Nudge co-creation examples – Ilmastotuuppaus

Co-creating public transportation nudges for senior citizens

1. Define the problem

The intervention aimed to create ways to increase use of public transportation among senior citizens, instead of a private car.In Finnish population structure, significant age groups are the baby boomers and the current middle-aged working class that is slowly starting to retire. Of the citizens of Turku, 23% were pensioners in 2022. These age groups also have significant carbon footprints, as they have accumulated wealth and many of them own private cars. This group has time and possibilities to consume and travel. Often most of the people belonging to this age-group are less aware or motivated to implement sustainable mobility in their free time activities.

Moving away from private car use increases physical activity; even use of public transportation includes more walking than using a car. Electric bicycles or adult tricycles could also be a safe and useful transport mode to older people, additionally supporting their physical health and independence. With the adoption of new modes of transportation, the agency of older adults may improve, and giving up a driver’s license, for example, due to health reasons, does not necessarily significantly weaken their sense of control.

2. Understand the choice architecture

The choice architecture was mapped by gathering information from various sources:

Literature review: The following literature review utilized studies from a systematic review, which is unpublished but currently under review (Melin et al.). Moreover, a few other relevant studies were not included in the systematic review but were searched later by Google Scholar in the spring of 2024. For the systematic review, we also considered studies that had not explicitly defined their intervention as a nudge, even though it fulfilled the definition of a nudge, regardless of the theoretical framing used in those articles. The systematic review was conducted per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Efforts were made to reduce potential bias in selecting studies by thorough discussions among the researchers regarding the definition of nudges and setting inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data for the systematic literature review regarding sustainable transport choices utilizing the nudge methodology were collected from four databases: Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, SocINDEX and PsycINFO. The first search was conducted from 17 to 19 February 2021, and the supplementary search was conducted on 20 January 2022.

The literature review is shortly summarized in the section What is nudging (LINKKI)

Main insights from the literature view

Nudges alone are rarely sufficient to produce significant changes in mobility behavior – especially when faced with habitual behavior, infrastructural barriers, or the convenience of car use.
Instead, the most effective outcomes occur when nudges are combined with financial incentives or tangible facilitators (e.g., free trial periods, employer subsidies), user receive personalized, relevant information, and the intervention makes it easy to try out a new behavior (e.g., default options or gamified systems).
Sustained behavior change ofter requires disrupting existing routines, offering sufficient motivation, and providing a convenient alternative to car use.

Email interviews for Nordic cities: Email interviews were conducted for other municipalities and cities in Nordic countries (data not shown). Responses were obtained from six Nordic cities and areas. The representatives of public transportation providers of the biggest Nordic cities were sent an email, which explained the purpose of the interview, how the data would be used and asked the respondents to respond to three questions and/or to send out relevant material that they had at hand. The questions were:

What kinds of successful public transportation campaigns, interventions or nudges have been executed in your city or area during the last 3 years?
What about unsuccessful ones? What is your estimate on why they failed?
How did you measure the success of the campaigns, interventions or nudges?

Three of the respondent cities only answered these questions, one city answered the questions and provided additional materials, and two cities only provided materials. The additional materials that we received included e. g. campaign materials (e. g. videos, posters) and case presentations on campaigns and results.

Main insights from the email interviews

The review highlighted the effectiveness of image marketing when messages are clear and empathetic humor is used.
Public transport users form a cohesive group that can be targeted effectively.
Various flexible algorithm-based pricing models have shown success. The examples provided mostly had a commercial focus, except for Copenhagen and Stockholm, which also included environmental campaigns. The measurement methods mainly assessed the spread, understanding, reception of the message, or sales data.
Successful public transportation campaigns shared a few key traits: clear and relatable messaging aimed at well-defined target groups, offered tangible benefits like discounts or convenience, and achieved strong visibility through engaging content. In some cases, humor was used to make a message more memorable. Timing and societal relevance also played a role, and success was often measured through audience engagement rather than sales alone.

