Eco-Friendly Human Factors Abrielle “Abbey” Otero Human Factors Graduate Student Abbey is a graduate student studying Human Factors and is also a student in the Research in User experience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. When you think of sustainability or environmentalism what comes to mind? All the wasteful products we use in our everyday lives? Or maybe the Zero Waste movement? These things all relate to everyday human behaviors having to do with your choice in being more environmentally friendly. As a Human Factors researcher and self-proclaimed environmentalist, I’ve tried to bridge the gap between the two and have come up with a few different approaches and things to consider when doing so. First and foremost, let’s define environmentalism in a Human Factors design context. Environmental human factors design can be defined as creating solutions that allow and encourage users to be active participants in Page 20
sustainable practices (Heibeck, 2019). This definition may seem broad, but that’s the point. It encompasses ideas pertaining to both physical and digital design implementations (product packaging vs. website design) that can change a user’s behavior to be more environmentally conscious, whether they realize it or not. To put you into a Human Factors researcher’s shoes, I’ll provide you with two scenarios for the approaches I’ll be presenting - website design and product packaging design. Website Design
website to reflect this. The first approach you should follow is to be transparent with their sustainable practices and any environmental goals they may have. Oftentimes this type of information is hidden away in the Frequently Asked Questions page, but if they really want to highlight it there should be a separate page on this information, or even a separate tab at the top in the website’s menu. This makes a clear statement to potential customers and shows that the company has nothing to hide. The second approach is to feature the most sustainable
consumer options, whether it’s on the homepage or at the top of product lists. For example, if your company sells drinkware made of both plastic and recycled materials, you would want to highlight the latter of the two. This exposes these options to consumers and draws their attention towards them. The third approach is to empower your customers to think more about their environmental footprint. The Malaysian food delivery service GrabFood does a great job at this. By default, plastic cutlery is not provided but if the customer
Let’s imagine that you work for an e-commerce company that has been focusing more on their environmental footprint. They task you with redesigning their Image Courtesy / The Fun Theory
Default cutlery option for GrabFood delivery service.