Sustainability

Context

In May of 2020, Intel announced its 2030 RISE Goals, “a framework that encourages Responsible, Inclusive, Sustainable, and Enabling initiatives for consumers, customers, and employees”. At the time, I was part of a new team at Intel, Research and Experience Definition and I had the opportunity to explore how we might influence the “sustainable” component from the perspective of an everyday PC user/consumer.

Research questions

Test hypothesis

The goal of this research was to test a hypothesis: “People hang onto their old electronic devices like computers because it has emotional value based on a variety of memories.”

Methodology

Diary Study

I chose to run 2 diary studies using dscout. By running diary studies, I could get a wide recruit across the US, see inside their home and how their computer “lives”, and give them the privacy to look through their content and share with me on their own time.

  • Recruit: Approximately 18 people who had computers that were 4+ years old that they no longer used

  • Each diary study had 4-5 parts, lasted about two weeks, and involved consistent follow-up communication about their responses

    • Diary study 1: learn about the devices participants kept and why

    • Diary study 2: (new set of participants) same as 1, plus follow their journey of getting rid of their devices

Findings

The hypothesis generally proved to be true. There were logistical and emotional reasons participants kept their devices.

Logistical reasons included things like being concerned personal data wasn’t really wiped from the machines and figuring out where to even get rid of the device.

More challenging were the emotional reasons - meaningful content like photos and notable files - lived in the computer, which may or may not have been able to be turned on. Beyond the content, the device itself was seen as a memento, as a gift from a deceased relative or a companion through college.

Next steps

Promote findings: lead brainstorms, share in 1:1s, encourage partnerships

Work with leadership and focus on ways we might facilitate reduction of e-waste. 

Crafting the right story for the right audience at the right time

I spent a lot of time focused on writing a compelling story from the research insights. It’s easy to share a summary of what you heard and people’s stories, but the real work and skill comes from developing themes and knowing who your audience is and what will grab their attention.

Lessons learned