How do you engage users?

Engaging folks to become more sustainable, and do so for an extended period of time is challenging.  That has been our mission for over ten years now.  A percentage of our user base likes our app because we let them know how much CO2, energy, and water they can save by making simple actions habits.  Many of those users began forming good eco habits long long ago.  

Along the way we have learned that something else is needed to expand our base beyond long time environmentalists.  JouleBug uses fun and social to attract others.  Behind the scenes, the point system of the game that attracts folks to play is based on the impact (CO2, Water, & Waste) of each of our actions. 

Every action’s impact has been evaluated by an energy expert.  The calculations are periodically reviewed to verify that our methods are current, which is important in an area that is rapidly changing.  We show our work, so if there are better ideas we’ll get comments and can make improvements.

 Hopefully, fun and social backed by rigorous analytics are the key ingredients to a secret sauce that engages and inspires people to live a more sustainable life.