Doing Good with a Twist

A refreshing new take on the dreary PSA

A Public Service Announcement – or any type of "you should know this because it's good for you" advertising – doesn't have to be the dreary, preachy, finger-wagging type of message that we're used to. A new batch of do-good campaigns prove that leading with entertainment value first and foremost can often do the trick better than playing it straight.

This new breed of PSA features:

(1) Fantastic production values – as good as anything you'd see on TV and YouTube, the feel is epic, sweeping, or just plain Saturday Night Live funny.

(2) A creative theme – from nature documentaries to a War of the Worlds-style alien invasion, they blur the line between satire and imitation, playing on creative tropes that we know and love.

(3) A surprising twist – the do-good messages here are anything but obvious, either woven subtly (and darkly!) throughout the narrative or revealed as a surprise at the end.

Have a look for yourself!

A Cheesy Love Story (from SumofUs.org)

Kill the K-Cup (by Egg Studios)

Great Canadian Migrations (by Environmental Defence)

What do YOU think? Will you be killing your K-Cups anytime soon? Let me know by commenting below!

Sustainability & Design #4: Getting Virtual

When it comes to getting to more sustainable product designs, sometimes the solution isn't a product at all—but a virtual service. In the spirit of "Dematerialization", the approach to design that aims to eliminate all unnecessary physical components, getting virtual rather than physical can often be the best way to reduce a product or service's carbon footprint...

The "Sustainability & Design Series" explores the impact of the sustainability movement on product design, user experience, and how companies do business. It is based on insights from the book User Experience in the Age of Sustainability by Senior User Experience Designer Kem-Laurin Kramer. This final post in the series will examine Virtualization as an approach to sustainable design.

Dematerialization in a Material World

The final approach to sustainable design that I'll cover is that which seeks to remove the physical component of products and services completely. Whether it's changing the way that people access, consumer, and share content, to changing the way that everyday activities are done, removing the physical aspects of a product or service is most often akin to removing a major part of its environmental impact. Think about it: virtual products no longer have to be manufactured, transported, stored, or disposed of. And yet, in many cases, they retain the same value that they had in the physical world.

Dematerialization, which the United Nations Environment Program defines as “the reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product or service”, can include activities like making physical products lighter, or reducing the amount of materials used in them. For this post, however, I will focus on Virtualization. As Kramer writes: we can “look for ways to move away from the material-based ideals of creation and focus on how we can build for a service model. From a design and user experience perspective, we are on the verge of something very exciting. We are well situated to think about how many virtual experiences will be designed as physical ones phase out.”

Designers must challenge themselves to open their mind and think beyond the physical—how would the same problem or need be solved with a virtual service or experience? Below are just a handful of examples. Enjoy!

Recreating Tangible Products

The following examples are of products that have recreated a physical experience with a product in the virtual world:

Oxford University Press

Oxford University Press has been moving away from the print version of its 126-year-old dictionary towards a digital subscription-based dictionary service for heavy users.

Paper Culture

 Paper Culture is an e-commerce company delivering design through eco-friendly invitations, announcements, and stationary. The company produces virtual solutions that once existed in paper form. (They also plant a tree for every physical paper order processes, and only use recyclable material when paper is ordered.)

Smart Phone Apps

Thanks to innovation in the hardware (Near Field Communications) and software (apps), mobile phones can now be used as transit cards, credit cards, coupons, loyalty cards, and wallets (Square), reducing the need for physical paper- and plastic-based objects.

Virtualizing Processes

The following examples are of digital services that have replaced processes that were once physical:

WebEx

This online meeting service allows people to meet, collaborate, and present as if they were all in the same room seeing the same thing. In this case, user experience and design is “critical in allowing remote users to feel a sense of connectivity to their remote colleagues.” Energy is saved as the meeting participants no longer have to travel to be in the same room.

Online Banking

What may now seem normal was once a trip to the bank for everything from paying bills to depositing cheques. The virtualization of the banking experience has all but eliminated the need to ever visit a physical branch.

Eliminating Entire Supply Chains

Finally, the biggest impact that getting virtual can make is when it not only replaces a physical product with a virtual one, but it eliminates entire physical supply chains in the process of doing so. The most visible example of this is in the content space: books, movies, and magazines, along with the manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and warehouses that store them, are all being affected by the move towards virtualization.

