On the Impact of User Feedback on Energy Consumption

Abstract

The energy consumption of mobile devices is of increasing importance for users, developers and vendors. Frequent recharging cycles have an impact onto the mobility of a device and thus, on user experience. While hardware and software are known to have an impact on energy consumption, user behaviour (when and how a device is used) is often not in the focus of attention. Research in on “smart-metering” has shown that user behaviour is a non-negligible impact factor. This paper reports about the results of an ongoing study on the impact of user feedback onto the energy consumption of mobile devices (i.e. Smartphones). The hypothesis being, that the frequent provision of energy-related feedback on user actions will significantly reduce energy utilization. First results support this hypothesis and indicate that feedback frequency and feedback clearly linked to specific user activities are key in this regard.