Designing for a Sustainable World

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UPA - World Usability DayTitle: Designing for a Sustainable World

Author: Timothy AllanKeywords: Life Cycle Thinking, Sustainable Design, Locus Research

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1.2.3.4.5.

CompanyThink about your product life cycle and the serviceIt provides

Product

Scope Customer

Understand your companyand how it relates to sustainability

What should the scope of my project be?

How do people interface andaffect your product life cycle?

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companyIt is important to understand how your company thinks about sustainability before starting a 'green' or sustainable design programme. If there is no structure within the company it may make more sense to undertake this as your first step.

There is less complexity in reviewing your company and operation as it is directly under your control. This information is important to communicate to a designer, as they should understand the context of sustainability within your enterprise.

ProductOnly by looking at the life cycle of your product or service can you truly understand and evaluate its environmental impact.

Understanding the life cycle can yield important information. It can provide insight into both problems and opportunities which can improve design briefing and product development.

ScopeImproving the environmental factors related to a product require change.

Each new idea will have a different profile from eco-efficiency to eco-effectiveness.

The scope may range from just benchmarking the product to a product system level of innovation that requires greater change.

customerConsumers have a profound impact on your product. From purchasing choices to how they use the product over its lifespan (and what they do at the end of life).

Sustainability is becoming a mandatory factor in some consumer markets, whilst in others it is just a minor consideration. Understanding the market trends and consumer behavior can improve the environmental effectiveness of the product and improve product design.

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Actions: How is sustainability incorporated into your companies actions, does the action match the rhetoric?

Policy: Have you got an Environmental Policy or a stated position on sustainability that is publicly available to internal and external stakeholders?

CommunicationHow do you communicate sustainability to your

consumers.

Sustainable

Design &

Innovation

How do environmental

and social trends affect

your business context, do

you maximise the

opportunity to generate

HHcoc

sussussconncon

ableblable

CultureHow does

sustainability relate to

the organisations

values? are

responsibilities

defined?

o

Implementation

& Integration

How have you

embedded

environmental

considerations in your

companies processes?

Supply Chain: Are you aware of your suppliers environmental performance? Do you track the source of your raw materials?

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Scopecompany Products Consumer

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Actions: How is sustainability incorporated into your companies actions, does the action match the rhetoric?

Policy: Have you got an Environmental Policy or a stated position on sustainability that is publicly available to internal and external stakeholders?

CommunicationHow do you communicate sustainability to your

consumers.

Sustainable

Design &

Innovation

How do environmental

and social trends affect

your business context, do

you maximise the

opportunity to generate

HHcoc

sussussconncon

ableblable

CultureHow does

sustainability relate to

the organisations

values? are

responsibilities

defined?

o

Implementation

& Integration

How have you

embedded

environmental

considerations in your

companies processes?

Supply Chain: Are you aware of your suppliers environmental performance? Do you track the source of your raw materials?

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Product Life CycleDocument the life cycle of your product/service include inputs, outputs and life cycle stages.

Problems & Opportunities document the problems and opportunities related to your product life cycle.

Key Environmental

Product Indicators

(KEPI) identify the

most important

product environmental

issues or indicators,

and define the targets

measures

Supply Chain document the supply chain of your product from manufacture through to end consumer.

Competitors Assess your products environmental performance against leading products and brands

ss

Benchmarking Research existing product/as life cycle and an a lyse the environmental impact to create a benchmark.

tputstpp tges.gegess.Compliance

What standards existing in leading

markets can you use

to assist improving the

environmental impact

of your product.

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thrconcono

Core Function

Describe the service

your product delivers

and think about all the

things that contribute

to this over its life.

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locusresearch




Product Life CycleDocument the life cycle of your product/service include inputs, outputs and life cycle stages.

Problems & Opportunities document the problems and opportunities related to your product life cycle.

Key Environmental

Product Indicators

(KEPI) identify the

most important

product environmental

issues or indicators,

and define the targets

measures

Supply Chain document the supply chain of your product from manufacture through to end consumer.

Competitors Assess your products environmental performance against leading products and brands

s s

Benchmarking Research existing product/s life cycle and analyse the environmental impact to create a benchmark.

tputstpp tges.gegess.Compliance

What standards existing in leading

markets can you use

to assist improving the

environmental impact

of your product.

ppininnann

thrconcono

Core Function

Describe the service

your product delivers

and think about all the

things that contribute

to this over its life.

oduct life od t i

ceces snggnuug g acac

oduct life oduct lifedu t i e

e eesg g guse usseg thee g theethect t cc

locusresearch




InteractionDefine the customers and users against your product life cycle. Define their role.

Key customer groupsFrom your interactions define who the most important customers are.areea e

Do your

customers

understand

Are you

communicating the

impact Of your

products in a way your

customers

Communication

How do you

communicate your

companies

sustainability

issues/solutions to

your consumers?

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ur rr

to too??

Market PositionWhat environmental issues are important to your market and consumers?

Forecast Look at the medium term trends (2-3) in your market and changes in your consumers.

Supply chainWhere do your products come from? and how can you communicate

this to your consumers?

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locusresearch




InteractionDefine the customers and users against your product life cycle. Define their role.

Key customer groupsFrom your interactions define who the most important customers are.areea e

Do your

customers

understand

Are you

communicating the

impact Of your

products in a way your

consumers

Communication

How do you

communicate your

companies

sustainability

issues/solutions to

your consumers?

IIDDDcuuccuseeusuproproprDefiDefiDe

ur rr

to too??

Market PositionWhat environmental issues are important to your market and consumers?

Forecast Look at the medium term trends (2-3) in your market and changes in your consumers.

Supply chainWhere do your products come from? and how can you communicate

this to your consumers?

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aaaeee

d dyouurry uurryooucle. cleee.e

an ann

Compan Products

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ScopeConsumer

Product System

Innovation

Creating a new

product service

system or life

cycle concept that

is eco-effective.New Product

Development

Developing new

products to

resolve persistent

environmental

problems

Existing Product

Improvement

Making changes

to the product

materials to

improve

eco-efficiency

II

ComplianceUsing legislation such as WEE, RoHS and REACH to improve eco-efficiency and

achieve compliance

P oP o

vev

BenchmarkingDocumenting and understanding your existing product performance through research.

hahah..

eco-efficieeco-e fic e

att attt

eco eeco eeco e

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Product System

Innovation

Creating a new

product service

system or life

cycle concept that

is eco-effective.New Product

Development

Developing new

products to

resolve persistent

environmental

problems

Existing Product

Improvement

Making changes

to the product

materials to

improve

eco-efficiency

II

ComplianceUsing legislation such as WEE, RoHS and REACH to improve eco-efficiency and

achieve compliance

P oP o

vev

BenchmarkingDocumenting and understanding your existing product performance through research.

hahah..

eco-efficeco eeco-e fic

att attt

ecoeco

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locusresearch



Scopecompany Products Consumers

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by MFE through the Sustainable Design Group of New Zealand, convened by the Sustainable Business Network. It was designed to provide designers and their clients a guide to undertaking sustainable design projects.

www.locusresearch.comhttp://issuu.com/locusresearch/docs/sustainable-design

Documents

Designing for a Sustainable World