The digital revolution has brought unprecedented advancements, but it has also contributed significantly to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. This thesis explores the often-overlooked environmental impact of digital products and services, from concept to code to cloud. It delves into the energy consumption, data storage, and transmission infrastructures that underpin our digital world, revealing their substantial contribution to global environmental challenges. The research examines the lifecycle of digital systems, highlighting the varying environmental impacts at each stage. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the reasons behind these impacts, including the hidden effects of internal corporate systems and the exponential growth of artificial intelligence. The thesis then introduces innovative tools and strategies for sustainable digital design, such as Phygital Mapping, Sustainable UX Design Strategies, and carbon calculation tools for websites and UI components. Crucially, this work emphasizes the pivotal role of designers in mitigating the environmental impact of digital products and services. It demonstrates how seemingly small design decisions can lead to substantial reductions in carbon emissions when scaled across millions of users. By implementing energy-efficient designs, optimizing user experiences, and embracing circular economy principles, designers have the power to drive systemic change. This research empowers digital creators to recognize their potential in contributing to a healthier environment and provides actionable strategies to significantly reduce their ecological footprint, ultimately reshaping the sustainability landscape of the digital world.
La rivoluzione digitale ha portato progressi senza precedenti, ma ha anche contribuito in modo significativo alla triplice crisi planetaria del cambiamento climatico, dell’inquinamento e della perdita di biodiversità. Questa tesi esplora l’impatto ambientale spesso trascurato dei prodotti e servizi digitali, dal concetto al codice al cloud. Approfondisce il consumo energetico, l’archiviazione dei dati e le infrastrutture di trasmissione che sono alla base del nostro mondo digitale, rivelando il loro sostanziale contributo alle sfide ambientali globali. La ricerca esamina il ciclo di vita dei sistemi digitali, evidenziando i diversi impatti ambientali in ogni fase. Presenta un’analisi completa delle ragioni alla base di questi impatti, inclusi gli effetti nascosti dei sistemi aziendali interni e la crescita esponenziale dell’intelligenza artificiale. La tesi introduce quindi strumenti e strategie innovative per una progettazione digitale sostenibile, come la mappatura figitale, le strategie di progettazione UX sostenibili e gli strumenti di calcolo del carbonio per siti Web e componenti dell’interfaccia utente. Fondamentalmente, questo lavoro sottolinea il ruolo fondamentale dei progettisti nel mitigare l’impatto ambientale dei prodotti e servizi digitali. Dimostra come decisioni progettuali apparentemente piccole possano portare a sostanziali riduzioni delle emissioni di carbonio quando vengono ridimensionate su milioni di utenti. Implementando design efficienti dal punto di vista energetico, ottimizzando le esperienze utente e abbracciando i principi dell’economia circolare, i progettisti hanno il potere di guidare il cambiamento sistemico. Questa ricerca consente ai creatori digitali di riconoscere il loro potenziale nel contribuire a un ambiente più sano e fornisce strategie attuabili per ridurre significativamente la loro impronta ecologica, rimodellando in definitiva il panorama della sostenibilità del mondo digitale.
Design strategies for sustainable digital products and services
Surkutwar, Vaishnavi Narendra
2024/2025
Abstract
The digital revolution has brought unprecedented advancements, but it has also contributed significantly to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. This thesis explores the often-overlooked environmental impact of digital products and services, from concept to code to cloud. It delves into the energy consumption, data storage, and transmission infrastructures that underpin our digital world, revealing their substantial contribution to global environmental challenges. The research examines the lifecycle of digital systems, highlighting the varying environmental impacts at each stage. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the reasons behind these impacts, including the hidden effects of internal corporate systems and the exponential growth of artificial intelligence. The thesis then introduces innovative tools and strategies for sustainable digital design, such as Phygital Mapping, Sustainable UX Design Strategies, and carbon calculation tools for websites and UI components. Crucially, this work emphasizes the pivotal role of designers in mitigating the environmental impact of digital products and services. It demonstrates how seemingly small design decisions can lead to substantial reductions in carbon emissions when scaled across millions of users. By implementing energy-efficient designs, optimizing user experiences, and embracing circular economy principles, designers have the power to drive systemic change. This research empowers digital creators to recognize their potential in contributing to a healthier environment and provides actionable strategies to significantly reduce their ecological footprint, ultimately reshaping the sustainability landscape of the digital world.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/230595