Engaging through design : Visualizing climate impact of aviation at KTH

Sammanfattning: As the state of the climate becomes increasingly severe, a multitude of goals are being formed in order to tackle the problem. At KTH Royal Institute of Technology, goals to lower emissions from work related air travel have been set. The next step in order to realize these goals would be to implement measures and tools to promote behavioural changes within the university. In this paper, the questions of “How can an installation be used to visualize flight data?” and “How can such an installation be designed in order to provoke reflection and discussion?” are explored through the method of Research through Design. The design was based on earlier research on how design elements of HCI can be effective in evoking certain emotions in the user. The outcome was a prototype of a visual carbon emission budget tool that would display, if developed further, in real time the extent of the average emissions from air travel per employee in a certain department at KTH and how that figure corresponds with the emission goals of the university. Interviewees that saw the tool in its developing stages stated that it evoked reflection and discussion, and that it had potential in sparking discussion on the flight habits within KTH departments if it would be used in a real environment in the future.