This dissertation outlines a three-year Doctoral research project aimed at exploring how User Experience (UX) can contribute to the sustainability of AI-infused products. The initial goal was to investigate how UX could be leveraged to design or redesign AI products to reduce their environmental impact. However, as the research evolved, it became clear that AI-infused products cannot be fully understood in isolation from their surrounding ecosystems. Users do not engage with these products independently; instead, they interact with a broader service ecosystem composed of multiple touchpoints. For instance, smart home products are often chosen for their ability to be controlled remotely, which involves interacting with a range of interconnected systems. As highlighted by Vitali (2022), AI-infused objects such as smart speakers and wearable devices use AI to enhance functionality, forming complex ecosystems through extensive con- nectivity (Agrò, 2018; Abramovici, 2014; Greengard, 2015). Their growing integration into daily life is undeniable, with forecasts estimating a rise in AI-infused devices from 5 billion in 2020 to over 200 billion by 2030 (CISCO, 2020). This integration calls for a reassessment of both design practices and environmental considerations, especially in relation to the expand- ing presence of AI-infused objects and their potential environmental impacts. The aim of this PhD research is to support designers in understanding the environmen- tal impact of AI-infused products within service ecosystems, focusing specifically on the use phase. By adopting a "systems thinking" approach (Pigosso, 2015), this research will explore how UX can be a key factor in analysing the environmental impact of AI-infused products. This involves defining or redefining system boundaries and collecting detailed information on users, usage patterns, and contextual factors (Kim, 2020). The research investigates AI-infused ecosystems in domestic settings, using a Research-through-Design approach to derive practi- cal insights from field case studies. Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the environmental factors involved in AI-infused products during their use phase, within their broader ecosystem. This research aims to fill a crucial gap by systematically assessing the interactions between these products and their ecosystems, as well as the environmental impacts they generate. As Bau- mann (2002) defined, environmental impacts are any changes, whether positive or negative, to the environment resulting from activities, products, or services. With the growing integra- tion of AI-infused products into everyday environments, especially within domestic settings (Vailshery, 2022), this PhD specifically examines devices used in these contexts. While there are various categories of environmental impacts, this research concentrates on energy con- sumption, given the energy-intensive nature of this technology (Pohl et al., 2019).
Questa dissertazione presenta un progetto di ricerca dottorale triennale volto a esplorare come l'User Experience (UX) possa contribuire alla sostenibilità dei prodotti AI-infused. L'obiettivo iniziale era indagare come la UX potesse essere utilizzata per progettare o riprogettare prodotti basati su intelligenza artificiale al fine di ridurne l'impatto ambientale. Tuttavia, con l'evolversi della ricerca, è emerso chiaramente che questi prodotti non possono essere compresi appieno isolatamente, senza considerare gli ecosistemi in cui sono inseriti. Gli utenti, infatti, non interagiscono con questi prodotti in modo indipendente, ma li utilizzano all'interno di un più ampio ecosistema di servizi composto da molteplici touchpoint. Ad esempio, i prodotti per la smart home vengono spesso scelti per la loro capacità di essere controllati da remoto, il che implica un'interazione con una serie di sistemi interconnessi. Come evidenziato da Vitali (2022), gli oggetti AI-infused, come smart speaker e dispositivi wearable, sfruttano l'intelligenza artificiale per migliorare le loro funzionalità, creando ecosistemi complessi attraverso una connettività estesa (Agrò, 2018; Abramovici, 2014; Greengard, 2015). La loro crescente integrazione nella vita quotidiana è ormai innegabile, con previsioni che stimano un aumento dei dispositivi AI-infused da 5 miliardi nel 2020 a oltre 200 miliardi entro il 2030 (CISCO, 2020). Questa diffusione impone una rivalutazione delle pratiche di progettazione e delle considerazioni ambientali, soprattutto in relazione alla presenza sempre più massiccia di questi oggetti e ai potenziali impatti ecologici che generano. L'obiettivo di questa ricerca di dottorato è supportare i designer nella comprensione dell'impatto ambientale dei prodotti AI-infused all'interno degli ecosistemi di servizi, con un focus