Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
What are low-carbon websites and what do they look like in practice? In this conversation, we will talk about creativity within the constraints, how to navigate client conversations when they want resource-heavy designs and how to think about your project’s carbon budget. As a bonus, we’ll get sneak peeks on what happens behind the scenes of a curation site of over 270 low carbon sites and why some of them get removed over time.
Key Insights
-
•
Nick Lewis entered digital sustainability motivated by personal outdoor experiences highlighting climate impact.
-
•
Around 2017, digital sustainability resources were limited, sparking Nick’s self-driven research and experimentation.
-
•
Working in traditional creative agencies, Nick found tension between flashy, heavy designs and sustainable/performance goals.
-
•
Transitioning to agencies with sustainability core values and then freelancing allowed Nick to work with more aligned clients.
-
•
Low carbon web design involves optimizing everything from typography and color choices to reducing unnecessary animations and videos.
-
•
Creative constraints in sustainable design often inspire innovative solutions rather than limiting creativity.
-
•
The Low Carbon Showcase website enforces a strict review process but has removed about 70 previously included sites as their sustainability regressed.
-
•
Most performance and sustainability issues on websites come from heavy videos, large images, excessive JavaScript, and multiple font files.
-
•
Nick is critical of generative AI in creative fields, viewing it as uncreative and energy-wasteful, but sees other AI applications as valuable.
-
•
Nick developed a Figma plugin prototype to help designers identify sustainability issues early in the design process without disrupting workflow.
Notable Quotes
"When I started out, I knew nothing about digital sustainability."
"Designing sustainable doesn’t mean removing everything fun from the web."
"Creative constraints can actually bring out the most creative solutions."
"Clients often want flashy autoplay video even though it negatively impacts performance and sustainability."
"About 70 sites have been removed from the Low Carbon Showcase after regressing in sustainability."
"Most heavy website performance issues come from videos, images, JavaScript, and fonts."
"Generative AI is not creative; it’s just pattern finding and recycling what’s been done before."
"Using generative AI for design risks losing the human creativity that makes design special."
"Be curious, keep learning, and believe you can make a difference in sustainability."
"The Climate Dictionary was built in a couple hours over a weekend, focused on function over form."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"For the first time, I was able to advocate for funding directly for the research function at high executive levels."
Nalini KotamrajuResearch After UX
March 25, 2024
"AI is table stakes now. It's on every roadmap and not going anywhere."
Joe Meersman Pooria SohiUse AI to Drive Outcomes that Go Beyond the Design Sprint
September 25, 2024
"In ID, practitioners try to never use the word understand in project goals because it’s too vague for actionable behaviors."
Zen RenTaking Inspiration from Instructional Design for Research
March 10, 2022
"Imposter syndrome feels universal here; even senior designers share that every project starts with feeling like you’ve forgotten how to do your job."
Caitlyn Hampton Monica Lee Jina YoonCompass 101: Growing Your Career In A Startup World
June 11, 2021
"We had no recipe, no formula, just vibes."
Briana ThomasThe Quiet Force: Uncovering Hidden Leadership in High-Impact Design Teams
September 24, 2024
"Participant experience is everything and it starts with building trust."
Marisa BernsteinIt Takes GRIT: Lessons from the Small, but Mighty World of Civic Usability Testing
December 9, 2021
"Building on AI means giving up control, which is tough but necessary."
Jonathan Fairman Kevin JohnsonIntegrating generative AI into enterprise products: A case study from dscout
June 5, 2024
"Information architecture is the art and science of organizing and structuring information to make it usable, accessible, and meaningful."
Husani OakleyTheme Two Intro
June 6, 2023
"Welcome to the AI party, we've got 10 years of research to share."
Dan SafferWhy AI projects fail (and what we can do about it)
May 14, 2025