Amazon Kindle

In Kramer's own words, the Kindle “created a new status quo where instead of physical production, books and other published works retain their digital form and [are] delivered only virtually or with minimal hard form production. This eliminates the need for cutting down more trees, consuming printing materials, warehousing, the need for transportation, energy to support the creation and supply chain associated with tangible goods production. The trickle-down effect eliminates a rather complex chain of unsustainable processes and stems the need to destroy many of our natural resources.”

Netflix

Netflix is another example of taking content that relied on multiple manufacturers and supply chains (DVDs, rental outlets, etc.) and simplified that with a virtual, subscription-based experience.

This final post brings the "Sustainability & Design Series" to a close. Over the course of the last four posts, we've explored the role that designers can play in driving more sustainable experiences, the inspiration that nature can provide when facing tough sustainability challenges, the clarity that an examination of the product life-cycle can provide, and finally, the movement towards virtual, more sustainable experiences. I hope that this series has made you approach design in a different way, and encourage you to consider sustainability in the decisions that you make. Cheers!

Sustainability & Design #3: Redesigning the Product Life-cycle

Sustainable Design is all about broadening our perspective—beyond simply product specifications or user requirements to how a product contributes to a more sustainable environment over the course of its life: from its creation and use to its death and disposal. By thinking of this process as a cycle, it becomes clear that even the smallest sustainable design choices made along the way can result in large savings of both waste and energy.

The "Sustainability & Design Series" explores the impact of the sustainability movement on product design, user experience, and how companies do business. It is based on insights from the book User Experience in the Age of Sustainability by Senior User Experience Designer Kem-Laurin Kramer. This third post in the series will examine Product Life-cycle Analysis as an approach to more sustainable design.

Broadening our Perspective

This approach to sustainable design is different from the others in that it aims for a holistic understanding of the product and the system within which it operates, rather than a simple, clear solution (as Biomimicry and Dematerialization might). It forces designers to get out of their product bubble and get a much broader perspective on the impact that the design choices they make will have on the system as a whole. This approach also makes it easier to influence and track change by breaking down the areas to be examined into distinct phases: manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal. The structured approach means that it's much easier to measure the progress that is being made within each stage. As Kramer writes: It "enables the quantification [of] how much energy and raw materials are used and how much solid, liquid, and gaseous waste is generated at each stage of the product’s life."

Ultimately, a Product Life-cycle Analysis comes down to a cost-benefit analysis of all the factors that going into making, moving, and using a product. The "cost" can be defined as waste, which must be minimized, and the "benefit" can be defined as energy savings, which must be maximized. The goal is "to extract the maximum practical benefits from products and generate the minimum amount of waste possible as part of the design output."

When viewed in this way, many product designs that we may have originally viewed as sustainable in one context, may not be so when observing the entire context of its life-cycle. For example:

• When factoring in the energy and processes required to make them, plastic bags generate 39% less greenhouse gas emissions, consume less than 6% of the water necessary to make them, and consume 71% less energy when making them compared to paper bags

• Although bamboo is regularly promoted as a sustainable and organic material for clothing and flooring, most bamboo is processed as bamboo rayon, which undergoes much toxic and chemical processing in order to change from plant to useful fibre.

Below are the four stages of the Product-life Cycle, areas that designers should consider within each, and a few examples of sustainable design.

Phase 1: Manufacturing

Key questions to consider:

• What materials are the products made from?
• How were the materials extracted?
• Does the product contain hazardous materials?
• Was the product manufactured under ethical conditions in the extraction and manufacturing process?

Herman Miller Mirra chair

This office chair was designed to accommodate both the sitter and the environment in its design. Launched in 2003, it was developed with a design protocol rooted in recyclability, reduced toxicity, and renewability, and it is made of 96% recyclable material. The chair can also be disassembled in less than 20 minutes, which means that it is serviceable as well. Part of what led to the design of the chair was the company's all-encompassing examination of its product line's “materials chemistry”, during which it catalogued every material in every product.

Phase 2: Transportation

Key questions to consider:

• What transportation costs (emissions) are associated with the product’s production?
• How is the product packaged?
• What are the packaging constituents?
• Is associated documentation produced as part of the out-of-the-box experience?
• Are products compactible to lower transportation emissions and cost?

