How can UX designers influence the generations to choose sustainably? How can we make 'going green' a trend? Just because we work in the digital industry and might not have direct connections to the manufacture of the physical product or management of a service, doesn't mean we can influence the supply chain, stakeholders and majorly our Users to choose/ act consciously.
This article was inspired by a panel discussion I attended by a Zalando UX designer Cecilie Falk organised by SDD Berlin.
One can strive towards sustainability by contributing towards well being of people and the environment. A designer should not only try to achieve the best user experience but also consciously design for the welfare of the user. One such scenario appeared when we were designing an application for a food industry, where a user could order their coffee and collect it with a minimum contact due to ongoing pandemic. During the ideation process, we stumbled upon a concept - 'Should the user be communicated about the amount of caffeine he/she/ze has consumed'. Since too much caffeine could lead to dietary imbalance. Similarly, does any fast-food giant boldly inform you of the calories you would consume? Do any food delivery companies communicate the waste generated/ CO2 footprint per order? Isn't that bad for business? What the panel discussion clearly pointed out was that the efforts put towards encouraging sustainable behaviours need not align with the financial strategy of the company. The success of your solution is not defined by the increase in orders but a whole new level of the positive impact you create as a mindful company.
Why is it important? As we are clearly moving closer towards a completely digitalized lifestyle and consumption is going to be driven by digital experiences, us as UX designers have the potential to influence the consumption behaviour, to be more sustainable. The efforts are already being made, when an option is given to select "I do not need cutlery" on food orders, and when a retail chain like Zalando tries to rate an article of clothing based on the material used, water consumed, chemicals applied. Every small step is towards a better future.
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