Designing an Intervention for Creating Awareness in Motorists about Vehicle Emission Consequences on Human Health

Jylhä, A., Harraou, I., Quanjer, A.J., van Leeuwen, J.P. 2019. “Designing an Intervention for Creating Awareness in Motorists about Vehicle Emission Consequences on Human Health.” In: Schnädelbach, H. and Kirk, D. (Eds.) People, Personal Data and the Built Environment.Springer Series in Adaptive Environments. Springer International Publishing.

Abstract

Exhaust emissions from motorized vehicles are not only harmful to the environment but also to human health. However, motorists are not necessarily aware of the adverse health effects resulting from their emissions. In this work, we use the health aspect as a primary motivation factor in the design of an interven- tion targeted at reducing exhaust emissions. Based on research into the problem domain and the target group, we propose a design for a behavior-change interven- tion, consisting of an infrastructure of large public displays and a mobile applica- tion. In a design prototype, we incorporate two approaches, shaming and empow- erment, designed to engage motorists with the intervention. An experimental evaluation of the prototype suggests that shaming can have a lot of potential in providing motivation for change, while empowerment is also needed inside the application for helping the drivers reduce their emissions by means of more effi- cient traveling. Based on the findings, we discuss the role of personal data in the intervention and outline possibilities for realizing the design as part of the built environment.