User experience (UX) design is poised to make a strong contribution to a sustainable digital world today and in the future. If we want to make a meaningful environmental and social impact with any work, consideration of human behavior is imperative. In fact, a solution is not sustainable if it does not consider the human context in which it exists. UX designers – with a people-centered approach – are positioned to find the “sweet spots” that we need, integrating human experience, sustainability and social responsibility together in applied solutions.
..UX design can also be socially thoughtful, make a positive impact on our wellbeing, and respect the natural environment…
The 16th issue of DesignWhine Magazine shares active stories of innovators who are making tangible impacts on different digital sustainability topics ranging from e-waste management, responsible UX design education, a fossil-free internet, mindful consumption in e-commerce, ethics in UX design, and sustainable web standards and practices.
As technology and internet users, we consume UX design all the time. The competitive leg up that good UX design can provide to businesses and their products is readily apparent in daily life. But there is room to show how UX design can also be socially thoughtful, make a positive impact on our wellbeing, and respect the natural environment. The breadth of actors featured in the issue and their individual insights encourage appreciation and reflection. The fact that UX design work spans across subject matters and brings value in each of them is part of what makes it special, and this is clear in this magazine issue.
DesignWhine has been an inspiration to me in continuing my work in the UX design space, and I hope it will be for you too. Whether as a current, budding, interested, or hobbyist UX designer, I think it feels good to see yourself as part of a global community. Reading about those that have been featured in DesignWhine has done this for me, and this issue in particular shows the caring individuals making an impact that are out there, working in similar spaces as us all.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue on digital sustainability and sustainable UX. Wishing you thoughtful engagement and impact in your own work.
Trey Hahn
Founder,
Bicycle User Experience (BUX)
