Exploring persuasion in the design of a sustainability accounting service

Abstract

This master thesis explores the relatively new design space of products that attempt to persuade companies to become more sustainable. Research through design has been applied by working with a company called Normative and their web application, which lets companies measure a number of sustainability metrics from data about all the purchases that the company has made. For this purpose, relevant theory has been reviewed, and potential users have been interviewed. Using the insights from these activities, a new prototype of Normative’s product, that attempts to persuade companies to become more sustainable, has been created. With insights gained from this design and research, a set of challenges that need to be considered when creating products that attempt to make companies more sustainable have been formulated.