User experience observations with improved flame-based cookstoves among a sample of South African households | The Identification of Service Design Oriented Behavioural Goals for the Uptake of Improved Flame - Based Cookstoves Among a Sample of South African Households

Household air pollution due to the large-scale use of inefficient cookstoves, is the third most significant global cause of morbidity and death, including in South Africa. Several safe energy-efficient and clean stove designs have been developed and introduced into several developing countries over past decades. However, widespread uptake of improved stoves has met with limited success. This paper identifies the main behavioural goal as part of a prospective service oriented human-centred design (HCD) strategy for the dissemination of improved cookstoves among the South African user base; through an observational field study of cookstove-related behaviour among a representative sample of South African households, with flame-based cookstoves currently available in South Africa. The paper suggests a two-tier behavioural goal as part of a prospective service design strategy, having found a clear difference in cookstove use between the extremely poor, mainly rural households and poor households in urban areas.