Persuasive lighting : the influence of feedback through lighting on energy conservation behavior

Earlier research has investigated persuasive technology: Technology designed to influence human behavior or attitudes. The current research investigates lighting as persuasive technology. In an experimental study, participants could conserve energy while carrying out tasks and received feedback about their energy consumption in each task. We tested the effect of feedback through a lamp that gradually changed color dependent on energy consumption and compared these effects to more widely used factual feedback. Results indicated that feedback through lighting has stronger persuasive effects than factual feedback. Furthermore, factual feedback seemed more difficult to process than lighting feedback, because cognitive load interfered with processing factual feedback, but not with processing lighting feedback. Implications for theory and design of persuasive lighting, and (ambient) persuasive technology are discussed