Sandra Burri Gram-Hansen
Department of Communication and Psychology
In my research, I explore analyse and develop the potential of applying persuasive design principles to the development of learning designs in complex organizations. Persuasive Design springs from BJ Fogg’s notion of Persuasive Technology, which is commonly referred to as technologies design with the intent to change attitudes, behaviours or both, without using cohesion or deception(Fogg, 2003). In continuation of Fogg’s work, Persuasive Design is defined as a design meta-perspective which focuses on establishing an appropriate balance between the context and the persuasive initiative, and enable ethical reflections to be fully integrated throughout the design process(Gram-Hansen & Ryberg, 2013).
The empirical research is done in collaboration with the Danish Military Defence’s project Green Establishments. The army considers itself a particular type of educational institution, with a distinct history and culture. They struggle to become a more energy and environment oriented organization, and through the development and implementation of persuasive learning designs, the army aims to not only teach the staff how to handle situations, but also to motivate them to become an energy and environment friendly community of practice.
In my research I have been taking a Design Based Research approach, as I undergo several design iterations, tests, and evaluations. I am new to Action Research, but with its many commonalities to DBR, I expect that attending this Ph.d. course will help me nuance my methodological approach a little. In particular I find it interesting to place focus on practitioner driven problems rather than those defined by the researchers.
Fogg, B. (2003). Persuasive Technology, Using Computers to change what we Think and Do: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.
Gram-Hansen, S. B., & Ryberg, T. (2013). Persuasion, Learning and Context Adaptation. Special Issue of the International Journal on Conceptual Structures and Smart Applications.