The Blue Project

Abstract: The initiating impetus of this project was a frustration over the en-masse inaction experienced in relation to the climate crisis. Although people are aware of necessary actions few are able to act. This project attempts to understand people’s inability to act whilst looking at ways to counter this apathy through behavioral change. Through research on convenience, human behavior and inaction we ask: how can we apply friction to human-product interactions in order to nudge users into new patterns of thinking and question habitual interactions within a home setting, motivating users to save resources? Through behavioural change research and user-discussions it was found that people need guidance and a sense of agency in order to change their behaviour, thereby our focus was redirected to the visualisation of resource use. In order to change, people must know what they are doing wrong and how to change. The topic of visualization was divided into three paths of investigations: interaction with regulators, calling attention to mindless use, and prolonging the life of things. These themes were investigated separately and developed to finally be applied to an everyday object: a water kettle. A regulator that increases resistance as energy use is increased as well as a water controller that forces commitment of water volume in advance before filling the kettle intend to lower resource consumption by visualizing amount as well as implementing default settings. With a device that measures and visualizes ongoing energy use in the physical realm through an anxious shaking we could call attention to resource use and appeal to the users emotion, creating a will to lower energy consumption. By placing a date showing when a product reaches a level where the resources for the manufacturing process has been compensated, we hope to lengthen the time a user keeps their items. This can hopefully oppose current trends of greenwashing, making it easier for consumers to compare and make sustainable choices in the store. The final result is a speculative concept of a water kettle consisting of both feasible and provocative aspects, allowing it to raise questions of user behavior and sustainability whilst providing clear alternatives forward. The final result is visualized through 3D modelling and rendering.