Apple MacBook Packaging

Apple claims that, by reducing its packaging of the MacBook by 53% between 2006 and 2010, it shipped 80% more boxes in each airline shipping container, which saves one 747 flight for every 23,760 units shipped.

Adidas' Shipping Policy

Adidas’ policy is to rely on transportation methods that use less energy, like ocean freight (as opposed to air freight). “Our policy is to minimize the impacts from transport, in particular minimizing air freight shipments. Generally, we plan to ship products by ocean freight.”

IKEA's Sustainable Transportation Initiatives

IKEA has created pilot programs for environmentally friendly home delivery services as well as providing free shuttle bus service to and from its stores. In Denmark, customers can even borrow bicycles with trailers to bring their purchases home.

Phase 3: Usage and Energy Consumption

Key questions to consider:

• How much energy is consumed during the use of the product?
• Does the product engage users in allowing some active management of energy preservation?
• Does it provide energy usage management guidance as part of the out-of-the-box experience? (ie. A smart usage guide)
• What is the performance of the product?
• What are the user’s perceived and real experiences with the product?
• What is the user’s perception of the ecological value of the product, its durability?

Android's Power Management Screen

For example, with Android's mobile phone software, the system can use data collected while a user is actively using a device and to educate them about specific opportunities to save power.

Phase 4: Recyclability (Reuse and Dematerialization)

Key questions to consider:

• How long does the product last?
• Do users think that the products are durable?
• If broken, can the user repair the product easily, is it serviceable?
• Can the constituent parts of the product be broken down to create other products?
• Are there alternative service subscription options to the product?
• Are the necessary parts available locally?

Maille Mustard's Specialty Jars

Maille has taken a sustainable approach to the design of their jars: after use, they can be used to hold anything from liquor to candles. As Kramer notes, selling their products in packages with longevity also provides “stickiness” for the brand by: it becomes part of their living environment long after the actual product has been used up.

Pizza Hut's Smart Box

In Costa Rica, Pizza Hut introduced multifunctional pizza boxes, which can be separated into individual plates and a small container for leftovers. This eliminates the need for disposable plates and extra storage materials like aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

Value Perception and the Product Life-cycle

One factor in product design (not to mention brand positioning and communications) that has a major influence on how consumers approach, interact with, and dispose of products is their pre-existing value perceptions. This perception starts, of course, with the brand's associations. For example, automotive brands like Toyota and Volvo already have associations ("reliability" and "safety/durability" respectively) that tell consumers that they'll be using the cars for a long time. Brands like Chevrolet and Ford, which have struggled in recent years (although they are getting better at changing these perceptions), were only expected to last for a few years.

Communications and demonstrations can also play a role in how consumers use, and eventually discard of, a product. Commercials, videos, or marketing materials can educate consumers on how to treat products during their life-cycles before they've ever used it. In-store (or online) demonstrations can do the same. By the time consumers actually begin to use the product, these pre-existing notions have already been built in, and will either be reinforced by or negated by the product's design.

Finally, the materials selected during the manufacturing phase have an impact on the value perception of the product. (Above, materials were only discussed in the context of their environmental impact.) As Kramer writes: "Perceived value plays an integral part in the design process when it comes to such activities as selecting materials. Some materials have an intrinsically high perceived value. For example, metal and glass as more valuable than plastic, silver is more valuable than copper, and so on. The eventual goal is waste reduction, because when customers feel that something is more valuable, they are likely to retain it for longer periods."


The final approach to sustainable design that will be discussed in the fourth post of the "Sustainability & Design Series" is called Dematerialization. Stay tuned!

Sustainability & Design #2: Nature Knows Best

When it comes to designing more sustainable products and experiences, why not start by learning from the best? Mother Nature has been designing sustainable organisms and ecosystems from the beginning of time. Each organism takes only what it needs from the system, and is designed to use energy and resources as efficiently as possible. By taking cues from the processes and "products" that inhabit the natural world, we can take a sustainable approach to our designs.

The "Sustainability & Design Series" explores the impact of the sustainability movement on product design, user experience, and how companies do business. It is based on insights from the book User Experience in the Age of Sustainability by Senior User Experience Designer Kem-Laurin Kramer. This second post will cover one approach to sustainable UX: Biomimicry.

