Design for Sustainable Behaviour: Leveraging Products to Shift Consumer Actions

Source: Tracy Bhamra, Debra Lilley, Tang Tang — The Design Journal, December 2011

Overview

Sustainable design traditionally addresses environmental, economic, and social impacts throughout a product’s lifecycle. Design for Sustainable Behaviour (DfSB), an emerging field within sustainable design, focuses on reducing products’ environmental and social impacts by influencing how consumers engage with these products during their use phase.

This study explores DfSB through two detailed case studies: the social impacts of mobile phones and the environmental impacts of household refrigerators. Employing social-psychological behavior models, the authors develop a framework elucidating factors that drive behavior change and identify design intervention strategies to foster sustainable consumer habits.

Key Insights

1. Importance of Consumption Behavior in Sustainability

• Sustainable design is often production-centric, neglecting the use phase of a product during which user behavior significantly affects overall impact.
• Typical government and NGO information campaigns have shown limited long-term success in altering consumer behavior.
• Bridging the intention–behavior gap is essential, as consumers may value sustainability yet fail to integrate it into daily habits.

2. Behavior Change Models Applied

• Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 2006): Explains behavior through attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control.
• Triandis’ Model of Interpersonal Behaviour (1977): Incorporates habits as a significant mediator of behavior.
• Habitual behaviors – those that occur with minimal conscious thought – are critical targets for sustainable design intervention.

3. Design Intervention Strategies

• Products serve as interfaces between consumers and consumption activities, capable of giving immediate feedback and influencing actions.
• Designing with the user experience in mind allows designers to promote sustainable routines and rituals.
• Design can stimulate behavioral changes by:
  • Making sustainable choices easier and more intuitive
  • Providing real-time feedback on impact
  • Encouraging maintenance, repair, and responsible disposal

4. Case Studies

• Household Refrigerators: Examined user habits around energy consumption to inform design changes that encourage energy-efficient behavior.
• Mobile Phones: Investigated the social implications of product use, and how design could moderate usage patterns contributing to social sustainability.

5. Ethical Considerations

• Changes in user behavior through design must respect user autonomy.
• Selecting appropriate intervention strategies entails evaluating their acceptability and potential unintended consequences.

Conclusions

• Designers hold significant potential to shape consumer behavior towards sustainability by focusing on the use phase.
• Effective DfSB involves multi-disciplinary approaches combining psychological insights with user-centered design principles.
• Intervention strategies must balance influence with user freedom, ensuring ethical responsibility.
• Further research and practical applications can expand the role of product design in fostering sustainable consumption habits.

Implications for Sustainable Product Design

Designers are encouraged to:

• Understand the habitual nature of many consumption behaviors.
• Develop products that support and nudge users toward sustainable actions without coercion.
• Include social and environmental impacts as integral criteria during design, not just production efficiency.
• Collaborate with behavioral scientists to create evidence-based intervention strategies.

By doing so, sustainable products can create a more profound and lasting positive impact on both society and the environment.

References:

• Ajzen, I. (2006). Theory of Planned Behavior.
• Triandis, H. C. (1977). Interpersonal Behavior Model.
• Verplanken, B., & Wood, W. (2006). Habits and Behavior Change.
• Bhamra, T., Lilley, D., & Tang, T. (2011). Design for Sustainable Behaviour: Using Products to Change Consumer Behaviour. The Design Journal, 14(4), 427-445. https://doi.org/10.2752/175630611X13091688930453

This comprehensive study underscores the critical role of design in steering consumer behavior towards sustainability beyond traditional production-focused measures, providing both theoretical and practical pathways for impactful product innovation.

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