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Motivating Sustainable Resource Consumption Through the Design of Goal Setting in Smart Meter User Interfaces
Abstract
Smart meter user interfaces can be designed to promote sustainable resource consumption by individuals. Although goal setting is a promising artifact for smart meter user interfaces, it is still unclear how goal-related design features (DFs) should be designed to be particularly effective in motivating individuals. Drawing on goal-framing theory and employing a design science research approach, we designed and evaluated different design options for four goal-related DFs (i.e., consumption display, evaluative standard, goal incentive, reference group) in the context of households’ energy consumption in three design-evaluation cycles. Our results suggest that while one design option for consumption displays and evaluative standards is better suited than others to motivate sustainable behavior, the effects of goal incentives and a goal’s reference group depend on individuals’ personal preference for either collaboration or competition. Our study contributes to information systems research with novel insights on goal-related DFs and how they affect sustainable resource consumption.
... (2) the intersection between smart meters and goal-setting to motivate sustainable behaviour with certain goalrelated design features, such as the presence, absence, and variation of default goals, feedback on one's goal achievement, and monetary incentives to reach one's goal (e.g., Abrahamse et al., 2007;Graham et al., 2011;Loock et al., 2013); or (3) the interaction between smart meters and social comparison to stimulate sustainable behaviour, such as smart meter information on relative performance through normative feedback (e.g., Loock et al., 2011;Seidler et al., 2020). However, the intersection of all three fields has received only scant research attention, providing only conceptual and qualitative insights (e.g., Wendt & Benlian, 2022). Figure 1 visualises these intersections and provides exemplary publications for all relevant areas. ...
... Given its utility in explaining IS user behaviours, social comparison theory has been applied to various IS contexts within and beyond Green IS. For instance, previous research identified social comparison as an impactful design feature for persuasive systems (e.g., Corbett, 2013;Oinas-Kukkonen & Harjumaa, 2009) and studied how social comparison can be leveraged to nudge individuals towards sustainable behaviours (e.g., Staudt et al., 2021), specifically through smart meter-facilitated goal-setting (Loock et al., 2013;Wendt & Benlian, 2022). To encourage social comparison, Green IS artefacts must offer comparative information, with the choice of a goal's evaluative standard being a promising design consideration. ...
... According to recent research Wendt and Benlian (2022), there is evidence to suggest that conducting a comparative analysis of self-and other-referencing goals can offer valuable insights for enhancing the effectiveness of goalsetting facilitated by smart meters. However, it is worth noting that prior research in this area has primarily relied on qualitative approaches, lacking a more rigorous quantitative analysis. ...
The growing adoption of smart meters enables the measurement of households' energy consumption, influenced not solely by building characteristics such as thermal insulation but also by residents' behavioural patterns, such as heating and ventilation practices. To motivate residents to adopt more sustainable behaviours, user interfaces on smartphones and laptops are increasingly using consumption data from households' smart meters to enable effective goal‐setting. In contrast to previous research largely focusing on goal‐setting in isolation, this study examines the role of specific social comparison‐related design features that future research and practitioners can consider along with goal‐setting to stimulate sustainable behaviours. Specifically, we look into the influence of residents' perception of their relative performance (i.e., whether their behaviour was better or worse than a reference group) on their ambition to act (i.e., targeted improvement goal) and their actual energy consumption behaviour. Moreover, we investigate the influence of a goal's evaluative standard (i.e., whether the goal refers to one's own or other's performance) on the relationship between relative performance, ambition to act, and energy consumption behaviour. Drawing on social comparison theory, we conducted a framed field experiment with 152 households. We find that a goal's evaluative standard influences residents' awareness of their relative performance, affecting their ambition to act and, ultimately, their energy consumption behaviour. More specifically, we find that whereas other‐ (vs. self‐) referencing goals encourage residents from worse‐than‐average performing households more strongly to improve their energy consumption behaviour, they discourage better‐than‐average ones. Overall, our study provides novel insights into the interplay between relative performance and evaluative standards as a means of fostering social comparison in smart meter‐facilitated goal‐setting, highlighting their crucial role in effectively supporting sustainable behaviours.
... Different design features, such as consumption display, evaluative standards, goal incentives, and reference groups, impact on energy-saving behaviors. The design of smart meter interfaces with goal-related features, can motivate and empower households to achieve energy-saving goals Wendt and Benlian [25] In summary, the reviewed articles not only focus on the technical aspects and potential benefits of smart meters but also acknowledge the significant role of users, whether explicitly or implicitly. This recognition highlights the importance of users' involvement, engagement, and acceptance to have a successful adoption and utilization of smart meters. ...
Smart Grid has emerged as a phenomenon in energy management by replacing traditional grids with cutting-edge technology. Central to this innovation are smart meters, which hold significant potential for transforming energy consumption, monitoring, and regulation. However, the success of smart meter implementation relies heavily on user engagement. This research delves into the perceptions, barriers, and concerns associated with smart meter usage, focusing on Sweden, where smart meter deployment is mandated by the government. Utilizing a two-step investigation comprising a literature review and interviews with new smart meter users, this study identifies key obstacles and apprehensions hindering acceptance and adoption. By employing the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) theory as an interpretive lens, the analysis underscores the understanding of users as a relevant social group and the interpretive flexibility of a technology that, for its closure, requires further negotiation among the different relevant social groups. This approach sheds light on the challenges associated with the need for appraisal by users and the commitment to a specific technological choice by institutions. The findings offer insights for future research and practice to promote sustainable energy systems.
Keywords
Smart Grid, Smart Meter, User Perspective, SCOT Theory.
... Studies on green digital nudges pertaining to e-commerce [14], transportation [3] and smart home app [39] suggest similar results as Caraban and Soon [8,30]. The effectiveness of the nudge depended on its implementation in each context, no overt relation to the exact green digital nudging mechanism. ...
Singapore students from two inter-disciplinary courses
worked with stakeholders of a local business association
community partner on a series of sustainability topics to learn
about climate change, its effects, and actions to mitigate them.
They empathized with the association stakeholders, proposed a
digital technology solution, tested their prototypes, and
presented the final action plans. After the projects were
completed, we found climate proficient (83%), motivated (83%),
engaged (97%), and satisfied (70%) students; and two
influencing predictors: interest/enjoyment and emotional
engagement. The study results suggest that getting students
interested and emotionally engaged in sustainability projects is
an important first step towards the adoption of more sustainable
habits. Rather than suggesting that students commit to
behavioral change in support of climate action qua moral
persuasion or rules, our inter-disciplinary project outcomes
suggest that a more effective approach is to nudge them towards
eco-friendly behavior through the sustainability needs of
community partnerships via social norm.
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