Learning from Mother Nature

The practice of Biomimicry, which was coined and defined by Janine Benyus, is a “new science that studies nature’s models and then imitates, or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems.” It's all about looking to nature to Model, Measure, and Mentor the experiences we design.

To be more specific:

• Model: Emulate nature's forms, processes, systems, and strategies
• Measure: Using the natural ecosystem as the standard to which the results from sustainable practices are measured against
• Mentor: Viewing nature as something we can learn from, rather than just take resources from

As an experience designer, you must ask yourself questions like: How does nature attempt to solve the same problem that I'm trying to solve? What organism in nature has adapted to solve this problem in the best possible way? What systems are in place that minimizes waste and maximizes energy? This is just as much an exercise in inspiration as it is a way to adopt specific strategies and tactics from organisms in nature.

The following are a few examples of products, interfaces, and systems inspired by how things operate in the natural world, many of which appear in Kem's book.

Biomimicry in Product Design

Product design is all about designing strategies to effectively solve problems in the best possible way, while, at the same time, using energy and resources as efficiently as possible. Sometimes they can be problems that humans haven't yet been able to figure out how to solve, other times, existing products are made much more efficient at what they already do. The following are two examples of how biomimicry has fuelled the design of two products:

The Woodpecker Axe

The problem an axe is trying to solve is simple: how to chop through wood as quickly as possible while using only as much energy as the axe wielder needs to get the job done. In this case, the designers looked to the woodpecker for inspiration for how to improve existing axe designs. Not only can the woodpecker hammer out over twenty pecks per second, but it does so in a way that does not destroy its tiny body. In fact, its whole body—from its tail, spine, and skull—is designed to perform this job extremely well. The beak-like blade and curved handle design of the axe seeks to replicate this design for human use.

Gecko Tape

Many types of tape already exist for the purpose of sticking things together, but once used, this tape loses its stickiness and must be discarded—creating a lot of waste. Taking a cue from the tiny hair-like structures that geckos use to stick to flat surfaces, Gecko Tape allows users to temporarily bind things together, before releasing them using a quick, easy pullback.

Biomimicry in Interface Design

Nature can also be used to inspire the design of interfaces—the mediums through which we interact with and control products. Interfaces that aren't based on natural behaviours and activities force users to adopt something that solely exists in the manufactured world: such as a mouse or a trackball to control a computer. They often feel, as a result, cumbersome and clunky, and require additional physical tools and electronics, like the mouse itself, or a stylus. Those designs that are inspired by the natural world, however, not only feel better, but they are often minimalist—using as much as our natural behaviour as possible. This saves both materials, but also energy and waste. Below are a few examples of natural interfaces:

iPad

The touch and swipe interface of the iPad is so natural to us as human beings that even infants and toddlers can quickly learn how to interact with it. No stylus (or instructions) required.

Microsoft X-box Kinect

Kinect is all about encouraging video game players to use natural motions to control the experience.


Apple iPhone's Siri Voice Command

Apple's Siri Voice Command system is only scratching the surface of the potential for controlling our environments with our voice.

Biomimicry in Systems Design

Finally, designers can look to nature for inspiration as to how organisms interact with each other in the most natural way. Ecosystems have conflicts, of course—animals do survive by eating each other, after all—but they also have order, hierarchy, and purposefulness, too. Everything exists for a reason and interacts with those around it in a meaningful way. Ecosystems are "systems" in the truest sense. Systems that are based on how things are connected in the natural world not only feel better, but they make the most efficient use of resources and energy, too. Here's one example from the social networking space:

Facebook's Singular Social Graph

Facebook had been designed, from the get go, in a very efficient way: each of your friends on the platform is treated equally, and each of them will see updates and activity that isn't necessarily intended for the whole group. This feels unnatural, and contributes to a lot of wasted space in our Newsfeeds. (Since its inception, of course, Facebook has tweaked its Newsfeed algorithm to only show you the updates from your most important friends. Does it work?)

Google Plus and its Social Circles

Google Plus, on the other hand, was designed from the ground up in a much more natural way, allowing users to group and socialize with different kinds of connections, much like they would in the real world.

The next approach that I'll explore in the "Sustainability & Design Series" is the Product Life-cycle Analysis—bye for now!