Turku region traffic (Föli) user survey: The public transportation service provider of the city of Turku, named Föli, carried out a user survey in 2023. The survey was divided into two waves to collect summer and winter time data separately. The combined number of respondents to these was 1792. Most of the data were collected through a survey panel. A more representative sample was reached with a push to web -method that targeted non-Finnish speaking people in the Turku area. In push to web -method, the respondent is sent a letter that includes a link to a web survey. The survey targeted all the cities that belong to the Föli-network: Turku, Raisio, Kaarina, Lieto, Naantali, Rusko.

Main insights from the user survey

Based on the user survey, several key insights inspired us to organize co-creation workshops with older adults (64+) to explore how public transport could be improved and made more appealing to this group.
Older adults are an essential user segment, with bus use increasing around retirement age, especially among women. They tend to have a favorable view of bus travel and experience less frustration than younger users, though feelings of safety often decline with age. Concerns about other passengers and driver behavior affect their experience, making safety a key topic.
Buses are typically used as a complementary mode of transport, indicating the potential of increased use if barriers are lowered. While status is unimportant, older users value practicality, clarity, and comfort.
These findings highlight the need to understand perceived obstacles better and build on existing positive attitudes to improve service and encourage more frequent use.

Co-creation workshops for citizens

The purpose of the co-creation events was to engage stakeholders in the developing process of interventions, which lies at the core of co-creation theory. Senior public transport users were invited to the co-creation events to share their experiences regarding age-friendliness in urban planning and public transport services. The workshop also aimed to explore and better understand the mobility-related decision-making processes of the target group, along with the psychological, physical, and social barriers, deterrents, and drivers that influence these choices.

The workshops were facilitated by researchers from the University of Turku’s Department of Psychology and the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE). Following a brief introduction, participants were divided into small groups, each led by a researcher who facilitated the discussion while taking notes. The group discussion loosely followed a facilitation guide developed earlier in the project, allowing space for open conversation. The facilitator’s role was to ensure that the key themes were addressed, the schedule was followed, and all the participants had the opportunity to participate in the discussion.

The themes explored included participants’ primary modes of transport, main reasons to use the bus, walkability of the environment, accessibility of nearby services, functionality of public transport, motivations for leaving the house, mobility-related challenges, perceived safety, and sense of community in the area.

Each workshop session lasted approximately three hours and the total number of participants in all co-creation events targeting pensioners was 17. The events were advertised through email lists and posters on populous places in the city (e.g. libraries, supermarkets, market halls). Five researchers took part in the events targeting pensioners and the notes from the discussion were collected into quantitative data after the fact.

Main insights from the co-creation

Older adults are generally positive toward public transport and use it regularly, especially buses.
However, usage is often limited by seasonal factors, perceived safety risks, difficulties with route planning, and low confidence in using digital services. Many rely on routines and avoid trips in winter or after dark.
Social connections, purpose-driven trips (e.g. doctor visits, shopping), and the physical accessibility of routes and strops strongly influence their willingness to travel.

Develop the interventions

In the first expert workshop, researchers from the University of Turku’s Department of Psychology and SYKE analyzed and categorized the insights gathered from the earlier co-creation workshops with pensioners. The data was organized thematically, identifying key barriers, enablers, and behavioral patterns related to public transport use. Building on this analysis, we applied the EAST and MINDSPACE frameworks to generate and develop preliminary nudge-based intervention ideas to encourage more frequent and confident use of public transport among seniors living in the Turku region.

Read about utilizing design thinking and service design tools to organize nudges (LINKKI)

Possible ideas for nudges

An intergenerational park trip nudge: Inspired by the co-creation workshops, we brainstormed a nudge intervention that could be built around bringing older adults and young children together for shared park visits. Workshop participants desired more interaction with children, noting that such encounters bring joy and energy to their day. Similarly, children benefit from diverse social interactions, trips to nature and the presence of attentive adults.

The proposed intervention would create a recurring weekly event where local older adults and nearby daycare groups travel together to a park using public transport. The event would be communicated through clear, friendly messaging at bus stops and local community spaces, inviting seniors to join without formal registration or commitment. The language would be welcoming and familiar, using subtle cues like ”Join us for a sunny trip to the park with little friends” to reduce hesitation and create a sense of belonging. This nudge works by tapping into motivation for social interaction and routine behavior. It encourages physical activity and public transport use gently and joyfully without framing it as exercise or obligation.

