Green UI/UX Trends: Designing for a Sustainable Future

“As designers, we have the power to influence not just how people interact with technology but also how they perceive and impact the environment. Sustainable UI/UX design should be at the heart of innovation.”

– Don Norman

Every single activity we do today, whether it is shopping online, browsing through Netflix, or enjoying music on Spotify leaves a mark on the planet. We are living in a world where every action comes at an environmental cost, and slowly but steadily destroys the one thing that connects us all – Earth.

According to Website Carbon, a single web page produces about .8 gms of CO2 per pageview. For a website with 10,000 monthly pageviews, that’s 102 kg of CO2 per year. Imagine this for millions of websites with page views going in billions, that’s nearly as much carbon as the aviation industry. As people become more aware of internet pollution, sustainable UI/UX designs no longer remain a choice but rather an obligation that falls upon the designers.

This blog post is not a guide, but rather a compilation of our thoughts on how UI/UX designers can reshape the digital world in supporting the preservation of our planet all while delivering exceptional user experience design.

What Are Sustainable Designs?

To put it simply, “Sustainability is the ability to exist constantly”, and as UNCD defines it, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, is Sustainable development.”. But, how do we do it? How do we “exist constantly” as a species without damaging the planet?

While ecological sustainability is talked about and acted upon very often, we need to consider the social and economic perspective of sustainability too. After all, sustainability at its core is all about increasing the positive impact of UI/UX solutions on the planet and reducing the negative effects.

Sustainable UI/UX design is all about creating design experiences that effectively support and actively leave a positive social, environmental and economic impact. It is a blend of exceptional user experiences and eco-consciousness, helping designers create digital experiences that add value through practices that support the overall wellbeing of the planet.

Key Green Design Principles: How UX Designers Aid Sustainable Development

Alber Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”.

The idea behind green UI/UX design is to efficiently cut down on energy consumption while making the user journeys efficient. UI/UX designers can educate people on green consumerism and popularize sustainability in designs through their design trends. Here are some ways to implement green design principles in UI/UX designs:

• Simplified User Journeys: By eliminating useless steps and simplifying tasks, designers can make the customer experience both eco-friendly and user-friendly. For example, a 2 step check-out process on a shopping website will make the user happy while saving energy with each purchase.
• Website Optimization: When you optimize your website for a better user experience design you enhance user satisfaction and empower digital sustainability by reducing the energy required for data transfer. A well optimized website not only pleases the user but also reduces the consumption of energy resources.
• Minimal Designs: A minimalist design accounts for a lighter digital footprint along with a faster and more responsive digital experience.
•  Digital Product Lifecycle: Instead of just thinking about the user experience, designers need to take a holistic approach to UI/UX design. This involves designing digital products with the overall lifecycle in mind, the energy consumption, the longevity, and the impact of its usage on the planet.
• Energy-efficient Designs: Keeping a tab on the energy consumption of your design is an essential part of sustainable UI/UX designs. By using lighter colour palettes and reducing complex graphics, designers can significantly decrease the load time for the web page and strike a balance between visuals and energy efficiency.

Why Sustainable UI/UX Design is the Future?

One can not deny the fact that the virtual world is affecting the real world significantly, however, following sustainable design practices can critically reduce the adverse impact of internet usage on the environment. From promoting pro-environmental notifications and animations to making our designs more human and empathy-driven, we can readily promote environmental and social values in web design.

By aligning our design ideas with the current global environmental awareness trends, we can deliver solutions that leave minimal carbon footprint and reduce the impact of digital activities on the environment. Here are some more reasons why digital sustainability is the right way forward:

• Growing awareness about sustainability and the climate crisis has moulded user behaviour into favouring brands that demonstrate environmental responsibility in their products, services or operations.
• Merely including “green” or the buzzword – “sustainability” in your UI/UX designs is not enough. You need to back up your green efforts with evidence like marketing stories, showing that your efforts are indeed impactful.
• When you put in conscious efforts towards using sustainable methods in your UI/UX design process, you gain a competitive advantage differentiating yourself from your competitors, all while attracting environmentally conscious consumers and enhancing brand reputation.
• Sustainable design practices help in making efficient use of resources, leading to enhanced cost-saving with optimized energy consumption, reduced waste and minimal environmental impact.

Exploring Sustainability with TIS’s UI/UX Design Services

“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”

– Anne Marie Bonneau

As an environmentally conscious UI/UX design company, we at TIS make conscious efforts to design user experiences for our clients. We strongly believe that even the smallest change can make a big difference, which is why we ensure that our UI/UX designers explore innovative ways to create sustainable design solutions with the needs of future generations in mind. We make you re-evaluate your traditional design practices by helping you embrace eco-friendly designs and sustainable processes that reduce your overall digital footprints.

When you partner with TIS for your UI design or UX design project, you get to adopt green UI UX design practices and drive a positive change within your organization.

Final Words

In the above article, we have explored the concepts of sustainability and how simple changes to our design practices can create a significant impact on the environment. As creative professionals, it falls upon our shoulders to implement those principles and inspire others in the industry to make conscious decisions while designing exceptional user experiences. After all, nobody will save the earth, until we do.