Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Inspiration

Inspiration

Ted Talk


"Social pressure is powerful stuff"
Experiment
"Your neighbour are doing better"
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/blog/2013/07/26/green-choices-are-in-app-arently/ "Mobile apps: everyone’s producing one these days. But one area where there seems to be room for growth is in those that help consumers make sustainable choices."

Shoppers may choose a ‘greener’ product over another item which is the same price if they know that it has less of an impact on the environment. The desired knock-on effect of this would be that manufacturers would refocus their priorities.

Delivering ecological cost statements to consumers is a real breakthrough which will inform shoppers about their impact on the environment and help them make more sustainable choices when buying goods and services.”




The New Energy Consumer
Balancing Strategic and Operational Imperatives
Reference guide 2.0
"Collaborate to accelerate
To meet goals around profitability and energy efficiency, utilities face the need to transform their business. Utilities should consider partnering, at least in the short to medium term, to acquire and scale the necessary capabilities."

" Best Buy, an electronics retailer, is an excellent example of a retailer open to partnering with utilities."

" In Canada, Home Depot, a large North American home improvement supply store, has partnered with multiple energy retailers, including BC Hydro and Toronto Hydro, to distribute rebates on energy efficiency purchases. Working on Toronto Hydro’s “Keep Cool” air conditioning recycling project, Home Depot helped to save more than 1.5 megawatts (MW)."

" As consumers become increasingly accustomed to interacting with utility partners for value-added products and services, these partners could also become commodity competitors."

" In the United Kingdom, multiple utilities, including Scottish and Southern Energy, are creating strategic front-office partnerships with consumer goods retailers to sell energy and energy related products to consumers."


"Spotlight on Scottish and Southern Energy and Marks & Spencer partnership

Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) partnered with Marks & Spencer (M&S) to
provide “white-labeled” gas and electricity services through M&S’s website and retail stores."

"British Gas partners with Nectar and Sainsbury’s"



“Gamification”: The next engagement frontier

"“Gamifying” the consumer energy experience"

“gamification”— the process of using game thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problemscombined with the rollout of smart technology offers a powerful new way to create a unique consumer experience and encourage conservation behaviour."

" With the availability of more granular energy usage data and the ability to
easily control consumer energy devicesenergy management and conservation are well suited to gamification. Consumers can be motivated by the social prestige that comes with conserving energy and protecting the environment. They can also be influenced by saving money or earning rewards—particularly
in the context of a social game"

EnCon CITY©  http://www.enconcity.com/index.htm demonstrates the benefits of conservation by teaching players how energy is consumed and where it might be wasted.43  This is also an opportunity to engage the younger generation and encourage family participation in energy education."




" Simple Energy, a US-based company, has designed an online platform that allows users to score their energy usage against friends and receive rewards for conservation behavior."

" Gamification is a useful avenue for utilities to engage some, but not all, consumer groups."

How to win at gamification
 With gamification, energy providers have a powerful new tool for educating and influencing the behavior of consumers...
• Emphasize the right results . Energy providers should design gaming characteristics with care. It is critical that games incent the right employee and consumer behaviors. It is also important to balance intrinsic motivation with friendly competition.
• Shorten the feedback loop Gamification relies on short feedback loops to drive momentum and engagement by drawing clear connections between actions and resulting outcomes and rewards.
• Create social connections . Playing a game alone can be effective; playing a social game is even better. By tapping into competition, fostering social connections and providing social recognition, energy providers can create a cycle of positive reinforcement that keeps players engaged and motivated.
• Provide incentives . Gamification relies on incentives to encourage
specific actions or behaviors. Those incentives may include recognition, access to exclusive offers or monetary rewards. Some games even have users put their own money on the line. Such extrinsic rewards should complement rather than diminish the intrinsic rewards in a gaming environment.
• Define achievable challenges . Successful gaming techniques provide users with challenges that are difficult and require effort but that are achievable and rewarding. Effective games present different levels of challenges to meet a range of ability and to keep participants engaged.


