Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries

Josh Purcell 

MSc User Experience Design

Hello 👋! I am Josh, a UX designer currently living and working in Berlin but originally from Dublin. I am most interested in why we make decisions and trying to make my design process transparent for all to see. I am particularly interested in systematic and strategic design, which is why I think choosing what to cook is so hard for me. If you have any further questions about my project feel free to reach out 📪

Digital Nudges for Sustainable Grocery Shopping

The meat industry accounts for 14.5% greenhouse gas emissions with a byproduct of deforestation, heavy land usage, and large water consumption. One of the greatest contributions individual consumers can make to help cut down on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is to adopt a vegan diet. However, changing consumer habits is difficult and needs a strong intervention to break a habit cycle. Consumer choices are heavily influenced by cognitive biases and impulse choices. Digital nudging has been shown to be an effective method for influencing people's unconscious and automatic decision making. The aim of nudging is to direct better decision-making by altering the choice environment of a product, without restricting the number of options available to the user. As such, digital nudging provides a novel means to influence consumer behaviour and encourage individuals to adopt a more ecologically friendly, meat free diet.


The outcome of the Study

The research paper focused on measuring the effectiveness of default and simplification nudges in a digital choice environment for an online grocery store. It was tested on a broad demographic profile of 116 users with 10 follow up qualitative usability tests. The results of the study were not statistically significant; however, refinement of the experimentation design and format could yield more significant results. The study concluded that the research aligned with the findings of previous studies and that nudges offer a promising strategy for effecting change in consumer behaviour to reduce the impact of climate change.