole-of-family approach to studying the use of an energy awareness and management system called "Ecosphere". Using a novel methodology of inviting 12 families to create their own self-authored videos documenting their energy use, we report on the family dynamics and nuances of family life that shape and affect this use. Our findings suggest that the momentum of existing family dynamics in many cases obstructs behaviour change and renders some family members unaware of energy consumption despite the presence of an energy monitor display in the house. The implication for eco-feedback design is that it needs to recognise and respond to the kinds of family relations into which the system is embedded. In response, we suggest alternative ways of sharing energy-related information among families and incentivising engagement among teenagers.
family, eco-feedback, energy saving, reassurance
929-940
Snow, Stephen
1ba928e0-a4d7-4392-ae59-31ac8467eb94
Vyas, Dhaval
74485b22-71c5-4e29-976b-3816646150d5
Brereton, Margot
881134fd-1382-4982-9afd-02f96d239e48
August 2015
Snow, Stephen
1ba928e0-a4d7-4392-ae59-31ac8467eb94
Vyas, Dhaval
74485b22-71c5-4e29-976b-3816646150d5
Brereton, Margot
881134fd-1382-4982-9afd-02f96d239e48
Snow, Stephen, Vyas, Dhaval and Brereton, Margot
(2015)
When an eco-feedback system joins the family.
Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 19 (5), .
(doi:10.1007/s00779-015-0839-y).
Abstract
The dynamic, chaotic, intimate and social nature of family life presents many challenges when designing interactive systems in the household space. This paper presents findings from a whole-of-family approach to studying the use of an energy awareness and management system called "Ecosphere". Using a novel methodology of inviting 12 families to create their own self-authored videos documenting their energy use, we report on the family dynamics and nuances of family life that shape and affect this use. Our findings suggest that the momentum of existing family dynamics in many cases obstructs behaviour change and renders some family members unaware of energy consumption despite the presence of an energy monitor display in the house. The implication for eco-feedback design is that it needs to recognise and respond to the kinds of family relations into which the system is embedded. In response, we suggest alternative ways of sharing energy-related information among families and incentivising engagement among teenagers.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 29 January 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 10 February 2015
Published date: August 2015
Keywords:
family, eco-feedback, energy saving, reassurance
Organisations:
Agents, Interactions & Complexity
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 386431
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/386431
ISSN: 1617-4909
PURE UUID: dfb4b0cf-e0dc-4484-90d1-7919c336d102
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Date deposited: 01 Feb 2016 13:51
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 22:32
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Contributors
Author:
Stephen Snow
Author:
Dhaval Vyas
Author:
Margot Brereton
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