Case in point: Recyclebank 

https://www.recyclebank.com/?___store=us&___from_store=uk

Recyclebank, an online company... gives consumers innovative incentives to make greener choices in their everyday lives. In exchange for taking actions such as recycling waste, using CFL bulbs and washing clothes in cold water, Recyclebank members earn points that can be redeemed for coupons, discounts and gift cards from partner brands. Recyclebank has 3 million users in the United States and the United Kingdom and continues to expand partnerships with leading global brands. Its platform encourages changes in consumer behavior while providing opportunities for partner companies to market their brands and products.


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Smart cities

http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/smarter_cities/overview/


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6 Apps That Fit Charity Into Your Daily Routine


An app to measure the impact of your choices... They both connect conscious consumers with trusted causes


Instead

it change behaviour, change one thing for another... we can change house behaviour to save energy 




I Can Go Without  

The same as before






Charity Miles


Ready to become a sponsored athlete? Save energy and receive rewards... like cash back sites




One Today

http://www.google.com/onetoday/

Donate to what inspires you.Learn about a different cause every day.Amplify your impact by matching your friends' donations.

Find a new challenge everyday, and save energy and compare to your friends... little by little saving money.





Check-in for Good




Like Foursquare with a humanitarian twist, Check-in for Good uses geo-targeted advertising to connect businesses and causes with willing individuals in order to raise money.



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Behaviour change



Why Behavior Change Apps Fail To Change Behavior

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/13/why-behavior-change-apps-fail-to-change-behavior/

Fitocrazy App

"I haven’t used Fitocracy for long, but it’s easy to see how someone could get hooked. Fitocracy is first and foremost an online community. The app roped me in by closely mimicking real-world gym jabber among friends. The ritual of connecting with like-minded people existed long before Fitocracy, and the company leverages this behavior by making sharing words of encouragement, exchanging advice, and receiving praise, easier and more rewarding. In fact, a recent study in the Netherlands found social factors were the most important reasons people used the service and recommended it to others."

"Unfortunately, too many companies build their products betting users will do what they should or have to do, instead of what they want to do. They fail to change behaviors because they neglect to make their services enjoyable for its own sake, often asking users to learn new, unfamiliar actions instead of making old routines easier.

Instead, products that successfully change behavior present users with an implicit choice between their old way of doing things and the new, more convenient solution to existing needs. By maintaining the user’s freedom to choose, products can facilitate the adoption of new habits and change behavior for good."

"To change behavior, products must ensure the user feels in control. People must want to use the service, not feel they have to."

"However, by making an existing behavior easier to do, a product can imply a choice more likely to be accepted. By making the existing behavior simpler and more rewarding, products give users the choice between their old way of doing things or porting their habits to the better, new solution instead."

====================


Mobile App Design for Behavior Change

http://www.slideshare.net/kaniasty/mobile-app-design-for-behavior-change

This Grid take you to change behaviour



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This website show how to use this grid on how to decide the design of change behaviour http://www.behaviorwizard.org/wp/

I did the wizard and it advice to follow the green path http://www.behaviorwizard.org/wp/all-previews-list/GreenPath-behaviors-preview/

"Green Path Behaviors are the result of three elements: Motivation, Ability, and Triggers. As the Fogg Behavior Model describes, you must Trigger the behavior when the person is both Motivated and Able to perform it. The specific steps
1. Boost motivation (if needed)
2. Enhance ability by making the commitment act simple
3. Issue the trigger when #1 and #2 are in optimal states...

For example,
  1. Couple the trigger with an existing habit
  2. Increase the perceived ability (self-efficacy) by making the behavior easier to do
  3. Reduce demotivation by making the behavior more familiar

The challenge is in influencing the target audience to perform the behavior and then getting them to repeat it, from today onward. Green Path relates to forming new habits.

Green Path behaviors can be difficult to achieve. But they are not impossible. One key is to simplify the behaviour. 