The predictability and simplicity of the event, along with the emotional reward of intergenerational interaction, can make it a meaningful and sustainable habit. Over time, the shared experience could foster community ties and reduce feelings of isolation while also normalizing the use of public transport for social purposes. If successfully implemented, the park trip can enhance connection, movement, and mutual benefit between generations and, thus, add to well-being.

Föli bus card at a significant life changes-nudge: This nudge idea is based on the observation that significant life changes—such as moving to a new city, becoming widowed, retiring, or giving up a driver’s license—can disrupt existing routines and create a natural opportunity for new habits to form. These transition points offer a valuable opportunity to encourage public transport adoption gently.

The nudge intervention involves mailing a pre-loaded Föli card to individuals who have recently experienced such life changes, accompanied by a warm, empathetic cover letter. The letter welcomes the recipient to their new stage in life, acknowledges their situation, and encourages them to try a nearby bus route, highlighting the freedom and ease it offers. Practical instructions for using the card and where to find the Föli personnel stand are included. The letter may also feature a small incentive, such as a discounted ticket to a local cultural event reachable by bus.

This approach works as a nudge because it reaches individuals at a timely moment of change, lowers the effort required to try something new, and uses an empathetic tone that reinforces social connection and autonomy. The messaging could also include quotes from other seniors to normalize and support the behavior change. Over time, this simple nudge could help foster more confident and regular use of public transport among seniors.

Other nudges for sustainable mobility

Electric bikes as substitute vehicles

An electric bike intervention was carried out in cooperation with a local car repair company. Customers were offered the opportunity to choose an electric bike at no cost instead of a replacement car during maintenance. The objective of the intervention was to capitalize on a critical moment in typical car-use behavior, when one’s own car is unavailable, to encourage trying a new, more sustainable mode of transport. This hands-on experience with e-bikes may influence future mobility decisions and promote more sustainable urban transportation.

When a customer booked service online or by calling the service center, they were asked if they were willing to choose an electric bike. Even though the season was turning into a cool Finnish autumn, the bikes were very popular among customers. When returning the bike, they were given a survey that mapped their experiences using the bike and the respondent’s sustainable mobility practices.

The motives of those who took part in the experiment for getting an electric bike were curiosity about a new form of transport. A large proportion were very satisfied or satisfied with the experience. 88% reported that their willingness to get an electric bike had slightly increased.

The success of the intervention was influenced by the car maintenance company’s genuine interest in cooperation, willingness to try new services, and flexibility to change everyday practices. Before e-bikes, they had regular bicycles available as a substitute means of transportation. The intervention sparked interest among e-bike rental companies, as it provides an opportunity to expand business outside of the normal season.

How nudging mechanisms were used:

Changing the Default (Soft Default-like Framing): Even though the e-bike is not an automatic default, offering it as the first suggested alternative when the personal car is temporarily unavailable mimics a “constructed default.” It simplifies the decision by framing the e-bike as the natural next step.
Simplification and Salience: The intervention reduces friction by making the e-bike easy to access without requiring separate arrangements, payments, or information-seeking. Highlighting the option clearly during the car drop-off increases its salience.
Timely Nudging The intervention is activated during a naturally disruptive moment, when the user brings their car in for service and breaks the routine of car use. This timing increases the likelihood of considering alternative behaviors.
Experiential Nudging Instead of persuading through abstract benefits, the intervention lets the person personally experience e-biking, allowing them to update beliefs based on lived experience. This aligns with both “boosts” and nudges.
Social Influence: The intervention also utilized social influence to some extent: other users riding the e-bikes were visible, and staff mentioned that the bikes were popular and well-liked among those who had chosen to try them. While no formal peer recommendations or testimonials were used, social norms still acted as a reinforcing mechanism.
Organizational Nudging By targeting decision-makers the intervention nudged company leadership by offering a low-risk, opt-in pilot that framed the initiative as a service trial rather than a long-term investment. This reduced resistance and allowed the organization to test the idea with real customers.

