Press release
Dominik Kreutzadler (v.l.), Delaila Pohl, Anna Bischofberger, Pia Wallemann und Kim Schäfer wollen mit ihrem Projekt erreichen, dass mehr Menschen die Treppen und nicht den Aufzug nehmen.
Image source:
RWU, Caroline Kolb
Weingarten - Five students from Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (RWU) applied stickers to the steps of the Marienplatzgarage in Ravensburg on Monday, June 1. "Stairs today, stronger tomorrow." "Every step counts." "Take the stairs - your body will thank you!" These are some of the slogans on the cyan and purple stickers. They also inform readers that they burn eleven calories by climbing a single step.
"We want to encourage people to use the stairs"
The campaign is part of a research project that the health economics students are carrying out in their project management course with deputy professor Lukas Bruns. "We want to encourage people to use the stairs and at the same time show them why it's better for them," says student Pia Wallemann.
The concept behind the project is called "nudging". The students had the topic in their marketing lecture. "Nudging is about steering people in a certain direction with little nudges without manipulating them too much," explains Lukas Bruns.
The "staircase project" came about by chance as a result of this idea. The motivational slogans will remain on the steps of the parking garage in Ravensburg city center for at least six weeks.
Climbing stairs for the body and the environment
In addition to the health benefits of climbing stairs, the health economics students are also concerned with the environmental aspect of the campaign. "Lifts consume a lot of electricity. We think you can simply save more electricity at this point," says Kim Schäfer.
The students carried out several observations and surveys in the multi-storey parking lot beforehand. They found that around half of the people they observed opted for the elevator instead of the stairs when leaving the parking lot.
After the installation, the group will carry out further observations to determine the success of the project. "Of course, we hope that our stickers will encourage more people to choose the stairs," says Delaila Pohl.
Text: Caroline Kolb