You can make the behavior easier to do by explaining where flax seed oil is kept in the grocery store (it’s in the refrigerated section!) and by giving suggestions how to use this oil (pour one teaspoon over a serving of cooked vegetables). Instructions and simplification are vital for most Green Path Behaviors.

Beyond making the behavior simple to do, the key to Green Path Behaviors is triggering the behavior."


======













My app should have these features



Examples:










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The A-B-C of Behaviour


Changing behaviour through good design, one step at a time.
http://johnnyholland.org/2011/01/the-a-b-c-of-behaviour/

The model suggests that in order to predict whether a person intends to do something, we need to know:

  • Whether the person is in favour of doing it (attitude);
  • How much the person feels social pressure to do it (subjective norm);
  • Whether the person feels in control of the action in question (perceived behavioural control).


FUN another ingredient
The explosion of games and apps on mobile phones show that games present a real opportunity to change people’s behaviours and habits. Examples include Frog’sTempt’d (resisting the temptation of unhealthy eating through leaning on your social network as DesignMind explains), and Runkeeper (a way to track, measure and improve your workouts).  I’ve also heard of great ideas for encouraging people to save money, water and energy  through a game-like applications.  Watch this space! The game explosion and their application for driving positive behaviour change is going to intensify.
the best way to do this is to first consider the customers culture and context, before we even start on ideas.

Here are a few takeaways to consider when you are designing solutions that need to drive behaviour change.
  1. Define the desired behaviour change you want to observe;
  2. Feed this into the business strategy and design process, let it guide these processes;
  3. Define your target audience, then go a bit outside the norm.  You often learn more from those who don’t meet your assumed or expected specifications;
  4. Conduct research and understand the behavioural predictors of the population (attitudes, norms, control, stages of change).  Qualitative and quantitative data is needed here;
  5. Monitor, measure and modify.  Remember, changing a behaviour can take time, so let’s be patient!

==============================

Can Technology Drive Behaviour Change?

http://considered-creative.co.uk/can_tech_drive/#zhttp://considered-creative.co.uk/can_tech_drive/#

"I was rudely interrupted by an iPhone-style app notification"


"I used this device to underline my point that technology used for behaviour change must still be fundamentally insight-driven and human-centred and the behaviour change must be sustainable and empowering."



"it’s very easy to lie to technology. Ironic then that many tech for change 

innovations are based on collecting self-reported data"

The results are according to what you enter as data Garbage in - Garbage out

"One of the common pitfalls with using technology for behaviour change, is that the technology itself often requires a behaviour a change—it expects us to do new things, or old things in new ways. Rather than being based on an understanding of existing user behaviour patterns and lifestyles, the tech is designed—or simply developed—with an assumption that users will willingly, happily and sustainability bolt new behaviours on to their existing behaviours in order to change some other behaviours.  "

Example:
Meal, exercise and drinks tracking apps for instance—unless you are already keeping a written journal of these activities, starting tracking is a behaviour change in itself, and the reason why much of this sort of technology fails.

In other words this is innovation driven by technological capability, rather than human need or insight.

"we’re all eagerly waiting for the internet of things to take care of the data collection for us, but for now the fact that many tech-for-change innovations rely on self-reported data is a fundamental barrier. "


"What do I mean by an insight-driven approach? Well, essentially a creative solution driven by a considered understanding of the problem and the people, And on this, I want to share just a couple of the 10 principles that I use in both my behaviour change training and my projects."

Behaviour is complex… and it happens over time.



One highly effective way of doing this is to organise influences into personal, social and structural categories.



So when developing a piece of behaviour change technology, it’s important to consider how it can be designed to respond to different user needs as they shift over time. If this is not possible, at least ensure you understand which stage of the journey your target user is at and design according to those needs.

Now, the only way to get at this depth of insight, is to get as close as possible to your user community—understand the people, understand the problem. 


Start with tool or solving problems of the users to start a behaviour change program, for example start with everyday needs and start to introduce the change that is wanted.

Ah, finally an app that is useful—context specific, relevant and helpful.

