Nicola Toth

Planning to Save the Planet: Using an Online Intervention Based on Implementation Intentions to Change Adolescent Self-Reported Energy-Saving Behavior

Adolescents are an important population to target with energy-saving interventions: Not only are adolescents high consumers of energy, but they are also the adult consumers of the future. In the present study, an online energy-saving intervention was developed based on implementation intentions, a widely used psychological behavior change technique. A total of 180 adolescents, aged 13 to 15 years, were recruited using purposeful sampling and were allocated to either the intervention or control condition. A significant increase in adolescent’s self-reported energy-saving behavior was found among adolescents who had received the intervention, which was sustained at the 6-week follow-up. However, some adolescents were more affected by the intervention than others; adolescents who already actively engaged in energy saving (as identified by their readiness to change prior to the intervention) reported a significant increase in energy-saving behaviors as a consequence of participation in the intervention, whereas those who were not already saving energy did not.

Teenagers talking about technologies: designing technology to reduce teen energy use

This paper describes the methodology through which a set of guidelines that inform the design and development of energy-use reduction technologies for teenagers were created. The presented research forms part of a wider project that aims to design, develop and evaluate mobile solutions to change teen attitudes and behavior to energy consumption. In order to understand how to approach the design of technologies that reduce teen electricity consumption, researchers engaged teenagers in a comprehensive user-centered evaluation of relevant existing prototypes. The evaluation feedback was used to generate a set of seven guidelines that will inform the design and development of future energy-reduction devices for teenagers as part of the final stages of this overall research project.

Working with Teenagers in HCI Research: A Reflection on Techniques Used in the Taking on the Teenagers Project

Engaging participants and choosing an appropriate technique in the research process are vitally important in developing successful products, devices and interventions. HCI researchers need to choose techniques that are suitable and appropriate for the user population being considered. In this chapter techniques used within HCI research activities with teenagers during the Taking on the Teenagers research project are considered, providing a brief case study example of each. The key features of each technique are then summarised, in order to allow comparison between techniques and assist both researchers and practitioners when selecting techniques. Second, the authors reflect critically upon their practical experiences working with teens and the lessons they have learned, in order to formulate nine guidelines that inform best practice when working with teenaged user populations.

Perspectives on HCI Research with Teenagers

Teen Computer Interaction is concerned with the design, evaluation and implementation of technologies for teenagers and with the study of major phenomena surrounding them. It aims to give special consideration to the unique development issues and diversity of this particular user group. Teenagers are possibly the most diverse, dynamic and technologically-aware user group. Working with teenagers can enable researchers to gather valuable insights and opportunities to inform the design and implementation of new technologies. Researchers have now begun to acknowledge that Teen Computer Interaction is a specialised area of HCI and this book brings together some of the best work in this field to-date. The book provides relevant HCI communities with an inclusive account of methods and examples of best practice to inform those working with teenagers in research and design projects. The chapters recount research with teenagers in many different domains and provide many different contributions to the field of Teen Computer Interaction including design methods, models, case studies and ethical considerations. The aim of this book is to provide a solid foundation from which the discipline of Teen Computer Interaction can grow, by providing a valuable resource for those wishing to conduct HCI research with teenagers. Perspectives on HCI Research with Teenagersis aimed at academics, practitioners, designers, researchers and students who are interested in the new and emergent field of Teen Computer Interaction.

Ethical Considerations in Face-to-Face and Internet-Mediated Research with Teenage Populations

Research ethics is a critical part of any project but requires special consideration when conducting research with teenagers. Teenagers are deemed a vulnerable group and it is important to thoroughly consider ethical issues when conducting research with teenagers. Due to the proliferation and ease of access of the internet, internet-mediated research has become a beneficial modality for collecting data from teenagers in a HCI research context. Internet-mediated research is the process of gathering data via web-based technologies directly from research participants. Yet, internet-mediated research is still in its early stages and the key ethical issues with internet-mediated research are not immediately obvious. Therefore, this chapter examines key ethical standards for conducting research with teenagers through traditional face-to-face and internet-mediated methods. The key ethical issues are highlighted and discussed in the context of research with teenage populations. Personal experiences of both face-to-face and internet-mediated research with teenagers are discussed and reflected upon. This chapter contributes key understandings of ethical issues within the context of HCI research involving teenage participants.