At the core of all sustainability efforts is behavior change of some kind. Too much of the discussion within the design community has focused on materials and processes, as exemplified by initiatives like the Designers Accord. Yet most of the negative impacts of product and services do not occur at the point of consumption, but through ongoing use. There is a growing awareness amongst Interaction Designers that we must play a central role in understanding existing patterns of behavior and developing new models for motivating meaningful, sustainable behavior change.

To date these efforts have relied on a very rational approach, overlaying additional layers of information onto the products we use to help us better evaluate different choices and see the impact of our behavior. While the reasoning behind this approach is sound, it assumes a very rational, considered response from the consumer. However, we know that most decisions are irrational, particularly when we are presented with overwhelming amounts of data (just look at the financial markets). In order to motivate people to make sustainable changes in their behavior we must appeal to their emotions instead.

This talk will provide an overview of existing design approaches, what is working and not working. Ideas from Cognitive Psychology and Behavioral Economics will be considered in framing a discussion around new approaches that might achieve more meaningful and sustainable impacts.

Robert Fabricant is an Executive Creative Director at frog Design where he leads frog’s efforts to expand into new markets. Robert has been with frog since 2001, leading a multidisciplinary creative team in New York in a broad range of initiatives that span product design, interaction design, environments and branded experiences. He has worked with clients such as MTV, GE, Cox Communications, Virgin Mobile, Barnes & Noble, BBC and Nextel and designed user experiences for numerous platforms, including handheld devices, in-car information systems, medical devices, retail environments, networked applications and desktop software.

Prior to frog, Robert led the Research & Development team at Organic where he worked on wireless applications for clients such as Lucent Technologies, Federated and the Museum of the Moving Image. Other work experience includes @radicalmedia, Microsoft Research and Edwin Schlossberg Inc. He is an adjunct professor at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program where he teaches a foundation course in Interaction Design. His interactive work has been featured in ID magazine, Wired magazine, the Wall Street Journal and presented at SIGGRAPH and DUX.