The most recent MEX in May 2011 saw an insightful presentation from Simon East, CEO of DriveGain, on designing mobile experiences for sustainable living. I was interested to see DriveGain is now working with Fuelless, a Dutch government-backed initiative led by the Institute of Sustainable Mobility, to power an iPhone app for reducing fuel consumption.

DriveGain’s technology taps into a number of the iPhone’s sensors, including GPS and motion sensing, to monitor how users are driving and provide real-time visual feedback to improve their efficiency. Simon’s MEX session focused on the challenge of conveying this information to drivers without distraction and the psychology of users’ attitudes to technology and sustainability. It was part of a wider Pathway #7 focus entitled: ‘Express sustainable values in user experience‘.

Fuelless and DriveGain are available for free in the App Store and provide an excellent case study example of how mobile devices and wireless networks could help us live more sustainably.