Sustainable UX – Old wine in new bottles?

Consumers increasingly demand sustainable products and services. But what does this actually mean? Many people mainly associate the term sustainability with ecological aspects including less production and consumption, an effective use of materials and energy or environmentally sound material cycles. But while the ecological aspect is important and also the most common perspective, it is not the only facet of sustainability.

So much for the theory. But what does that mean in practice? Our research project WiMi-Care exemplifies the implications. Together with our partners, we examined the use of service robots in health care. The core question to be answered: How can service robots support nursing care staff in their work? But for a successful and socially viable use, further aspects had to be considered, too: How do usability and interaction have to be designed so that carers do not feel obsolete in view of the robots but can devote more time to core tasks? Or: How do you design respectful interaction between robots and people in need of care that fosters participation and autonomy while protecting their privacy?

Conclusion

From a business point of view, UUX has been paying into the aspect of sustainability for years. However, UUX doesn't necessarily provide meaningful products and technologies for the environment and society. Sustainable UX only results in a win-win-win situation for the economy, environment and society when companies not only consider aspects of efficiency but also take possible negative effects on individuals, the society or the environment into account right from the start of the development process.Designers can and should assume responsibility by asking the right questions when developing new technologies, products and services, raising awareness for efficiency, sustainability, values and added value for society.