User Experience in the

Age of Sustainability

::kem-laurin KRAMER::

Question : How can we engage with users in the quest for more conscious designs?

Question: What does User Experience in the A.O.S look like as a practice?

Manufacturing

Transportation

Usage &/Energy

Consumption

Recycle/ Reuse

Disposal

Product Phases Questions User Research Methodology

Manufacturing a. What materials are the products made of?

b. How were the products extracted?

c. Does the product contain hazardous materials?

d. Was the product manufactures under ethical conditions? – i.e. extraction,

manufacturing process?

Out of scope for User Research but possible through product

research and adds to User Researcher and Designers product

knowledge for understanding product beyond usage.

Transportation a. What is the transportation costs (emissions) associated with the products

production?

b. How is the product packaged?

c. What are the packaging constituents?

d. Are there associated documentation produced as part of the out of box

experience?

e. Are products compactable to lower Transportation emissions and cost?

Ethnography

Surveys

User Sessions

Panels and Forums

Questionnaires & Surveys

Contextual inquiry

Focus Groups

Workshops

End User Interviews

Data collected using these methods can feed into understanding how

to design more efficient systems that focuses on such things as:

1. Product Cube Optimization (making things compact based on

user needs)

2. Dematerialization: Migrating a service – based solution replace

solutions that require product transportation to something that

does not. See Chapter 5 Case Studies.

3. Transmaterialization

4. Informationalization

Product Phases Questions User Research Methodology

Usage and Energy

Consumption a. How much energy is consumed in the production and use of the product?

b. If the product has a user interface – is it efficiently designed from a

sustainability perspective?

c. Does the product engage users in allowing some active management of

energy preservation (user messaging and notifications/ alerts)

d. Does the product provide energy usage management guidance as part of

the out of box experience? For example smart usage guide?

e. What is the performance of the product in market with the user?

f. What are the user’s perceived and real experiences with the product?

g. What is the user’s perception of the ecological value of the product – its

durability?

Ethnography

Surveys

User Sessions

Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research Methods

Cultural Probes and Photo Ethnography

Fly on the Wall Observation

Panels and Forums

Questionnaires and Surveys

Competitor Analysis

Contextual inquiry

Focus Groups (Workshops)

End User Interviews

Recyclability (Reuse and

Dematerialization) a. How long does the product last?

b. Do end users think that the products are durable?

c. If broken, can the user repair the product easily? – i.e. is it serviceable?

d. Can the constituent parts of the product be broken down to create other

products?

e. Can the product life be extended with another appropriated uses

f. Are there alternative service subscription options to the product?

g. Does the product have other hardware product dependencies when

upgraded?

h. Are constituent parts available locally

Ethnography

Surveys

User Sessions

Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research Methods

Cultural Probes and Photo Ethnography

Fly on the Wall Observation

Panels and Forums

Questionnaires and Surveys

Competitor Analysis

Contextual inquiry

Focus Groups (Workshops)

End User Interviews

Product Phases Questions User Research Methodology

Facilities Not covered

Customer Perception a. What is the performance of the company’s products in market with the user?

b. What are the user’s perceived and real experiences with the product?

c. What is the user’s perception of the ecological value of the product – its

durability?

d. And how can the company design solutions and make changes to improve

users’ eco-perception.

Ethnography

Surveys

User Sessions

Qualitative Versus Quantitative Research Methods

Cultural Probes and Photo Ethnography

Fly on the Wall Observation

Panels and Forums

Questionnaires and Surveys

Competitor Analysis

Contextual inquiry

Focus Groups (Workshops)

End User Interviews

Question : How can we integrate what we learn from users in the design and development life-cycle?

Awareness of

Our World

Laddering Panty Hose Text Book Case of Planned Obsolescence

Approach to Design

Nature (Our World)

Knows Best

(Biomimicry)

Biomimicry is the practice

of emulating nature’s

patterns and strategies to

direct product design,

processes, and policies,

and draws its inspiration

from the living world.

14,000 setae

From Stomata of living plant To living breathing building

Approaches to Sustainability

• Biomimicry

• Natural Capitalism

• Total Beauty

• Life – Cycle analysis (LCA)

• C2C/ C2G

• SROI

• Sustainability Helix

• Natural Step

• ISO 14000

• GRI

• LEED (Developed by Green Building Council)

What does that mean?

