NDSM

Session 06: EAST Framework

Atley George

Atley George 62210621

NDSM class exercise reflections

We had ideated reduction of usage of printing paper in the student villages as our idea for
sustainable behavior in ISB.
This was analyzed first using the decision map checklist. The decision in question here is the amount
of paper the student uses for his/her needs when printing slides or notes for examination purposes.
• The decision is not important for the individual and receives less attention.
• The onset of an examination or a test is what motivates the individual to act on the decision
• This is a passive choice, as usually the student is comfortable using the default settings in the
printer portal and hitting print.
• The default option is to print all the slides. Other options such as identifying the important
slides and printing those only, or using one’s own notes also exist
• There is no feedback. The only time the student sees a consequence of the action is when
the printer chargers sent to student by mail
• There currently exist no incentives
• There is a minimal financial cost associated with the decision
Based on above decision map, we ideated a few nudges using the EAST Framework that could help
bring about necessary changes to student behavior
• The printer portal that the student uses to execute print commands can be improved to
have multiple slides consolidated into one side of the paper, with both sides of the paper
being used by default. This will be an “opt-out” setup, so as to make this an easy path of
least resistance
• Add prompts to the website which shows the student the number of trees that was
consumed to provide the amount of paper the cohort has consumed year-to-date. This will
create a psychological cost and could act as a timely motivator for the student to reconsider
his/her decision to print.
• Prompts can also be used to show the student the money saved if they choose not to print.
This incentive could make the act of not printing attractive.
• The OSC can also announce an award(E.g. Sustainability champion) for the student that has
consumed the least amount of paper in each term. This provides recognitions and valuable
social currency for the student.