Comments on: User Experience in the Age of Sustainability

By: rick beacham

rick beacham — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:57:56 +0000

Hmmmm, well it seems that apple have not embraced these ideas. Look at how they design their cell phones and imacs can anyone service these products? When your iPhone dies or breaks does apple make it easy to fix? No. IPhones are designed to be thrown away in two years. I think hardware design at it core levels need a complete re design. Also consumers should be more aware of what they buy and how long it will last. Maybe buy high end products instead of low end products that don’t last. Too many consumers buy low end products they think about their short term usage instead of long term usage.
PS I have Mac book from 2007 that still works great and that is why I bought it.

By: kem laurin lubin

kem laurin lubin — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:51:00 +0000

Adrian,
Thank you for your comments. I think for the most part, as many of us do not see the immediate cause and effect of our design decisions it is easy to discard it as not our present concern or just green wash to be rid of the problem. We are the only species that creates such an abundance of waste and have yet not figured out how to close the loop on some of our bad design decisions. We have not began to actively address in many ways a proactive approach to good design as we are still grappling with reactive approach to fixing the bad designs that we have created. A time will come soon as we have traction and momentum building compared to 10 years ago.
Also, we, as consumers, are also part of the market forces/ state apparatuses that in this Althusserian fashion, are goaded into believing such market fabrications that we always need newer models of everything. Some of the questions I have asked in the book for designers of all shades include such things as:
1. How much energy is consumed in the production and use of the product?
2. If the product has a user interface – is it efficiently designed from a sustainability perspective?
3. How were the constituent parts sourced?
4. Can we empower end users to service product as opposed to buying new ones?
5. Does the product engage users in allowing some active management of energy preservation (user messaging and notifications/ alerts)
6. Does the product provide energy usage management guidance as part of the out of box experience? For example smart usage guide?
7. What is the performance of the product in market with the user?
8. What are the user’s perceived and real experiences with the product?
9. What is the user’s perception of the ecological value of the product – its durability?
10. What are some of the ways we can close the loop on a design to ensure minimal amount of waste?
11. Can we extend the life of a product after its utility has expired in one form?

Product Design and Engineering combined are a key part of the general problem, and whilst a clueless child of the Markets we do stand a chance to correct the path and make wiser design decision. To use the cliche “For the greater good” is too idealistic. But we should aspire to design better when we know better and we do.

By: Adrian Chan

Adrian Chan — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:24:44 +0000

Thanks for covering this. It’s an immensely important topic. The good news is that many of us have embraced sustainability. We get that the planet has limited resources; we get that progress is not linear; we get that less can be more.

So in terms of values, the ecological movement now 40 years old has largely done its job.

So well, in fact, that if anything we are at risk of corporate green-washing. Co-optation of the real critique by commercial enterprise — and further production and sale of goods and services packaged as eco-friendly.

I’m of the mind that market forces, more than anything, will result in real change. The consumer can affect market demand by demanding green. The designer can affect manufacture and marketing by speaking green. But ultimately, bottom-line costs and top-line revenues will be the true constraint on resource exhaustion and waste.

I don’t know if or how design talks to market supply and demand. If anything, our design successes have only stoked the desires of tens of millions worldwide yet to enjoy the comforts of the middle class. The question points to a bigger issue, and that is: does design offer a critique of the means of its own production — the production of product?

Presently, I’d say no, it doesn’t. But perhaps it should.

By: kem laurin lubin

kem laurin lubin — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:11:42 +0000

Thanks for sharing this link.Hopefully readers will take the initiative to become engaged in this evolving and significant topic.

By: Randall Blair

Randall Blair — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 18:43:42 +0000

Want to put this into practice? 2-4 November people all over the world are coming together to devote a weekend focused on sustainability. It’s the Global Sustainability Jam! Find a location near you and jam with us!

http://www.globalsustainabilityjam.org/