Durability & Prolonged

Product Life

Design for

Service (DfS)

Dematerialization

SaaS

Universal Design

Did you know?

• There are between 300-400 million electronic items thrown out per

• Less than 20% of that e-waste is recycled.

• E-waste represents 2% of America's trash in landfills, but it equals

70% of overall toxic waste.

• Because computer processing power doubles roughly every two

years, old computers are thrown out.

• Only 15% recycle their computers, which means the other 85% ends

up in landfills.

• It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of

PCs ever find their way to a second user.

• About 50 millions cell phones are replaced worldwide a month, and

only 10% are recycled.

• If a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions

equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year.

Software and Product

Phases [SDLC] and

PDLC

Referential

Sustainability

Framework

Sustainability Goals and

Strategies

[SDLC] Project planning &

Feasibility Study

[PDLC] Ideation

Cradle – to Cradle

Biomimicry

Natural Capitalism

Sustainability Helix*

Design for Efficiency

Transmaterialization

Interoperability

Localizations

Informationalization

Interoperability (Think Systemically vs.

Systematically)

[SDLC] Systems Analysis and

Requirements Definition

[PDLC] Conceptualization

Cradle – to Cradle

Biomimicry

Natural Capitalism

Sustainability Helix*

Design for Efficiency

Transmaterialization

Interoperability (Think Systemically vs.

Systematically)

Localizations

Informationalization

[SDLC] Systems Design

[PDLC] Design and Development

Prototyping

(may be virtual Proof of Concept)

and Iterative before actual design

Biomimicry

Total Beauty

Natural Step

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Cradle-to-Cradle

SROI*

Design for Use

Dematerialization

Material Substitution

Design for Efficiency

Transmaterialization

Interoperability (fit in)

Design for Disassembly

Design for Serviceability

Localizations

Informationalization

Design for Durability

Avoid Planned Obsolescence

Design for Reuse

Design for Effectiveness

Design for all (Universal Access)

Design for Safety

Design for Aesthetics

[SDLC] Implementation

[PDLC] Design

Biomimicry

Total Beauty

Natural Step

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Cradle-to-Cradle

SROI*

Design for Use

Dematerialization

Material Substitution

Design for Efficiency

Transmaterialization

Interoperability

Localizations

Informationalization

Design for Durability

Design for Disassembly

Design for Serviceability

Avoid Planned Obsolescence

Design for Reuse

Design for Effectiveness

Design for all (Universal Access)

Design for Safety

Design for Aesthetics (users keep

beautiful things)

[SDLC] Integration and Testing

[PDLC] Testing

LCA (Life Cycle Analysis

SROI (Social Return on Investment)*

Cradle-to-Cradle

Total Beauty

(All of these frameworks can be used

as testing options for determining

the product’s sustainability

performance)

Design for Durability

Design for Reuse

Design for Effectiveness

Close the Loop on Design

Design for Disassembly

[SDLC] Acceptance, Installation, Deployment

[PDLC] Marketing

LCA (Life Cycle Analysis

SROI (Social Return on Investment)*

Design for Reuse

Design for Users – ensure users know what

they are buying, how to recycle (out of box

information)

Design for Recyclability (take back programs,

compostable, recycle)

Question: How do

we balance out the

seemingly conflicting

ideals of sustainable

design practices?

Question: How will

you begin to embrace,

advocate and

strategize for more

sustainable design

practices in your role?

Transparency

Monitoring

Reporting

Track and Manage Packaging Sustainability Ratings

Proactively find ways to improve package scores

Find more sustainable packaging material suppliers and service providers

Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs)

Clean Electricity Plan

Products Cleanup/ eliminating hazardous substances

Take-back and recycle products responsibly once obsolete

Use of unsustainable materials in products and packaging

Reporting Framework

Principles & Guidance

Reporting Protocols

Sector s& Supplements

What to Report

How to Report

Question: What are

three (3) things that

you plan to change as

you return to your job/

role to meet this end?

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Consultancy | www.sakaasolutions.com