Where UX and sustainability meet:: Facilitating eco-behaviour in cruise ship cabins. A guideline for experience designers

Abstract

Cruising is one of the notorious segments of leisure industry, in terms of environmental footprints. Therefore, cruise industry is endeavoring to decrease environmental impacts of the cruise lines. Referring to the increasing number of passengers, this thesis highlights the role of passengers in overall consumption of ships, and argues that engaging passengers in environmental stewardship of the industry is of significant importance. However, due to the fundamental role of UX in cruising, the topic is still controversial. Engaging passengers in sustainability improvements of cruise lines raises questions about its influence on passengers’ pleasure in cruising experience. For this reason, the present thesis suggests that passengers’ engagement should occur through pleasurable experiences.

Due to the nature of cruising experience, the current research suggests that cruise lines provide passengers with facilitating conditions encouraging eco-behavior. In addition, combination of design-strategy and communication is essential for passengers’ eco-cooperation. Stating the influence of cabins’ consumption on the overall footprints of cruise ships, this thesis focuses on facilitating eco-behavior of passengers in cabins.

Two Constructive Design Research studies are conducted in the current thesis. The first research seeks to address potential passengers’ general perception of cruising experience. As a result, participants’ desires, preferences and concerns in regard with cruising experience were obtained. Additionally, potential passengers’ insights into experiencing iconic sustainability activities onboard such as DIY workshops was studied. The second research focuses on eco-behavior in cabins, in which participants compare a number of design concepts. The study aims to determine participants’ interest and opinion about concepts for facilitation conditions in cabins.

The findings confirm that the quality of experiences has a significant role in potential passengers’ eco-cooperation. The studies also prove that utility is of vital importance in potential passengers’ cooperation with environmental stewardship of the industry. This suggests that experience designers of cruising sector should focus on strategies in which passengers receive incentives for their cooperation.

The present thesis also shows that communication for passengers’ cooperation should start before the journey, convincing passengers about their important role in sustainability. Using 4E’s model (Intervention of Enable, Engage, Exemplify and Encourage), the present work suggests a guideline for experience designers to create design-strategies targeting eco-cooperation of cruise passengers.