“Designing‐in” sustainable behavior : A nudge in the right direction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show that he growing importance of “sustainable design” and reducing the environmental impact of products has seen the development of a relatively new practice based around “user focused” design principles. Design/methodology/approach – Called “User Centered Design for Sustainable Behavior” or “Design for Behavioral Change”, this approach applies user insights in the creation of innovative solutions that will influence user behavior to reduce the social and environmental impact of products during use. Findings – Essentially, by understanding the user, it becomes possible to use design to effectively nudge users towards more sustainable product use. And, the results of this approach are product like Unilever's development of the washing powder tablet, the Wattson from DIYKyoto and most recently the ECO pedal system from Nissan. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.