User Acceptance of Sustainable Design on Websites: A Mixed-Methods Study
Lehtonen, Jenni (2026)
2026
Master's Programme in Computing Sciences and Electrical Engineering
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-05-26
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605256309
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605256309
Tiivistelmä
With digital services having environmental issues for instance through their energy need and caused emissions, it is important to explore different ways to make them more sustainable. It is known that user interface design among technical solutions can affect services’ energy efficiency but less is known about how users might perceive these energy-saving design decisions. This thesis attempts to answer that by exploring what factors in design affect users’ acceptance towards sustainable design. Also, it is investigated if motivation and autonomy have a role in the formation of acceptance.
The research process in this study followed exploratory sequential design in which the user research phase was divided into two parts: qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative phase included conducting interviews built upon mock-ups designed according to the principles of sustainable design. Based on the interview results, a survey was designed for further data collection in the quantitative phase. This research methodology was chosen for this thesis because it allows combining two research methods producing different types of data to complement each other; it allows exploring the nuanced thoughts emerging in the interviews and collecting quantitative data possibly revealing more general trends regarding the topic. This study also utilized a theoretical framework called Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 to help analysing the topic from viewpoints that are found to be part of the formation of acceptance towards technology.
The results indicate that design, autonomy, and motivation each has their own role in the formation of perceptions towards sustainable design. The results are multifaceted, but some key findings are visible in them. Regarding design, a careful balance between simplicity and complexity is critical for positive user experiences. In terms of autonomy and motivation, content alongside with design on services seem to have effects on users’ experiences. Related to these, for instance a trustworthy communication about sustainability and disclosing benefits of sustainable design can be significant factors to avoid negative thoughts to emerge from these aspects. These findings mean that both the design and contents on services are advisable to be addressed to better facilitate acceptance towards sustainable design.
This study contributes to the research in Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction by shedding light into the factors affecting how sustainable design might be perceived in online services. These findings also increase the understanding of its potential in contributing to sustainability in the IT field. Also, concrete suggestions for the implementation of sustainable design are presented that can be adopted by the professionals in the field. Further research could focus for instance on the role of autonomy and motivation to gain a deeper understanding of the ways they can be addressed in design to better facilitate users’ acceptance towards sustainable design.
The research process in this study followed exploratory sequential design in which the user research phase was divided into two parts: qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative phase included conducting interviews built upon mock-ups designed according to the principles of sustainable design. Based on the interview results, a survey was designed for further data collection in the quantitative phase. This research methodology was chosen for this thesis because it allows combining two research methods producing different types of data to complement each other; it allows exploring the nuanced thoughts emerging in the interviews and collecting quantitative data possibly revealing more general trends regarding the topic. This study also utilized a theoretical framework called Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 to help analysing the topic from viewpoints that are found to be part of the formation of acceptance towards technology.
The results indicate that design, autonomy, and motivation each has their own role in the formation of perceptions towards sustainable design. The results are multifaceted, but some key findings are visible in them. Regarding design, a careful balance between simplicity and complexity is critical for positive user experiences. In terms of autonomy and motivation, content alongside with design on services seem to have effects on users’ experiences. Related to these, for instance a trustworthy communication about sustainability and disclosing benefits of sustainable design can be significant factors to avoid negative thoughts to emerge from these aspects. These findings mean that both the design and contents on services are advisable to be addressed to better facilitate acceptance towards sustainable design.
This study contributes to the research in Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction by shedding light into the factors affecting how sustainable design might be perceived in online services. These findings also increase the understanding of its potential in contributing to sustainability in the IT field. Also, concrete suggestions for the implementation of sustainable design are presented that can be adopted by the professionals in the field. Further research could focus for instance on the role of autonomy and motivation to gain a deeper understanding of the ways they can be addressed in design to better facilitate users’ acceptance towards sustainable design.