Information design as a tool for promoting renewable energy

Abstract

Information design has become a tool to enhance the communication of process-and systems-oriented information. Environmental awareness can be promoted through information design (Bartusch & Porathe, 2011). With regard to renewable energy, these aspects of information design need to coincide. Renewable energy sources play a key role in the EU's circular economy package and energy policy targets (COM, 2015). Also rural actors should be encouraged to use renewable energy (Chel & Kaushik, 2011). They should have access to simple and comparable information. Well-executed information design when planning, shaping and visualizing data could provide solutions for this dilemma (Coates & Allison, 2014). This paper deals with the opportunities of using information design as a tool to process and produce more understandable information about rural renewable energy possibilities to better meet the information needs of rural actors. In this study, data is produced in two forms of visualization: posters and animations.

Circular Economy in Industrial Design Research: A Review

“…This has implications for designers in choosing different refurbishment options and increasing the likelihood of customers' acceptance of refurbished products. Vanhamäki et al [101] sought opportunities to use "information design" to promote environmental awareness, produce more understandable information about renewable energy possibilities, and stimulate consumers to make investments in renewable energy solutions. Visualizing complex data in the form of story-based visualizations, such as animations, appears to better accommodate the information needs of rural actors in comparison with posters or other graphical visualizations.…”