The goal of my Bachelor graduation project was to establish change in the sustainability of employees’ printing behavior: the ‘paperless pursuit’. This corresponded with the client’s (waterschap Brabantse Delta) needs for a decrease in paper consumption.
I developed a strategy that described a change management approach using design. It contained several steps that had to be taken in order to raise awareness on paper consumption. I approached the development of corporate sustainability in three steps: show the profit (value), providing real-time feedback (awareness), and provide sustainable alternatives.
The resulting ‘paperless pursuit’ consists of four persuasive design interventions. The print-o-graphic is an animated graphic representing the daily print quota for every employee. The amount of saving and consumption of this quota is visualized through rays, representing the employees. If an employee approaches the graphic on a screen, it transforms to a personal graph (the print-o-private). This personal graph shows the employees printing consumption over time. The third tool for the employees is the print-o-meter that works as a desktop printing simulator. It shows the effect of printing a document before actually printing it. The fourth design intervention is an internal online forum where employees can share their experiences with printing and sustainable printing behavior.