Gamified lesson to encourage bus use

A gamified lesson was designed for the 4th grade of elementary school. An interactive bus driving lesson is already organized for the first grade pupils of schools in the Turku area, but frequent revision later is important. The purpose of the gamified lesson is to inspire pupils to use the bus and remember good bus travel practices, as well as teach about basic knowledge on sustainable transportation.

The game is played on school tablets during school environmental education class or another suitable class. The game features a funny outer space character who is taught by a schoolchild. Pupils teach the character the practices for finding a route, buying a ticket, about safety at the bus stop and guide the character to take other passengers into account. By teaching a funny character, they also learn for themselves. We created a gamified lesson using the Seppo.io platform and tested a pilot version of the game with two groups of pupils. After receiving feedback from schoolchildren and teachers, we developed the content of the game and guide for teachers.

By embedding sustainability in a ready-to-use, low-threshold format, the game also acts as a nudge for schools making it easier for teachers to include sustainability topics in their lessons without needing to design new material from scratch.The gamified digital lesson is easy to scale to other areas. If place names appear in the game, they will be changed and a link to the local transport route search will be placed.

How nudging mechanisms were used:

Experiential Learning The game lets pupils learn by teaching a character, an alien visiting Earth, how to use the bus. By guiding the character, they internalize the knowledge themselves. This promotes hands-on, self-reinforcing learning, which aligns with the idea of boosts that strengthen skills and decision-making capacities.
Simplification The game translates abstract, potentially complex practices, like route planning or ticket buying into interactive and child-friendly steps. This reduces cognitive barriers and helps normalize bus use as simple and manageable.
Salience Key behaviors (e.g. safety, etiquette, route-finding) are made memorable through visual storytelling, humor, and a narrative involving a likeable alien. This keeps attention focused on the desired practices and enhances recall.
Social Modeling / Identity-based Learning Pupils act as instructors to the alien character, creating a situation of self-persuasion and role-based learning. When children take on the role of the teacher, they’re more likely to absorb and retain the practices themselves.
Norm Framing The game is embedded in environmental education, framing sustainable mobility as the socially and morally preferable choice. Bus travel becomes part of what “responsible students” do.

Move Green Together challenge

To encourage young people to engage in sustainable mobility, a citywide sustainability challenge Move Green Together was organized targeting all upper secondary students in Turku. The campaign aimed to promote climate-friendly and physically active mobility, such as walking, cycling, and using public transport through a fun, school-based competition. Schools were challenged to implement a public transport app function that allows users to view the carbon footprint of their own mobility and they competed in a friendly race to become the “greenest school of May” based on their total carbon savings.

All upper secondary schools and a vocational school were invited to participate. Communication efforts included ready-made materials for schools, visual content, Instagram storytelling, and active student engagement through student councils and school staff. The challenge was realized via the GreenImpact feature in the local public transport app, which used mobile sensors and AI to detect transport modes and calculate carbon savings.

Feature tracked sustainable trips and CO₂ savings automatically to the school team. The students could individually earn climate coins based on the savings, which could be exchanged for real-life benefits via the app Marketplace.

The feature displayed transport mode shares, CO₂ emissions per mode, total emissions, and school rankings, which were also shared online and on social media. Beyond nudging students, the Move Green Together campaign engaged local businesses through low-barrier invitations that framed participation as easy and meaningful climate action. Companies could sponsor prizes, offer student discounts, or make symbolic pledges tied to student CO₂ savings. Communications highlighted mutual benefits and reputational value. The campaign served as a practical example of layered behavioral intervention, showing how multiple nudging strategies can drive long-term climate-friendly behavior.

