Autor: ellen.dressler

After conducting interviews with three very different individuals, I’ve gained a much clearer understanding of how people approach sustainability – and how those differences impact their needs, challenges, and openness to digital tools like an app. These conversations made it clear that not every group is equally suited for a sustainability app, especially one designed to promote long-term behavior change through gamification.

Here’s a breakdown of what I discovered, how I interpreted the insights, and why I decided to focus on one specific target group for the app.

Socially Disadvantaged Individuals

My first interview was with a social worker who shared insights about people experiencing homelessness or struggling with severe financial challenges. For this group, sustainability is not a priority in daily life, it’s a secondary concern compared to meeting basic needs like housing, food, and security.

Many sustainable behaviors (like using public transportation or reusing items) occur out of necessity rather than intentional environmental consciousness. However, there’s little to no active interest in environmental topics or a willingness to invest time in learning about them. Trust in technology and systems is also quite low in this demographic, which would make it hard to engage them with a digital tool like an app.

While this group has a unique relationship with sustainability, the barriers – such as lack of interest, technology skepticism, and the need for significant external incentives – are too high. Building an app for this audience would require substantial financial resources (e.g., offering monetary rewards like vouchers), and the long-term impact on behavior would likely be minimal.

Young Adults Balancing Awareness and Convenience

The second interview was with a university student who represents a digitally savvy, younger audience. This group already has some baseline awareness of sustainability, often influenced by news, social media, and conversations with friends. However, they frequently struggle with barriers like time constraints, financial limitations, and the temptation to choose convenience over more eco-friendly options.

What stood out is this group’s openness to apps and digital solutions. They’re familiar with using apps to track habits, manage their lives, and even make sustainable choices (e.g., shopping second-hand or calculating carbon footprints). They’re not perfect in their sustainable behavior, but they’re willing to engage if the app fits easily into their daily routines and offers practical, actionable advice or tools.

This group has a strong foundation to build on. Their openness to technology, combined with a moderate level of intrinsic motivation, makes them an ideal audience for a sustainability app. An app targeting them could bridge the gap between awareness and action by offering low-effort, engaging features to encourage small but meaningful behavior changes.

Highly Committed Sustainability Enthusiasts

The third interview was with someone already deeply committed to sustainable living. This person actively seeks out ways to reduce their carbon footprint, follows a vegan lifestyle, and consciously avoids overconsumption. For them, sustainability is already fully integrated into their values and daily decisions.

While they appreciated the idea of a sustainability app, they don’t need that much external support or motivation. They’re already doing the work and are unlikely to benefit significantly from gamification or basic tips. However, they did express interest in features that could connect them with like-minded individuals or deepen their existing knowledge and also being rewarded for already living sustainably is a plus too.

While this group is aligned with the mission of sustainability, they don’t need an app to motivate them. They’re more likely to use an app as an optional tool to share knowledge or connect with others rather than as a primary driver of behavior change.

Deciding on the Right Target Group

Based on the interviews, the group that stands out as the most promising for a sustainability app is young adults who already have some awareness of sustainability but struggle to act on it consistently. This group strikes the perfect balance between interest, accessibility, and potential for impact. Here’s why:

1. This group is familiar with using apps for self-improvement and is comfortable with technology, making it easier to design a digital solution that resonates.
2. While external barriers like convenience and cost exist, they’re open to developing a deeper, more intrinsic motivation if the right tools and incentives are provided.
3. This group is large, diverse, and at a transitional stage in life where habits are still forming. By helping them make small, consistent changes now, the app could create long-term ripple effects in their behavior.

While the other two groups offered valuable insights, they aren’t ideal primary audiences for this app.

• Socially Disadvantaged Individuals
  The challenges of reaching and engaging this group would require a very different approach, such as offline initiatives or significant financial incentives, which fall outside the scope of this project.
• Sustainability Enthusiasts
  This group doesn’t need basic support or motivation. While they could be secondary users in a later phase (e.g., as community contributors), they don’t represent the best starting point for achieving widespread impact.

Knowing that young adults with a basic awareness of sustainability are the target group allows me to focus on features that address their specific needs and challenges. Here are some initial ideas:

1. Gamification: Points, badges, and progress tracking to make small sustainable actions feel rewarding and fun.
2. Low-Effort Tips: Simple, actionable suggestions that fit seamlessly into their busy routines – like swapping products or reducing food waste.
3. Personalized Goals: Tailored recommendations based on their habits, interests, and barriers (e.g., budget-friendly options for students).
4. Community Features: Opportunities to connect with peers, share progress, and get inspired by others’ sustainable choices.