They proposed that start with small change on actual people behaviour rather than design a technology that would need then change, for example the business card that they use for drug addicts  "It’s valuable, kept on the person and is present at the time and place that the behaviour needs to be executed…"


‘We need an app’, 

make sure you ask ‘why’?

What’s the insight? 

How is this relevant to our the people we need to engage? 

Is this the right solution, or are we just doing it because we can? 

is it useful—context specific, relevant and helpful.

==============================

A pill that Tracks your health?


"The Internet of Everything, after all, is about connecting people, processes, data, and things in startling new ways. "

"Quantified Self movement employs technology to drive greater self-awareness by tracking data related to exercise, diet, health maintenance, financial management, learning and so forth."

"Some of this data will be captured from such sources as social media interactions. Other data will come from sensors embedded in clothing and wearable bands."

"A key tenet of the Quantified Self movement is that by setting concrete goals and quantifying progress, people drive their own success. And by co-opting some of the techniques of gaming, Quantified Self introduces one of the greatest motivators of all: fun."

"By adopting some of the key concepts of the Quantified Self movement, enterprises -- and self-motivated employees -- can get a much clearer picture of where they are, where they are going and how to get there faster."

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Internet of Everything




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/internet-of-everything/




http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-evans/cisco-beyond-things-the-interne_b_3976104.html

""a proposed development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data." "

"The fact is, the Internet of Things is just one of four dimensions — people, process, data, and things "

"The Internet of Everything is built on the connections among people, processes, data, and things. However, it is not about these four dimensions in isolation. Each amplifies the capabilities of the other three. It is in the intersection of all of these elements that the true power of IoE is realised."



Apps Research

Apps Research

"When it comes to finding the best app that you are likely to turn to every day, the candidates tend to come from similar areas: travel, weather and planning. "
http://www.knowyourapps.com/features/the-best-apps-of-2013/

Also, when I looked at top ten Apps Social, Travel, weather and planning apps prevale it.


HopStop Transit Directions

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hopstop-transit-directions/id303217144?mt=8



IFTTT






https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ifttt/id660944635?mt=8


"The app gives users the power to combine almost any two services together for productivity purposes. For example, every time you take a picture it could be automatically synced to Dropbox. Users can create as many of these ‘recipes’ as they see fit, hooking up calendars with reminders and social networks with the camera and location services."

Foursquare

https://foursquare.com







The 50 best apps of 2013


"What lies ahead in 2014? Apps will spread on to new kinds of devices, from smart watches to cars. "

Helpouts


Moves



Moves automatically tracks your everyday exercise, commuting and time spent in important places. Just carry your phone in your pocket or bag.












Lift

Lift is like having a coach in your phone giving you daily motivation, coaching, and prompting.https://lift.dohttp://itunes.apple.com/app/lift/id530911645?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4







Do VCs Find Mobile Interesting?

VC => Venture Capital
http://www.ventureblog.com/2013/02/do_vcs_find_mobile_interesting.html

Energy saving Apps


10 smart energy-efficiency apps you need to download right now

These Apps are mostly available on iPhone

 Grid.
The Green Deal app
‘The Green Deal’ is a term bandied about a lot by politicians and the media, but what is it? How does it affect you? This nifty app for both Android and iPhonetells you everything you need to know about the government’s latest scheme to make energy efficiency affordable for all, using a simple ‘self-assess’ function to help you crunch the numbers and figure out what’s best for you and your home. Quick disclaimer – we don’t currently offer the Green Deal.

No rating for this app
"The future of energy is in your hand"
I like how they show the content, like a map 0-0-0-->


JouleBug
It was dear old Mary Poppins that said even the most laborious tasks can be fun if they’re turned into a game, and that’s exactly what this iPhone app does: it turns energy efficiency into an enjoyable challenge. The app organises energy-saving tips into achievements, allowing users to climb leaderboards and fill virtual trophy cases, all while helping them live more sustainably and save a tidy sum of cash in the process.

