Developing sustainable service design for a pay-per-use dryer

Abstract

Although manufacturers, designers, product/service providers are innovating for more sustainable products and business models to promote sustainable consumption, there are still gaps between satisfactory user experience and real-sustainable use behaviours. HOMIE.B.V offers pay-per-use household appliances and services to stimulate sustainable user behaviours and aims to achieve a more sustainable white goods industry. The company developed its pay-per-use washing machine model and now introduces a pay-per-use dryer model. However, the service needs to be further developed, and the specific influencing factors of sustainable dryer use behaviours are still unclear. This thesis aimed to figure out the influencing factors in dryer use experiences and investigate how to persuade the users to use a pay-per-use dryer more sustainably. From a literature review and twelve customer interviews, the key influencing factors in accepting and performing sustainable dryer use behaviours were investigated and concluded into a behaviour model. A usage data analysis further proved that financial concern is not a deciding factor of performing sustainable actions, but the convenience concern is. The drivers and barriers generated the design challenge and design requirements, which contribute as a guideline to the design solution. The final design is a service strategy called HOMIE STAR plan, which uses a mobile app as a communication channel for providing a set of services. The service plan has two phases: the onboarding month and every 6-month evaluation. Customers can learn how to make use of the services and tools to dry their laundry sustainably and conveniently in the onboarding month and achieve sustainable goals by becoming a good laundry organizer in daily use. The service patterns to help customers perform sustainable dryer use behaviours are (1)dryer setting instructions with environmental impact; (2) a HOMIE Planner with sustainable-oriented recommendation system that connects to customers' daily schedule; (3)a community with quick Q&A and tips sharing; (4) a rewarding system with usage cost details. The prototyped concept and implementation suggestions were proposed and validated through interviews with potential dryer users, existing HOMIE customers, and HOMIE employees. HOMIE STAR plan made use of the identified influencing factors to persuade users to perform sustainable dryer use behaviours and meanwhile developed HOMIE's pay-per-use model services. The strategy provided HOMIE with a future direction of realizing its service value and sustainable goals on a larger scale and longer-term and suggested potential collaboration opportunities to influence other parts in the supply chain of the white goods industry. The project is focused explicitly on the pay-per-use dryer model but keeps an eye on the entire service of the company. The identified influencing factors and results can inspire other companies who are also trying to stimulate sustainable user behaviours.