How nudging mechanisms were used:

Social Norms & Group Identity By organizing the campaign as a school-based group competition, the intervention leverages peer motivation, group identity, and collective pride. Students could see their school’s ranking and compare it with others.
Gamification & Incentives The use of climate coins, a visible leaderboard, and real-world rewards through the Marketplace creates game-like feedback and motivation. This adds fun and relevance, especially for teens.
Simplification & Friction Reduction Joining the campaign required no manual logging or technical setup: the GreenImpact feature in the existing transportation app detected trips automatically. The pre-made school teams and ready-made materials for teachers minimized cognitive and practical barriers.
Timely Activation The challenge was time-bound, creating a sense of urgency and a clear start and end point. This helps overcome procrastination and signals a social moment for joint action.
Social Proof via Visibility Progress and mode choices were visible in-app, and the campaign used Instagram storytelling and school-level communication, enhancing social visibility and motivation through shared experience.
Self-Tracking & Feedback Loops Students received real-time feedback on their CO₂ savings and transport behavior. This helped make sustainability measurable and linked personal action to environmental impact.

Route search co-creation with seniors and stakeholders

To nudge seniors to use public transport, we organized a workshop where participants learned about digital route search and tried out using it. Turku’s local transport lines were being renewed in a couple of months after the workshop, and it was important to also hear the views of the elderly on the reform. The workshop was also attended by representatives of the public transport company and company responsible for the technical implementation of route search and the public transportation app.

Based on previous research, the elderly are one of the groups with the most positive attitudes towards public transport, and according to a survey conducted in Turku, they are satisfied with the service. However, special attention must be paid to the accessibility of routes and digital services to encourage older people to use public transport. The workshop was organized at the premises of a local association that also has active activities for the elderly.

Goals of the workshop were to enabling encounters between stakeholders’ experts and public transport users to hear feedback and questions. Helping the route planning organization and public transport communication and marketing staff understand the needs of seniors. One goal was to inspire the technical service provider to envision services that support different user groups and encourage and ease adoption of the service.

As a result of the workshop, researchers prepared a recommendation for stakeholders outlining accessibility improvements, opportunities for digital nudging, and tools to gain deeper understanding of seniors’ service needs.

How nudging mechanisms were used:

Peer influence Participants shared experiences about using digital route search and apps.Seeing peers successfully use digital tools helped normalize the behavior and reduced anxiety or resistance. This leverages the social proof principle: “People like me are doing this.”
Active learning and hands-on experience This kind of experiential learning increases confidence and lowers perceived barriers. It’s a classic enablement nudge, where the environment facilitates the desired action.
Salience of digital tools Demonstrating the app and digital ticketing made these services more salient—participants could see their relevance and usefulness. Salience improves memory and decision-making and participants are more likely to recall and use the tools later.
Reflection Participants were invited to reflect on how they or others use digital services. Reflective prompts can lead to self-persuasion, nudging individuals to form positive attitudes towards new behaviors.
Trusted Messengers Representatives from the public transport company and tech provider attended and their presence added legitimacy, built trust, and increased the perceived credibility of the services. Trusted messengers are a subtle but powerful nudge.
Feedback loop for developers Seniors gave feedback directly to service providers and they have more knowledge on designing services for elderly.
Timing Proactively preparing people for the upcoming big change, where lines will change. Participant saw that route search works the same as before, and some improvements to perceive routes is coming. Support for using the service is still available from public transport service points.

Lessons learned from pilot nudges

Experiential learning as boosting Hands-on, scenario-based learning was central to several interventions. Learners engaged by teaching others,trying out digital tools, or experiencing an e-bike firsthand. These actions promoted internalization, built confidence, and enhanced decision-making that empower rather than simply steer behavior.
Simplification and friction reduction Barriers were lowered by making systems intuitive and user-friendly. Pre-set school teams made it easy to join campaigns, and services like e-bike borrowing were framed as defaults during routine disruptions.
Salience and timely activation Making CO₂ calculating feature and route search visible increased relevance and improved recall. Prominent placement of e-bikes and app features made sustainable options stand out when they mattered most.
Organizational nudges Providing ready-made educational materials, inviting trusted messengers, and enabling service feedback created a supportive environment. Decision-makers were nudged via opt-in pilots, making change feel low-risk and trial-based. These nudges demonstrate a holistic and empowering approach combining behavioral science with practical design.
Social influence and norm framing Interventions leveraged group dynamics, peer modeling, and identity cues. School competitions, visible progress, and example of others using tools normalized the behaviors. Children and adults were encouraged to see sustainable transport as aligned with responsible behavior.