1. Beyond ZeroCarbon Housingexploring solutions to sustainability issues beyond the zero carbon agenda2 4 th O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 a t T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N o t t i n g h a mDepartment of Architecture and Built Environment

2. Copyright NoticeA l l t h e m a te r i a l i n t h e s e s l i d e sm ay n o t b e u s e d o r re p ro d u c e d w i t h o u t t h e ex p re s s p e r m i s s i o n o f t h e a u t h o rs 3. Designing for peopleProf. Fionn StevensonUniversity of SheffieldBeyond Zero Carbon Housing 24th October 2012The University of Nottingham 4. The UK intentions....Zero carbon housing (regulated emissions only...) = 70% reduction on CO2?PassivHaus standard = 15kWh for heating, lighting, ventilation (120KWh overall)Smart housingIntegrated designChanging behaviourGreenwatt WayPRP architectshappy occupants....(anybody home.....?) 5. The UK reality.... in new homesoverheating in homes, especially in urban areas..... unwanted heat gainspoor cross-ventilationpoor indoor air qualitymalfunctioning, unintegrated new technologyunintelligible design (dumb housing)unusable products and buildingsunhappy occupants... 6. Current thinking in carbon reductionIncreasing emphasis on user behaviourto explain the gap between Intentionand realityDanger of blaming the usernotdesignMore work needed on evaluatingthe underlying usability of the designand how needs are defined 7. How do humans work?we are a product of millions of years of evolution....fine-tuned monitoringwe have primitive instincts and habits......hunter , gatherer, farmerwe operate through our senses and conceptual modelswe are always meaning-making with whatever we have to handwe are programmed for change, not continuity 8. How do humans work mark 2We want to conserve our own energyWe tend to go for the easiest optionYour nearest, so you do it...On-demand, all the time...hidden charges. 9. Computer use UK homes - 2010 Coleman, 2011 10. Design issues with standbySlow activation timePhysical location of socketsNetworking requirementsPoor controlsLack of knowledgePoor manuals 11. Affordance - design interfacesGibsons affordances = perceived and actual properties of things, which determinehow they can be used. The user knows what to do by sensing.a chair affords sittinga window affords openingWhat you see is what you getDo digital technologiesreally do this for energy use? 12. Evaluating usability the six criteriaClarity of purposeIntuitive designLabellingEase of useFeedbackDegree of fine control Controls for end usersBordass, Leaman and Bunn 13. Key control touchpoints in the homeHeating programmer, VDU, switches, dialsVentilation windows, doors, handles, hinges, trickle vents, ventilation units,switches, dials, VDU, filters, ductsLightingswitches, VDU, light bulbs, shading, control panels,Water taps, plugs, showers, baths, dials, switchesLets look at some in use.... 14. Evaluating usability in BPE woodstovecontrolsWood pellet boiler Description and location: living room, main heat source, Usability criteriaPoor Excellent Clarity of purpose Intuitive switching Labelling and annotation Ease of use Indication of system response Degree of fine control Comments The wood pellet stove provides room heat and heated water to an accumulator tank in the roof space. Additionally the solar thermal panels provide heat to the tank and there is also an immersion heater. There is a panel in the airing cupboard which indicates the tank temperatures- top and bottom- but although this accuately regsiters heat from the solar panels and the immersion heater it does not relate to heat from the pellet boiler so it requires trial and error to control the whole system. 15. Evaluating usability in BPE -woodstove 16. Evaluating usability in BPE ventilation controldiffusers Description and location:diffusers in kitchen, bathrooms and ground floor WC ( GF WC one is not present in No 2)Usability criteriaPoorExcellentClarity of purposeIntuitive switchingLabelling and annotationn/aEase of useIndication of system responseDegree of fine controlCommentsDiffusers extract air only. No instructions were given for adjustment and the commissioning of systemwas carried out by an OBU consultant. A fair degree of fine control can be achieved by spinning theinner disc. The vent gives no indication of whether it is actually extracting air or not. 17. Evaluating usability in BPE -watersink tapsDescription and location: Usability criteria PoorExcellent Clarity of purpose Intuitive switching Labelling and annotation Ease of use Indication of system response Degree of fine control Comments There are no indications of movement for hot or cold water ot labelling. This is a highly non-intuitive piece of equipment, although the movement is good. 18. Conceptual model of how things workOur concept of how things work and their meaning is based on:past experiencehabitinstinctsensememorylogicculturephysical contextfeedbackWe try to make sense of controls with whatever faulty information we have.....not always logical! 19. Conceptual congruency in design designer userdesignmodel user model systemsystemimage Norman, 86 20. Usable design mappingMapping = relationship between two things e.g. controls and results in worldNatural mapping = immediate understanding from culture, biology, perceptionMapping problems = cognitive dissonance (does not compute, not logicalcounterintuitive..) no direct spatial relationship 21. Things that go wrong with usabilitytoo many features too much informationsmaller and faster is not always betterover automationhumans are irrational - users blame themselvesor wrong cause 22. Usable design feedbackmake feedback visible to tell user what is going onprovide accurate, embodied , feedbackprovide more feedback, less features 23. Moving on from affordance to learningaffordance is What you see is what you get (WYSIWYG) physicalhumans work conceptually also, and through time we learn how to use thingsproducts and buildings have emergent properties which create a relationship with theusermaximum usability is when emergent properties reveal themselves easilye.g. one thing leads to another exploring a door handle.... 24. Durable design increases usabilityavoid perfection make design scratchablemake design cherishableincrease the meaning through memoryavoid waste embody habit over timedesign for discovery not cover up 25. Co-evolutionarydesignpositive emergence throughadaptive opportunitieswith accurate feedbackdesign for users to interactwith building and learn with it 26. But how much can the user take?Autonomous energy systems mean:Individual maintenanceIndividual replacementIndividual servicingTransportation of small systemsto individual homesIs this the most efficient way? 27. Access and maintenance of PVsDoes PV system tell occupant when it is notworking?Is there an easy way to access and replacepanels?Is the transformer sited somewhere where itwill not disturb occupants?Is there room for all the kit?? 28. Energy use scale and efficiencyMany energy systems work best at neighbourhood/campus level = 10,000 peopleSolar PV best at regional level = 10 million peopleSolar thermal best at campus level = 10,000 peopleDistrict heatingDistrict cooling best at city level = 1 million peopleTrigenerationHeat pumps best at building levelThe only energy system which is more efficient at the level of a building is a micro- grid system 29. Usability in design the cinderella factor?testing for usability only occurs in aminority of key touch point productslab tests are not user testsarchitectural education does not teachusability at the level of the user 30. Key challenges....situating user values within designunderstanding how humans workin designmaintaining place-based approachglobalisation of resource usearchitectural education.include the user in design 31. Thank you any questions? Anybody know how this thing works ??For more information please visit:http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/architecture/people/stevenson_f