Persuade Oscar, the Grouch: A Design Approach for a Persuasive Gamified Smart Waste App

Abstract

Littering, for instance caused by awareness lacks on appropriate waste disposal, is one of the pollution causes in cities and can damage water , air , and soil. In the smart city context, smart waste apps (SWAs) can be used to address the change of citizens’ littering behavior by implementing persuasion. This research aims to pro- vide a first step toward a design theory for SWAs that enhances the internal motivation to engage in correct litter disposal. Our research follows a six-step design science approach to identify design requirements, de- rive design principles, and develop design features based on a literature review on SWAs and a series of expert workshops. We investigate which design princi- ples should guide SWAs’ design to select an adequate set of persuasive elements and, thus, better target litter- ing behavior change. The proposed prototypical SWA is expected to motivate citizens' littering behavior change, thereby, improving urban cleanliness.