Designing for Long-Term Use of Carbon Calculators

Abstract

There exists a range of carbon footprint calculator applications on the market aiming to provide estimates of individuals’ impact on the environment. These calculators can be an excellent tool for informing and inspiring sustainable lifestyles. However, research has shown that the impact carbon footprint calculators can have is limited as long as they are not used over an extended time. This thesis explores design solutions to inspire long-term use and provides recommendations of important aspects to consider when designing carbon calculators. Specifically, the thesis has used the Svalna carbon footprint calculator application to produced concepts and recommendations for general carbon footprint calculators. In order to achieve this, an iterative Design Thinking process and Research Through Design were used. The process involved researching relevant theories and topics, involving potential users, designing and testing solutions, and using this knowledge to formulate a set of recommendations. The results consist of two Figma prototypes showcasing different concepts and a list of ten recommendations explaining important aspects to consider when designing for the long-term use of carbon calculators. These results can serve as a basis for future designers of carbon calculators, but to guarantee that the concepts would work long-term, more extensive long-term testing would have to be performed.