Transcript: Sustainable design in the tech sector - our moral responsibility to future generations

Curtin University (logo)

Emerald Publishing (logo)

Presentation title: Sustainable Design

Presenter information: Tomayess Issa, Senior Lecturer, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

Sustainable Development

According to the United National Global Commission on the Environment and Development’s 1987 Brundtland Report, Sustainable Development: “is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the subject of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Murugesan, 2008 p.4)

Green IT (GIT)

Can enable organisations to tackle the challenges of climate change by providing:

  • Opportunities to think differently and find new ways in which to create capacity for innovation
  • Create low-cost platforms for growth and minimise compliance costs and risks
  • Involves the entire eco-system of an organisation and offers both technology and business innovations that reduce carbon emissions by working more intelligently

Look how far we have come in just 4 years:

Internet users:

  • 2019: 4.29 billion
  • 2020: 4.54 billion
  • 2021: 4.66 billion
  • 2022: 4.95 billion

Internet usage:

  • 2019: 6 to 7 hours a day
  • 2020: 7 to 8 hours a day
  • 2021: 8 to 9 hours a day
  • 2022: 9 to 10 hours a day

Total websites:

  • 2019: 1.87 billion
  • 2020: 1.88 billion
  • 2021: 1.90 billion
  • 2022: 1.92 billion

Page load time:

  • 2019: 1.7 seconds
  • 2020: 1.8 seconds
  • 2021: 1.9 seconds
  • 2022: 2 seconds

Social networking:

  • 2019: 2.77 billion
  • 2020: 3.80 billion
  • 2021: 3.96 billion
  • 2022: 4.62 billion

Current problems

[diagram showing six overlapping circles, labelled:]

  • Global warming
  • Climate change
  • Water pollution
  • Energy
  • Unsustainable design
  • Lifespan of devices

 

Solution: Sustainable Design – How?

Human Computer Interaction and Designers

DiSalvo et al. (2010) confirm that HCI researchers and top management should be encouraged to collaborate in the design and development of applications, interfaces, equipment and services with more sustainable effects; in addition, the design should comply with the principles of economics, social and ecological sustainability.

Sustainable Design

  • Will be the way to make our world better
  • We need to have the right motivation, awareness, knowledge, commitment, trust and loyalty.
  • People need to act quickly to think about good and sustainable design by adopting sustainability in their business strategy in order to save raw materials for the next generation.

Sustainable design – urgent call to action

This urgent call is essential to raise designers’ and HCI experts’ awareness regarding their moral responsibility toward sustainable development for a sustainable future.

The New Participative Methodology for Sustainable Design

New model for:

The major stages and steps of the New Participative Methodology for Sustainable Design are

[diagram showing 7 overlapping circles, labelled:]

  • Usability Evaluation (SA0)
  • Functionality Testing (SA1)
  • Planning (SA2)
  • Analysis (SA3)
  • Design (SA4)
  • Implementation (SA5)
  • Maintenance (SA6)

[Mindmap style diagram showing]

  • Usability goals, HCI, Navigation, Prototyping and Sustainability feeding into Design
  • Usability elements:
    • Effective
    • Utility
    • Easy to remember
    • Easy to evaluate
    • Efficient
    • Safe
    • Easy to learn
    • Easy to use
  • HCI elements:
    • Job satisfaction
    • Practical
    • Usable
    • Extra techniques, text style, fonts, layout, graphics and color
    • Visible
  • Navigation elements:
    • Size
    • Layout
    • Link
    • Navigational Structire for the hypermedia
    • Application
  • Prototyping elements:
    • Low-fidelity
    • High-fidelity
  • Sustainable elements:
    • Efficiency
    • Social
    • Design
    • Manufacture and Energy
    • Recycle
    • Safety

Human beings have been responsible for most of the damage done to the natural environment. The problems created by humans must be tackled immediately and effectively do that the seventh generation can enjoy the same lifestyle as we do.

There is no Plan B for the Earth, therefore we have to take care of it. We need to act swiftly to eliminate current and future problems," (Tomayess Issa 2022)

References

  • DiSalvo, C. Sengers, P., & Hronn Brynjarsdottir, P. (2010). Mapping the Landscape of Sustainable HCI. Paper presented at the CHI 2010, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • Issa, T., Dictionary of Ecological Economics Haddad, N., Solomon, B., (2023) Edward Elgar
  • Issa, T., & Isaias, P. (2022). Sustainable Design: HCI, Usability and Environmental Concerns. London UK: Springer-Verlag London.
  • Murugesan, S. (2008). Harnessing green IT: Principles and practices. IT professional, 10(1), 24-33.
  • Nathan, L., Belvis, E., Friedman, B., Hasbrouck, J., & Sengers, P. (2008). Beyond the Hype: Sustainability and HCI. Paper presented at the CHI 2008, Italy.
  • Sdrolia, E., & Zarotiadis, G. (2019). A comprehensive review for green product term: From definition to evaluation. Journal of Economic Surveys, 33(1), 150-178.
  • Silberman, M.S., & Tomlinson, B. (2010) Toward and Ecological Sensibility: Tools for Evaluating Sustainable HCI. Paper presented at the CHI 2010, Atlanta, GA, USA.
  • Smith, P., & Sharicz, C. (2011). The shift needed for Sustainability The Learning Organization, 18(1), 73-86.