Persuasive Things

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2011 im Fachbereich Medien / Kommunikation - Multimedia, Internet, neue Technologien, Universität der Künste Berlin, Veranstaltung: Communication in Social and Economic Context, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Persuasive technology has the potential to influence user behavior for social benefit. This has been proven to be the case with online games and websites accessible on desktops and smart phones. In recent times, things of everyday life are becoming equipped with technology and are connected to the Internet, an effect which allows persuasive technology to migrate from desktops and smart phones into things of everyday life.Up until today, only a few Internet connected things have been described in the context of persuasive technology. An extension of theory and frameworks on everyday things is missing. As such, this paper (1) showed how Internet connectivity can or could change the persuasiveness of things, (2) determined which persuasion models fit best to conceptualize and analyze persuasion strategies of such and (3) highlighted which aspects needed to be further incorporated into the models, so that the revised models could be applied to Internet-enabled things. In order to test the persuasion potential of things and the suitability of preexisting approaches, a case of a connected thing promoting physical activity, the Nike+ shoe, was selected and analyzed. The results of this analysis then formed the basis of a new model: The Pervasive Persuasion Model (PPM). Primarily to evaluate the usability of the new model and to guide the direction of its development, the PPM was applied to a connected prototype vehicle that was designed to target behavior change. The trial demonstrated that the concept of the PPM is applicable to a connected thing and can lead to relevant design considerations and concepts. It also suggested analyzing the potential of persuasion as a value proposition for connected things.