Smartphones have become our daily companions by delivering the news, connecting us to our friends and helping to organise our schedules. Why not using the devices to improve our way of living in ecological terms, too?

Screen of Raureif’s Timm Kekeritz, speaker at the Global Sustainability Jam Berlin The Berlin-based design consultancy Raureif developed ‘EcoChallenge’, an application for a more sustainable lifestyle. As part of the ‘EcoViz’ research programme at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam the iPhone app helps people to change their daily behaviours through little playful challenges, accompanied by eye-opening infographics and interactive calculators. The app adds a social component by allowing users to compete with their friends through Facebook.

Raureif’s Timm Kekeritz will talk on Saturday noon about the mechanics of the app, the process of creating it and the lessons learned. Timm is an interaction designer, software expert and simplicity enthusiast from Berlin. He holds a degree in Interface Design from the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam and – prior to founding his own business – worked for the international design firm IDEO in their San Francisco, Palo Alto and Munich offices.

Besides the ‘EcoChallenge’ app, Timm created the ‘Virtual Water Project’, a poster and application visualising the amount of water consumed in the production of everyday food products.

To discover the ‘EcoChallenge’ app en detail just visit its dedicated website, download it from Apple’s AppStore or have a look at this walkthrough video: