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Abstract

The use of low-cost sensing technologies increasingly used in participatory environmental
health studies brings both opportunities and challenges. While previous research mostly
focused on technical aspects, this thesis brings participants to the foreground and
articulates their experiences. It aims to evaluate if low-cost sensing technologies are fitfor-
purpose in environmental health studies from a user perspective. This work included
studying their motivations, needs, expectations, experiences and changes in behaviour
and gaining feedback on the used devices, campaigns and data visualization. The thesis
reviews the citizen science literature and summarizes functional features of tools that
meet volunteer expectations and help retain their long-term interest in citizen science
projects.
This thesis also draws from the experience of three relevant EU-funded projects:
CITI-SENSE, SMURBS and ICARUS. A combination of qualitative and quantitative
methods was used to collect and analyse the data from campaigns held in Ljubljana,
Slovenia, and a user-centred approach was used to design a results report. Altogether 101
volunteers participated selected using non-probability sampling based on pre-defined
criteria.
The most common motivations of participants were to learn about one’s living
environment and help science and society. The participants were expecting to obtain
insights into air quality about the places they live in and frequently visit, and evaluate
the results. For example, the data show that involvement leads to behavioural change
and that this change would be even greater if the results were communicated in realtime.
It also shows that participants struggled and were frustrated with low-cost
prototype sensor devices they evaluated as difficult to use, bulky, and disrupted their
daily lives. They also reported being disappointed with frequent data gaps or when realtime
displayed air pollution data did not meet their expectations. These findings are why
campaigns using such technology should not exceed 14 days; otherwise, the study would
become obsolete due to usability issues and since the novelty of participation wears off
quickly. Commercially available technologies faced fewer usability issues and were more
acceptable to participants. A user-centred design process can help to ensure a product
(e.g., a sensor, web page, phone app, or report) is well accepted. This outcome was
evidenced by participants being involved in an iterative co-creation process, resulting in a
more comprehensible, well-received results report.
Furthermore, data from low-cost sensor devices must be meaningful to the user, i.e.,
capable of meeting their expectations and providing data promptly to keep them actively
interested. When developing new low-cost sensor devices, resources should be allocated to
perform user research to test and improve a product prior to full-scale implementation
within a cross-disciplinary consortium. The empirical findings from these case studies,
supported by theoretical findings from the literature review, highlight the need to align
technology and information output to end-users needs. The user experience evaluation
methodology developed herein demonstrates the need for iterative user-centred
approaches and the importance of collecting user feedback about novel air quality sensing
technologies for citizen engagement in environmental health studies. If resources are not
available for user-centric approaches, known fit-for-purpose technologies should be used.