Free and nobody rate it
First version 2010
I like the idea of badges, like the scout and there is a challenge.
The downside of this App could be that is not targeting a audience, by looking at the screen is not easy to know what is going on.
It is included in the social networking category







I tried the App










My CO2 Calculator
Ever wondered how big your carbon footprint really is? Or how much that nice cuppa is costing the environment? This nifty app, for Android and iPhone, breaks it down for you in straightforward nuggets of wisdom. Simply input your daily activities and voila – the app will tell you how big your footprint is, and provide some helpful hints on ways to bring that number down. You can even share your progress with friends and family on Facebook, for extra incentive!


Zero Above

Use location services







Standby Energy Cost Calculator
The energy used by appliances when they’re left in standby mode is called ‘vampire energy’, and rightly so, because it sucks the life out of your energy efficiencyand your wallet. This Android app helps you understand just how much energy your phone charger, microwave, TV or other appliance is using when it’s on standby, breaking it down into cost savings which could make a massive difference to your bill. Its default setting is for US dollars, so you’ll have to input your tariff charges first.

Calculate how much money you're spending just by leaving common electronics plugged in!
I like the use of picture (but not how they use it



Too much text



Alert Me Energy Map
Feeling good about your energy efficiency? Then have a nosey and see how your neighbours compare. Alert Me’s energy consumption mapping iPhone app gives you the low down on how 408 UK boroughs are using and spending energy, providing averages for each area against which you can compare your own figures. Nothing like a bit of friendly competition, eh?

There are people using it
According to the reviews people likes that they are able to see how well or bad other areas are doing.
Compare energy rather cost, as some areas the energy is cheaper
League Table





Meter Readings
Simply input your meter readings and this handy iPhoneapp will bring up a wealth of interesting and useful information: usage, costs and savings are all presented in easy-to-read graphs. They say knowledge is power, so once you know what numbers you’re dealing with you’re much better placed to start bringing them down! Watch this space for our own developments in this area!



I'LL WOULD ANALYSE IN DEPTH THE FOLLOWING OPTION


OPOWER



This box keep updating with the Kilowatts saving is a motivation to contribute




About Outlier

http://blog.opower.com/2013/12/10-energy-numbers-to-remember-from-2013/
Outlier explores trends in how people are using energy at home. Pulling from an unprecedented (and still growing) amount of energy data—currently drawn from 50 million homes—Opower crunches energy-use information from more than 75 utility partners every day, and cross-references that with weather, household, and demographic information to produce compelling analyses in the Outlier series.

Okay, technically this one isn’t a smartphone app – it’s a Facebook app – but it’s hugely enjoyable because it allows you to get one over on your friends, and all in the name of nature (so it’s okay to gloat). Simply sign in via Facebook, invite your friends to get involved and then do your best to out-do them every month on energy-saving challenges. Best of all, the results are published to your Newsfeed, so the whole world can appreciate your eco-efforts!

Alex Laskey: How behavioral science can lower your energy bill


Social Pressuare... People react when you compare them with their neighbours

Behavioral Demand Response

Opower enables utilities to deploy cost-effective and reliable demand response programs at scale, without costly devices. Empowering customers with personalized feedback and insights about their peak-time usage motivates territory-wide electric savings when it matters most.
Empowering => customer control => engage
Big data analytics

WEB Platform


They got a good feedback with web service, but tablet is becoming the mayor player when people navigate on the net, I would combine the best of both.















Apps: Improving home energy efficiency in 2013


"Numerous home energy and carbon footprint calculators are available, including many through utility company websites, so getting a start on achieving your goal may be as easy as going online. However, some sites are overly simplified and don’t actually offer much practical insight, whereas others are overly complicated and overwhelming. And with so many options, sometimes it’s tough to pick a good place to begin. To help out, we’ve pulled together a list of websites and applications that offer consumers useful and user-friendly ways to explore, understand and alter their own energy consumption routines. Some can be used across platforms — on your home computer, tablet or smartphone — and some link to social media sites to further expand their functionality."



