ABSTRACT
Design for behavioural change for sustainability is a critical area of design that is required if we are to avert the looming environmental challenges in climate change and to reduce the peaks in resource use. Three important questions are asked when designing for behavioural change for sustainability: (1) What are the changes we are seeking? (2) What role can design play in promoting the required changes? and (3) Who are we asking to make those changes? This chapter addresses these questions by presenting an overview of the sustainability challenges, mapping design initiatives in response to these challenges from a theoretical and practical perspective, and presenting two in-depth case studies. The first case study explores a predominately context-based approach to design for behavioural change in cycling, and the second, a predominately cognition-based approach to design for behavioural change in understanding consumers’ perception of energy.
