User Experience of Green Building Certification Resources: EarthCraft Multifamily

Sustainability

Frederick Paige¹  Dwayne Jefferson¹  Philip Agee²  France Jackson³ 

[1] Charles Edward Via, Jr., Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 114 Patton Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;Department of Building Construction, Virginia Tech, 430 Bishop-Favrao Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;UX Research & Design Intel Corporation, 6380 NE Cherry Drive 309, Hillsboro, OR 97124, USA;

关键词: user experience;    usability;    green building;    EarthCraft Multifamily;    EarthCraft;    sustainability;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su13147871

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

To improve the construction industry’s capacity to deliver sustainable infrastructure, guidance on delivering green building systems needs to be more usable. Green buildings have certifications and ratings in place that ensure that projects are environmentally responsible and meet standards in resource efficiency. EarthCraft Multifamily (ECMF), an evolving green building certification, has been successful in increasing the delivery of energy-efficient affordable housing, and this study leverages user experience (UX) methodologies to understand how to further improve ECMF and replicate its success. This study identifies the impact ECMF tools and resources, such as the program manual, worksheet, and technical guidelines, have on enhancing project delivery for architects. This study conducted data analysis on project specifications, heuristic evaluation data, and stakeholder interview data. As the strengths and weaknesses of ECMF were identified, knowledge on the usability of the green building certification program was unveiled. Heuristic evaluations data show that accessibility and usability issues are present in ECMF resources. Interview data show that architects’ experiences with ECMF resources were affected by some of the usability issues identified in the heuristic evaluation data. Coded interview transcripts show the most prominent participant-identified improvements represented within the data. Resources need appropriate visual representation such as readability and hierarchy to improve their usability. Understanding how ECMF resources are utilized during project delivery allows for the appropriate content and options to be strategically framed to improve accessibility and enhance user decision making. ECMF resources can allow for the inclusion of a broader set of stakeholders by lowering the level of expertise required for sustainable infrastructure delivery.

【 授权许可】

Unknown