specifico sulla fase d'uso. Attraverso l'adozione di un approccio "systems thinking" (Pigosso, 2015), questa ricerca esplora come la UX possa diventare un fattore chiave nell'analisi dell'impatto ambientale di questi prodotti. Ciò implica definire o ridefinire i confini del sistema e raccogliere informazioni dettagliate sugli utenti, sulle modalità di utilizzo e sui fattori contestuali (Kim, 2020). L'indagine si concentra sugli ecosistemi AI-infused in contesti domestici, utilizzando un approccio Research-through-Design per ricavare insight pratici da studi di caso sul campo. Il principale obiettivo di questo studio è quindi identificare e analizzare i fattori ambientali coinvolti nei prodotti AI-infused durante la fase d'uso, nel contesto del loro ecosistema più ampio. Questa ricerca mira a colmare un'importante lacuna, valutando in modo sistematico le interazioni tra questi prodotti e i loro ecosistemi, nonché gli impatti ambientali che ne derivano. Secondo la definizione di Baumann (2002), l'impatto ambientale comprende qualsiasi cambiamento, positivo o negativo, che un'attività, un prodotto o un servizio genera sull'ambiente. Con l'integrazione sempre più pervasiva dei prodotti AI-infused negli ambienti quotidiani, in particolare nelle abitazioni domestiche (Vailshery, 2022), questa ricerca si focalizza specificamente sui dispositivi utilizzati in tali contesti. Sebbene gli impatti ambientali possano essere classificati in diverse categorie, questa ricerca si concentra in particolare sul consumo energetico, data la natura energivora di questa tecnologia (Pohl et al., 2019).
UX sustainability: assessing ai-infused objects : understanding UX Sustainability in AI-infused objects: a first step towards redesign
PARACOLLI, ALICE
2024/2025
Abstract
This dissertation outlines a three-year Doctoral research project aimed at exploring how User Experience (UX) can contribute to the sustainability of AI-infused products. The initial goal was to investigate how UX could be leveraged to design or redesign AI products to reduce their environmental impact. However, as the research evolved, it became clear that AI-infused products cannot be fully understood in isolation from their surrounding ecosystems. Users do not engage with these products independently; instead, they interact with a broader service ecosystem composed of multiple touchpoints. For instance, smart home products are often chosen for their ability to be controlled remotely, which involves interacting with a range of interconnected systems. As highlighted by Vitali (2022), AI-infused objects such as smart speakers and wearable devices use AI to enhance functionality, forming complex ecosystems through extensive con- nectivity (Agrò, 2018; Abramovici, 2014; Greengard, 2015). Their growing integration into daily life is undeniable, with forecasts estimating a rise in AI-infused devices from 5 billion in 2020 to over 200 billion by 2030 (CISCO, 2020). This integration calls for a reassessment of both design practices and environmental considerations, especially in relation to the expand- ing presence of AI-infused objects and their potential environmental impacts. The aim of this PhD research is to support designers in understanding the environmen- tal impact of AI-infused products within service ecosystems, focusing specifically on the use phase. By adopting a "systems thinking" approach (Pigosso, 2015), this research will explore how UX can be a key factor in analysing the environmental impact of AI-infused products. This involves defining or redefining system boundaries and collecting detailed information on users, usage patterns, and contextual factors (Kim, 2020). The research investigates AI-infused ecosystems in domestic settings, using a Research-through-Design approach to derive practi- cal insights from field case studies. Thus, the primary purpose of this study is to identify and analyse the environmental factors involved in AI-infused products during their use phase, within their broader ecosystem. This research aims to fill a crucial gap by systematically assessing the interactions between these products and their ecosystems, as well as the environmental impacts they generate. As Bau- mann (2002) defined, environmental impacts are any changes, whether positive or negative, to the environment resulting from activities, products, or services. With the growing integra- tion of AI-infused products into everyday environments, especially within domestic settings (Vailshery, 2022), this PhD specifically examines devices used in these contexts. While there are various categories of environmental impacts, this research concentrates on energy con- sumption, given the energy-intensive nature of this technology (Pohl et al., 2019).| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/233692