The study by Mechanical Engineering Master’s student, Joe Harrison, was conducted in Europe’s largest green-tech co-working space in central London, and aimed to optimise toilet use, reduce maintenance costs and promote water conservation.
Nudge theory proposes that subtle changes in choice presentation can guide individuals (or nudge them) toward better decisions without restricting their freedom of choice. Tests were conducted on two light-based nudges: red light illumination and dimming. While red light illumination successfully deterred users, dimming did not induce behavioral changes in the study, thus underscoring the potential of using carefully designed nudge interventions, specifically light-based ones, to improve sustainability practices in office environments and public spaces.
Uneven usage causes disproportionate wear and tear, increasing maintenance costs and reducing product lifespan. Because toilet flushing consumes a significant portion of water in office buildings, optimising usage is crucial for water conservation and environmental sustainability.
The project was a collaboration with three industry partners: Sustainable Ventures - operators of Europe’s largest green-tech co-working space; Propelair who manufacture one of the world's most water-efficient toilets and IoMech who are providers of IoT services and equipment.
Joe said: “The goal of the project was to analyse the typical distribution use of a bank of ultra-low flushing toilets and investigate the effectiveness of various user behaviour manipulation methods in their ability to change the distribution of use. The results from this project were promising and I believe that further research in this area could apply this technology to other communal infrastructure applications where usage is uncontrolled, such as pumps at petrol stations, public lifts or toll booths on motorways.”
Dr David Polson, Project Supervisor, said: “Joe took a broad brief and distilled that down to a neat piece of scientific research. Water conservation is a critical problem in the 21st Century and Joe identified and worked to develop an application of nudge theory that was innovative and practical. He worked hard and took a methodical approach to show that nudge theory could be used to influence user behaviour, in order to reduce the maintenance burden of water saving devices. He is responsible for paving the way for future engineers to make better use of nudge theory in conjunction with their own water saving technologies.”
