Beyond Keywords: Ethnographic Methods to Inform the Design of a Gamified System for Domestic

Electricity Conservation

Andrew HarveyMid CandidatureJuly 2013

Background

Research Questions

Data Collection

Fieldwork

Analysis

Preliminary Findings

Limitations

Future Work

Outline

Electricity in the Home

Background

Behaviour Modification

Antecedent

Intervention

• Goal Setting

• Modelling

• Commitment

• Information

ActionConsequence

Intervention

• Feedback

• Rewards

Background

Domestic Electricity Feedback

Direct feedback causes between 9.2% and 12% saving. (Ehrhardt-Martinez 2010)

Background

provided after consumption provided in (nearly) real-time

Indirect Feedback

Direct Feedback

“any interactive computing system designed to change people’s attitudes or behaviours”(Fogg, 2003, p. 1)

Persuasive Technology

In Home Device Gaming Social

Background

Background

Behaviour Modification

Game Elements

Persuasive Technology

Gamification

Persuasive Technology

“the use of game design elements in non-game contexts”(Deterding, 2011, p. 9)

Points Levels Leaderboards Badges

Background

Gamification“the use of game design elements in non-game contexts”(Deterding, 2011, p. 9)

Gamification

Background

• System Focus– Objectives– Metrics– Integration with Technology

• Player Focus– Player Types– Player Stories– Stages of Mastery

• Activity focus– Mechanics

• Elements– Points– Levels– Leaderboards– Badges

– Dynamics– Activity Loops

• Engagement loop• Progression Loop

– Win Conditions

FrameworkOverarching lens and focus

ArchitectureActs as a system blueprint

Solo Community Competitive

External Social Loyalty Community Expert Competitive Pyramid

Internal Gentle Guide Company Collaborator Company Challenge

Designing Technology

• User Requirements• Product Development• Iterative Design

Design Ethnography

Background

Designing Technology

Background

1. What gamification architecture elements can be derived from telephone data?2. What additional gamification architecture elements can be derived from in-home data?3. How does the telephone method compare to the in-home method?

1. How do the methods of collection compare?2. How does the quality of data compare?

Research Questions

Overall Research ProblemHow can ethnographic methods inform the design of a gamified system for domestic energy conservation?

Phase 1: Telephone

• Standardised interview

Phase 2: In-Home

• Standardised interview

• Walk around observation

Data Collection

• 10 Qualitative telephone interviews • 44 Scripted questions

• 10 Demographic• 11 Technology use• 23 Energy Use

• 20-30 mins - average length• Record Interviews• Transcribe Interviews

Field Work

Phase 1: Telephone

Leximancer content analysis

– Uncertainty of energy themes

Manual Line-By-Line

– Money as an accounting mechanism

Analysis

Phase 1: Telephone

Uncertainty

Preliminary Findings

Phase 1: Telephone

Uncertainty

Preliminary Findings

(Transcript 2 Lines 133-136)

Andrew: yep ok um how much energy does your refrigerator useJen: I’m not too sure but I’d say it would be probably towards the higher end

cause it’s got umm one of the water machines in it as well how you can get the fresh cold water and ice and things

(Transcript 4 Lines 111-115)

Andrew: that’s alright do you still do you still have the energy rating stickers on your appliances or have you removed them

Phil: umm I’ll do a quick lap washing machine yesAndrew: yepPhil: umm fridge no

Phase 1: Telephone

Money as an Accounting Mechanism

Preliminary Findings

Transcript 2 (Line 111-113)Jen: um I prefer having the pre-paid electricity cause you sort of know you’re

paying it in advance so you can sort of look at it and go ooh wow I’ve used you know ten dollars really quickly

Transcript 3 (Lines 109-112)Andrew: oh why do you think it’s highJake: why do I think its high umm because of the bill it costs an astronomical

amount of money to run this household for some reason I do have a lot of stuff running all the time my fridge I believe consumes a lot of energy

Transcript 8 (Lines 126 - 127 )Bec: its more at a glance I just see how many you know cents per hour

whatever it is it tells me

Transcript 7 (Lines 57-58)Andrew: ok why do you think it’s lowMax: umm I dunno our bills are all about two hundred bucks

Phase 1: Telephone

Architecture

• System Focus– Objectives– Metrics– Integration with Technology

• Player Focus– Player Types– Player Stories– Stages of Mastery

• Activity focus– Mechanics

• Elements– Points– Levels– Leaderboards– Badges

– Dynamics– Activity Loops

• Engagement loop• Progression Loop

– Win Conditions

Preliminary Findings

Money as an accounting mechanism

Uncertainty

Phase 1: Telephone

Personas“Hypothetical archetypes of actual users” (Cooper 2004, p124)

Preliminary Findings

James Smith• 33 Years old• Marketing Officer for Commonwealth Bank• Rents a house with his partner Laura• Always on - Busy Lifestyle• Casual gamer who likes to be challenged• Unfamiliar with scientific units of energy use• Constantly relates his energy use to money• Motivated to save energy, just not sure how• Thinks that education would help him save energy

Phase 1: Telephone

Summary

Telephone interviews have:

• Produced some focused themes

• Provided data to ground architecture choices

• Informed a significant portion of the gamification process

Preliminary Findings

Phase 1: Telephone

Limitations

• Sample is a small non-representitaveconvenience sample.

– Time constraints

– Resource constraints

• New area of research – comparatively little published on the topic of gamification

• Many different areas of research to combine

Phase 1: Telephone

Field Work• 5 In-home Visits• Video record interview• In Home room-by-room walk around (inventory)

(Spradley’s framework to guide)

Analysis• Audio

– Leximancer content analysis– Manual Line-By-Line

• Visual– Spradely’s Framework to guide observation and analysis

Future Work

Phase 2: In-Home

Now: Milestone

August - September: in-home data collection and initial analysis

October - November: complete analysis and writing

Submit: end November

Future Work

Timeline

Spradley’s Framework

Spradley, J. P. (1980) and Robson, C. (2002)

SPACE - layout of the physical setting; rooms, outdoor spaces, etc.ACTORS - the names and relevant details of the people involvedACTIVITIES - the various activities of the actorsOBJECTS - physical elements: furniture etc.ACTS - specific individual actionsEVENTS - particular occasions, e.g. meetingsTIME - the sequence of eventsGOALS - what actors are attempting to accomplishFEELINGS - emotions in particular contexts