Visual communication for behavior change: Changing users’ behaviors regarding air quality

Abstract

During the recent years, an increasing attention has been directed towards changing user behaviors and bringing long-term customer engagement through utilizing data from individual users. Due to this reason, numerous studies in the fields of psychology and sociology about the fundamentals of human behavior have been investigated to effectively nudge user behaviors through diverse Internet-connected devices: mobiles, tablet PCs and wearable devices. These Internet- connected devices try to intervene with the individuals’ behaviors through visual elements on their screens. In other words, visual languages are used as a main medium in the digital products to communicate with users. For this reason, creating persuasive visual communication designs is becoming more important and deeper studies in the interconnection of visual communication design and behavior change has become necessary.

This Master of Arts thesis aims to find interconnections between visual communication design and behavior change, specifically focusing on people’s diverse motivations in the context of air quality. To accomplish this goal, the study focuses on a particular research question; ‘how would visual communication influence the behaviors of users who are differently motivated to improve air quality’. Based on related researches, the study also built a hypothesis; ‘depending on the users’ motivation levels in the context of air quality, the roles of visual communication for behavior change would be different’.

In the desk research, the study mainly investigated theoretical frameworks in the fields of human behavior and visual communication design. The acquired knowledge from the desk research was applied to the user research: an online survey, user interviews and Co-Design workshops. The findings and insights from these researches were used in an iterative product design project: Philips Smart Air Purifier. The final design outcomes consisted of Smart Air Detector, a data measuring device for real-time air quality, and Philips Smart Air, a mobile application connected to Smart Air Detector and Philips Smart Air Purifier. As the design goal of the project was challenging the selected target behaviors of target users, the outcomes were assessed through a 2nd user evaluation to figure out whether the created visual communication designs sufficiently influence users’ behaviors or not.

Finally, the research question was answered. By designing visual languages that can increase the users’ awareness and motivation in the context of air quality, interventions could effectively influence behaviors of users who are differently motivated. Since the study identified that being aware of a subject is the first step of change, increasing the users’ awareness through visual communication is essential to develop their motivational levels, which ultimately influence the behavior change.