Comments on: Welcome in the Age of Green http://johnnyholland.org/2009/11/welcome-in-the-age-of-green/ It's all about interaction Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:38:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Damon http://johnnyholland.org/2009/11/welcome-in-the-age-of-green/#comment-109662 Damon Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:09:20 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=4357#comment-109662 I don't think that "green design" as you describe it here is really something that interaction designers will ever own or really contribute to. In the world of digital products, the itneraction layer is becoming more and more separate from the physical layer, which is really the only place where meaningful greening takes place. In physical interactions (ATMs, Electronic Devices) the role of the interaction designer very rarely includes any mandate to work towards sustainable overal design. That's the role of the industrial designer. Trying to take that on from an IxD point of view would be seen as wasteful to most organizations who already have specialists for that task if they care to pursue the green concept. The third tract, that is communicating the value of green, is already becoming commoditized anyway, and it's not really something interaction designers do anyway, more often being the duty of visual designers (when visual elements need green identity themes) and marketers (who's job it is to communicate product value through a direct channel). I like the idea being kicked around here, but I don't think it is the next step in the world of interaction design. If so, we're already behind the curve. I also fail to see how this has anything to do, funamentally, with interactions (aside from imparting a vague sense that the product being used is not bad for the environment). We're all passionate about certain issues, we all have our pet imperatives, green evolution being a potentially large one, but that doesn't mean we can inject it into our work and pretend that we somehow own the concept or that the concept is really part of our job. If we think that education needs to change, our job isn't to highlight the value of education in every interaction we design. If we think that we need fiscal discipline on a national level, our job isn't to engage the user of our products with the value of understanding debt and fiscal liability. So to sum up, I appreciate the thought, might even agree on the value of green in general, but fail to see how this is a realistic next-step in our field. It seems like an ancilary concern, and not something that can really help define or change our practice. Just my thoughts. I don’t think that “green design” as you describe it here is really something that interaction designers will ever own or really contribute to. In the world of digital products, the itneraction layer is becoming more and more separate from the physical layer, which is really the only place where meaningful greening takes place. In physical interactions (ATMs, Electronic Devices) the role of the interaction designer very rarely includes any mandate to work towards sustainable overal design. That’s the role of the industrial designer. Trying to take that on from an IxD point of view would be seen as wasteful to most organizations who already have specialists for that task if they care to pursue the green concept. The third tract, that is communicating the value of green, is already becoming commoditized anyway, and it’s not really something interaction designers do anyway, more often being the duty of visual designers (when visual elements need green identity themes) and marketers (who’s job it is to communicate product value through a direct channel).

I like the idea being kicked around here, but I don’t think it is the next step in the world of interaction design. If so, we’re already behind the curve. I also fail to see how this has anything to do, funamentally, with interactions (aside from imparting a vague sense that the product being used is not bad for the environment). We’re all passionate about certain issues, we all have our pet imperatives, green evolution being a potentially large one, but that doesn’t mean we can inject it into our work and pretend that we somehow own the concept or that the concept is really part of our job. If we think that education needs to change, our job isn’t to highlight the value of education in every interaction we design. If we think that we need fiscal discipline on a national level, our job isn’t to engage the user of our products with the value of understanding debt and fiscal liability.

So to sum up, I appreciate the thought, might even agree on the value of green in general, but fail to see how this is a realistic next-step in our field. It seems like an ancilary concern, and not something that can really help define or change our practice.

Just my thoughts.

]]> By: Dorian Taylor http://johnnyholland.org/2009/11/welcome-in-the-age-of-green/#comment-109661 Dorian Taylor Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:33:59 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=4357#comment-109661 I think what we'll find in the not-too-distant future is the <em>green</em> concept mixing into just the way things are done, sans adjective. Design that is green, sustainable, forever ongoing and in harmony with the planet is a theme we can observe in many cultures over millennia, but it would not permit the scale we've managed to achieve in the West in the last 500 or so years. Indeed, we have managed to create a space in which we could ignore what was essentially intuition and folk wisdom in favour of empirically-observable phenomena. That we are once again interested in so-called <em>sustainability</em> reflects in part our crowding, but also our capacity to model the entire system, making it difficult not to empathize. I think what we’ll find in the not-too-distant future is the green concept mixing into just the way things are done, sans adjective.

Design that is green, sustainable, forever ongoing and in harmony with the planet is a theme we can observe in many cultures over millennia, but it would not permit the scale we’ve managed to achieve in the West in the last 500 or so years.

Indeed, we have managed to create a space in which we could ignore what was essentially intuition and folk wisdom in favour of empirically-observable phenomena. That we are once again interested in so-called sustainability reflects in part our crowding, but also our capacity to model the entire system, making it difficult not to empathize.

]]> By: Twitted by conradlisco http://johnnyholland.org/2009/11/welcome-in-the-age-of-green/#comment-109660 Twitted by conradlisco Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=4357#comment-109660 [...] This post was Twitted by conradlisco [...] [...] This post was Twitted by conradlisco [...]

]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://johnnyholland.org/2009/11/welcome-in-the-age-of-green/#comment-109659 uberVU - social comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:12:16 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=4357#comment-109659 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by johnnyholland: New on JH Magazine: Welcome in the Age of Green http://is.gd/4Wbc0... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by johnnyholland: New on JH Magazine: Welcome in the Age of Green http://is.gd/4Wbc0...

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