iPads and the paperless office: The impact of tablet devices on paper consumption in higher education

Abstract

The idea of the paperless office was foreseen almost forty years ago, but even with the growing ubiquity of PC technologies the paperless office has not yet become a reality. However new tablet devices, such as the Apple iPad offer the potential to make this prediction come true. This is particularly relevant for higher education establishments who are traditionally heavy users of paper, which forms a large part of their carbon footprint. One of the strategies to reduce paper consumption has been to promote the use of tablets. This paper reports on an exploratory study that examines the use of tablet devices to determine whether they can make a significant impact on paper consumption and the reasons behind that impact, by interviewing academic staff who regularly use Apple iPads. It was found that though tablets do reduce paper consumption, they have not yet made the paperless office a reality. Tablets have affordances that enable the reduction of paper consumption to a greater extent than other digital technologies, but their limitations caused participants to resort to paper for many tasks, which meant that devices were not used to their full potential. This research provides guidelines for organisations planning to adopt tablets on how to address their limitations, for example by providing training, to ensure that the use of tablets maximises paper reduction.

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