Activating sustainability in the design process

Design principles for sustainable innovation

Our environment faces significant challenges – pollution, climate change, and resource scarcity. Despite increasing awareness of sustainability, actions to address the environmental crisis remain largely inadequate.

At Ergosign, we recognize the urgency to act and are committed to contributing to the solution of these global challenges as a collective of designers and developers. Therefore, an internal team of colleagues was assembled to evaluate these challenges from a UX and development perspective. We aim to understand the environmental impact of our work so that we can develop innovative solutions for our clients.

The result are the six design principles for integrating sustainability throughout the entire design process. These principles ensure that ecological and social impacts are considered from the outset. In addition to promoting sustainability awareness within our company, the six principles also serve as a guide for other companies seeking more environmentally friendly design solutions.

Principle 1: Shift to systems-centricity

The first principle is about recognizing the multidimensional impacts of digital products on society and the environment. Methods like the system-centric design canvas make these impacts visible.

Principle 2: Build to last

The second principle emphasizes the importance of designing products that remain relevant in the long term and reduce electronic waste. Methods like holistic future wheels help anticipate long-term consequences.

Principle 3: Reduce digital waste 

Principle three aims to minimize the resource consumption of digital products. Sustainable web design practices reduce the carbon footprint through decreased data usage.

Principle 4: Empower all users 

The focus of the fourth principle is to design products that are accessible to all users, aiming to eliminate biases and empower marginalized communities.

Principle 5: Enable sustainable behaviors 

Principle 5 promotes positive behavior changes through targeted design strategies. Thus, sustainable innovation should occur not only at the product level but also at the behavioral level. It involves creating products that support sustainable behavior and encourage users to make environmentally friendly decisions.

Principle 6: Act collaboratively and individually 

The sixth principle highlights that collective problem solving and individual responsibility are crucial for successful systemic change. It emphasizes that each individual should take responsibility and actively contribute to change.

Embedding the principles in the design process 

The principles can be applied in various phases of the design process, from early planning to implementation.

In conclusion, the importance of UX design in promoting sustainability goals is steadily increasing. The six principles illustrate the impact of design decisions and raise awareness of human and non-human needs. Moreover, their flexible application can measurably reduce emissions and resource consumption. Future research will further evaluate the effectiveness of these principles.

Would you like to dive deeper into the empirical methodology of our design principles for sustainable innovation? Are you interested in the associated heuristics, supportive methods, and case studies? Then follow us on our social media channels. There, you will always stay up to date and receive regular updates on our six design principles.

Our empirical paper is now available here.

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