Green button data

http://www.greenbuttondata.org

"Green Button allows electricity customers to securely download and view data detailing their home usage at their own leisure, thus offering consumers much more information than traditional monthly statements."

VELO


VELObill makes it easy and rewarding to use Green Button data. With just a few clicks, consumers can view their utility usage, measure whether it is high or low, compare it to that of their peers and examine ways to save money. With this useful information in-hand, users will create an energy saving action plan and decide whether to change consumption habits or seek an infrastructure upgrade to their home.
WHAT DOES VELObill DO?


    • Experience what it’s like to upload real data from Green Button
    • Display electricity, natural gas and water consumption in a simple, single view
    • View past usage and peak-demand usage to uncover savings opportunities
    • Compare your usage to that of your neighbors or your friends
    • Set goals to reduce energy and track progress over time
    • Evaluate the cost and payback of energy efficiency upgrades
    • Set a budget and find local contractors to help meet your goals


Leafully


Graphs showing daily, weekly and monthly usage are easily plotted and can be set to show total usage, usage during peak times or “sleeping usage” by always-on appliances. For consumers not versed in the oft-confusing nomenclature of units like kilowatt-hours, Leafully also allows you to view power consumption in terms of the number of trees needed to offset the pollution resulting from your consumption.




WOTZ



This app plots usage as a visually appealing land- and seascape with always-on usage as the ocean and peaks in usage depicted as mountains. It offers useful and amusing equivalents for your power use, such as how many cheeseburgers could be produced with the power you consumed during a day. You can also play Tetris- and Asteroids-like games to further understand the data, and set up challenges to help you reduce consumption.




Home Energy Saver


this site offers users the chance to input differing levels of detail (up to extremely detailed descriptions of your insulation and windows, for example) about the condition of your home and the appliances you use that contribute to your electricity bills. The interface is functional if not flashy, and in the end, you’ll get a similarly detailed summary of how you’re consuming power — down to the dollar, kilowatt-hour and pound of carbon dioxide. The site also offers suggestions of specific improvements to make and even estimates how long it’ll take before those improvements pay for themselves.

EnergySavvy


For a simpler glance at how you can alter energy habits in your home, this online tool offers a friendly interface with nice graphics. Just answer a series of straightforward questions about your home’s condition, heating, cooling and energy consumption patterns, and you’ll get an overall score rating your home’s energy efficiency. The site also provides a description of how your score was calculated and gives customized ideas for improving your score based on where you live and your answers to the questions.

iViro


iViro  allows you to input specifics about your home and your energy usage. It even takes local weather into account before outputting a customized energy audit and offering useful solutions

uMeter


Different platforms to show functionality of the APP











For those with both a smartphone and a smart meter — a power meter that records hourly usage information and communicates the data remotely — at home, you may want to try uMeter. With a sleek bright green and black layout, uMeter will plot up-to-the-minute consumption data provided by a smart meter, thus allowing users to identify exactly when and how they’re using power and to make desired adjustments


5 Green Mobile Apps


To get the most out of the application, users must enter several data points including the typical cost of fuel for their area, ambient weather conditions (to help calculate drag), vehicle weight and other information. Users might need to consult their vehicle's manual to get all the answers they need. The application uses this information to analyze the vehicle's performance and calculate its environmental impact.

you'll be able to browse maps and follow them to interesting locations. 



you can plant a tree and help fight global warming.


Ecorio has a feature called "Inspire" that connects you to the Ecorio community. You can share your experiences and help others find ways to travel in an environmentally-friendly way. 


you first have to enter your car's make, model and engine size into the application. GreenDrive uses this information to generate your optimal environmental speed.


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I downloaded some of the Apps to try then and Look their design

RSAP










Alert me

Nice concept but still complicate for a normal user







Friendly interface, However I would prefer something more neutral






Too much text... people are not keen to read






Green Deal

It is base in a energy survey, I could take some data for my app



















Mapping App

How device data can help to map a house