10. Going further with the eco-design approach

Consider offline functionality

Offering an offline mode for browsing, or designing in "offline-first", can help reduce the amount of data transfers while also ensuring uninterrupted access even in "white spots" with patchy internet coverage.

Progressive Web Apps provide a similar experience to apps for a tenth of the size by caching content on the user's smartphone (see Prioritizing web apps). Of course, it remains necessary to optimize the cached content to use as little phone memory as possible and minimize bandwidth use during the initial download.

De-digitizing, re-materializing

Sometimes the best solution to address a users' needs while reducing environmental impacts is not digital!

This requires a deep reflection and a lot of creativity. But above all, it means assessing the advantages and disadvantages of an analog solution compared to a digital one.

Example

Non-digital solution

The organizers for the "Pas sage en Seine" conference, which was free and accessible without registration, set up an "anonymous rabbits count" to record the number of participants.
They used recycled coffee cans and beans, which were placed by the entrance to the conference venue.

Relationship with systemic design

Systemic design consists in designing a service or product while considering its impact on the entire system it belongs to. Before the creation of the product or service, be it long term or short term, large or small scale, we consider its consequences in the following fields:

• Social,
• Psychological,
• Economic,
• Political,
• Environmental.

For instance, for a digital service, we might ask ourselves whether the product contributes to worsening:

• Capturing user attention,
• Predatory economic model,
• Slowing down the development of social skills in children,
• Making users feel lonely,
• Lack of job security,
• Political interference,
• Disinformation,
• Digital divide.

There are tools to identify the complex ramifications of a system and the interactions taking place within it (see below).

Systemic design is still a largely exploratory topic, and a very expansive one. It is the object of a dedicated research program at Designers Éthiques.

Here is how we see the way that eco-design hinges on systemic design:

• Eco-design focuses on the environmental dimension of design.
• The environmental dimension is one of a number of dimensions studied in systemic design.

Consequently, eco-design is part of systemic design. Which also means that design, even eco-design, cannot be seen solely through the lens of environmental concerns.

They've already thought about it

Eco-design, just like any other design practice, is very much a case-by-case approach. We hope that this guide will provide you with a toolbox from which you can choose new ideas to implement.

To continue on the topics of eco-design, here are other works that could be of interest to you:

• Marie-Cécile Godwin-Paccard: With her Common Future(s) collective, she offers a new approach: Anthropocene Design. It integrates new starting propositions and adheres to new ethical limitations.
  See: her conference Design for desirable futures
• Geoffrey Dorne: Pushing the boundaries of minimizing environmental impact, he aims to offer an accomplished approach of frugal innovation. He also includes other aspects into his designing (cognitive overload, light pollution, etc.) See: his conference A design to foster independence (Youtube) (French)
• Alexandre Monnin, Emmanuel Bonnet and Diego Landivar: They propose to un-innovate, to give up on obsolete projects that are fundamentally incompatible with the current environmental stakes, and also to accompany organizations and projects that do have a place in the future.
  Browse: their research project Origens Media Lab (French)
  Read: their article in Sciences du Design Design, a cosmology without a world in the Anthropocene (French)
• Gauthier Roussilhe: Combining design of digital services with research on these topics, he tackles questions around eco-design with a holistic approach (mixing design and technical knowledge) and long term (he considers a future where digital services are local and resilient).
  Read: his book Locating digital technologies (French) available online in full

These summarized overviews of their work are too concise to be faithful. Each of these approaches could be the subject of an article. We urge you to go and discover those conferences, articles, podcasts and books!

Do not hesitate to reach out to us to share your comments and contribute to the evolution of this guide.

Thank you to all those who contribute to making this topic grow by publishing research and relaying information with different communities!