Curriculum
Neuroscience, Technology and Society, XXXVII series
Grant sponsor
Electrolux, PON
Supervisor
s
Luciano Gamberini
Co-supervisor
Antonio Rodà

Project: Empowering consumers’ energy-saving behaviour: Rethinking energy labels via AR, and User-Centred Design
Full text of the dissertation book can be downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/11577/3553750

Abstract: Recently, the consumer marketplace has witnessed a marked transition from focusing purely on technological advancements—such as developing highly efficient household appliances—toward prioritising human-centred approaches that position consumers at the core of sustainable consumption efforts. Much like the “human-centric manufacturing” paradigm in Industry 5.0, today’s sustainability initiatives call for closing the \textit{“Consumers' Energy Gap”} by placing individual needs, cognitive processes, and socio-economic constraints at the forefront of design and policy. Without heeding the very real challenges of financial limitations, emotional hurdles (e.g., eco-anxiety and scepticism), and uneven energy literacy, even the most innovative energy labels risk failing to transform intentions into everyday energy-saving actions. Motivated by these concerns, this Ph.D. thesis examines how consumers interact with and interpret energy labels and whether redesigning labels through user-centred principles and new immersive tools can meaningfully boost informed, sustainable decision-making. Across five experimental studies, participants—spanning various age groups and budget constraints—were placed in realistic or simulated purchase contexts. The research explores how generational cohorts perceive energy label metrics (e.g., kilowatt-hours and water consumption), the impact of hidden psychological barriers such as green scepticism, and the role of emerging technologies like Augmented and Mixed Reality in countering traditional reliance on oversimplified product cues (e.g., a single efficiency class letter). Findings reveal that a one-size-fits-all approach—where static labels merely list technical information—often falls short. Instead, active consumer engagement, iterative label refinements informed by consumer and expert feedback, and immersive storytelling elements prove vital in translating abstract metrics into concrete benefits. The evidence demonstrates that environmentally-focused framing grounded in practical daily-life examples and supported by accessible AR/MR-driven features significantly enhances both comprehension of energy labels and purchase intentions toward high energy-efficient appliances. Overall, this Ph.D. thesis demonstrates how the integration of cognitive psychology, human factors, and user-driven technology can effectively address the \textit{Consumers' Energy Gap}, enabling consumers to integrate sustainable behaviours into their purchases and routines based on their financial, ethical, and future environmental goals.