An integrated persuasive design framework based on Maqasid al-Shari’ah for municipal solid waste disposal

Abstract

Effective Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal is crucial for environmental sustainability and public health. As waste is segregated at source, the success of the Malaysian waste management practices such as reduce, reuse and recycle largely depends on the active participation of households. However, most Malaysians are unaware of the significance of appropriate cleaning and waste disposal, and their role as Khalifah to care for and preserve the environment. Within the domain of sustainable Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), persuasive technology (PT) has emerged as a promising approach to encourage green practices. In order to assist designers in designing persuasive application, Persuasive System Design (PSD), a framework described the process of designing and evaluating a persuasive system was introduced. The framework also enlisted four categories of persuasive design principles such as primary task support, dialogue support, system credibility support and social support. However, one of the major limitations of the framework is lack of spiritual and religious values that could influence and guide human behavior. As Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country and is largely influenced by religious values, we believe that integrating Maqasid al-Shari’ah can enhance the persuasive power of technology-driven interventions Maqasid al-Shari’ah refers to the higher objectives of Islamic law, providing a value-based approach to influencing behavior through ethical, social, and environmental principles. By integrating persuasive design strategies with these principles, the framework encourages responsible waste disposal behaviors among individuals and communities. Therefore, this study presents the development of an integrated persuasive design framework that integrates PSD principles with Maqasid al-Shari’ah to promote environmentally friendly waste disposal behaviors. The research begins by investigating community awareness of MSW disposal based on Maqasid al-Shari’ah and identifying barriers to sustainable waste management practices. Afterwards, end-users' perspectives on effective persuasive design principles based on the Persuasive System Design (PSD) framework were identified through in-depth interviews. Additionally, the principles guiding sustainable waste management practices within the framework of Maqasid al-Shari’ah were examined using qualitative content analysis and an inductive approach. The output has been used to propose a new integrated framework, which was later validated by expert review using Fuzzy Delphi Analysis. Based on the validated framework, a persuasive application Tahara was designed and evaluated through a case study involving eleven Malaysians. This finding proves that the persuasive application designed and developed based on PSD approach integrated with Maqasid al-Shari’ah, is effective and successfully motivating desired behaviour change among Malaysian. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers, designers, and environmental agencies in developing culturally and religiously aligned persuasive interventions for sustainable waste management.