The interviews have given me a clear direction for the app: focus on young, tech-savvy adults who are open to change but need a little help getting there. By designing a tool that’s easy to use, motivating, and relevant to their daily lives, I believe this app has the potential to make a real impact – not just for individuals, but for the environment as a whole.

For my master thesis topic it is important to me to listen to people with different experiences, perspectives, and priorities. That’s why I created three different interview guides to dive deeper into how people approach sustainable behavior in their daily lives. Before conducting the interviews, I wanted to share my thought process for designing the guides and, most importantly, why I chose three very different kinds of interview partners.

My goal is to understand the real barriers, motivations, and habits surrounding sustainability in various contexts. To do that, I needed interviewees who represent distinct viewpoints. In the following I will explain who these people are, why I chose them, and what I hope to learn from each conversation.

Interview Partner 1: A Social Worker in the Field of Homelessness

The first interview partner (let’s call them P1) is a social worker who has extensive experience working with people in challenging life situations, specifically in the area of homelessness. I chose P1 because they work closely with individuals who face systemic barriers, such as financial instability, lack of housing, and limited access to resources. These challenges often shape how people approach sustainability – if it’s even on their radar at all.

My goal with this interview is to better understand how social and economic disadvantages influence sustainable behavior. For example:

• How does limited income affect daily decisions like transportation, food, or clothing?
• Is sustainability seen as a privilege for people who don’t have to worry about survival first?
• What role does access to technology play in shaping their habits?

P1 can provide a window into a world where sustainability is often a secondary concern, and any actions taken (like using public transport or buying second-hand clothes) might be driven more by necessity than intention. This perspective is crucial because it can show the importance of making sustainability accessible to everyone – not just those with disposable income or extra time.

Interview Partner 2: A University Student Balancing Awareness and Convenience

The second interview partner (P2) is a young medical student in their early 20s. This person represents a group that is often aware of sustainability issues and wants to do their part—but doesn’t always prioritize it due to life circumstances. Think of the daily juggling act that comes with being a student: attending lectures, studying for exams, and managing a tight budget.

I chose P2 because they are at a transitional stage in life where habits and priorities are still being shaped. Students often care about the environment and feel the pressure to “do better,” but convenience, cost, and a busy schedule can make sustainability feel like just one more thing on a long to-do list.

From this interview, I hope to explore questions like:

• What drives young people to engage in sustainable behavior? Is it peer pressure, personal values, or something else?
• What compromises do they make between convenience and sustainability?
• What tools, apps, or strategies help them make greener choices – or would help if they existed?

This interview will help me understand what motivates this group to stick to their sustainable intentions and what might cause them to give up. The insights from P2 could reveal how to make sustainability more practical and appealing for those with busy lives.

Interview Partner 3: A Sustainability Enthusiast with High Standards

Finally, my third interview partner (P3) is someone who is deeply committed to living a sustainable lifestyle. They’re in their early 20s and currently studying biotechnology. P3 already makes conscious decisions about what they buy, how they travel, and even what they eat (they’re vegan). However, they’re also deeply frustrated with how hard it can be to stay consistent.

I chose P3 because they represent the group of people who are most passionate about sustainability but still face significant challenges in living out their values. Despite being highly motivated, they often feel like the system isn’t set up to support them, whether it’s due to lack of infrastructure (like public transport) or the higher cost of sustainable products.

This conversation will focus on questions like:

• What are the biggest barriers even for someone who is committed to sustainability?
• What role does frustration play in shaping their behavior? Does it motivate them to do more or make them feel burned out?
• What would make it easier for them to stay on track?

P3’s perspective will provide insights into the gap between intention and execution—and how we can close that gap for the most environmentally conscious among us.

Why These Three Perspectives Matter

By interviewing people from such different walks of life, I hope to get a fuller picture of how sustainability fits into the real world. Sustainability isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. For some, it’s about small, incremental changes that fit into a busy schedule. For others, it’s tied to bigger systemic issues that make it harder to even consider the environment when basic needs aren’t met.

The goal isn’t to compare these groups or rank their efforts but to understand how sustainability looks through their eyes. Each interviewee offers unique insights that can help shape solutions that make sustainable living more accessible and appealing.

Once I conduct these interviews, I’ll be diving into their answers to identify patterns, surprises, and actionable takeaways. I hope their perspectives will shed light on how we can make sustainability something that works for everyone – not just those with the time, money, or resources to focus on it.