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
The first in a series of discussions centered around Climate UX. On November 15, Rosenfeld hosted a conversation between four UX professionals who have focused their careers around climate tech work. Whether you're looking to pivot your career towards climate tech or adapt your current role to be climate focused, this panel offered valuable perspectives on what it means to work on climate. Panelists: Matt Jones, Olga Khroustaleva, Michael Leggett, Karol Munoz; Moderator, Lou Rosenfeld
Key Insights
-
•
Climate UX is an emerging but real field connecting design to urgent climate challenges.
-
•
Many climate startups are early-stage and lack formal UX roles, requiring flexible self-positioning.
-
•
Approaching climate projects by leveraging one’s existing design or product strengths, rather than forcing a new identity, works best.
-
•
User-centered design helps climate science founders who lack product development experience create usable tools.
-
•
Problem definition remains crucial but must be balanced with urgency to deliver solutions in the climate space.
-
•
Systems thinking and understanding multiple climate impact layers are a secret superpower of UX practitioners.
-
•
Effective climate communication, storytelling, and visualization accelerate stakeholder understanding and action.
-
•
Networking proactively and saying yes to diverse climate-related roles accelerates entry into the space.
-
•
Climate work can be financially viable and career-sustaining, not necessitating large sacrifices.
-
•
Bringing joy and curiosity back into work motivates sustained climate-focused design efforts.
Notable Quotes
"Climate startups are a thing, and they really need UX expertise early on."
"I just said yes to everything climate-related until I found the right fit."
"Most science founders don’t think about user-centered design, and that’s where UXers add huge value."
"Systems thinking is a secret skill UXers have that’s critical for sustainable climate solutions."
"User experience can transform complex climate data into meaningful stories that spur action."
"Every job really is a climate job—there are ways to bring climate focus into any role."
"You don’t have to be a PhD or expert to work in climate; your design skills are already valuable."
"Talking about climate openly, even if uncomfortable, is a powerful way to create change."
"Climate UX feels like 1995 again, an exciting time of discovery and cross-domain jumps."
"What if it’s all a hoax and we just invented a better world for no reason? That’s a good place to be."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"The person sitting next to you probably solved that problem already—just talk to one another."
Etienne FangPower of Insights: Why sharing is better than silos with Uber’s Insights Platform
December 16, 2019
"Becoming a UX researcher is a process that will never end, not a fixed state you reach."
Victor M. GonzalezPracticing Learners and Learning Practitioners
March 10, 2021
"Storytelling isn’t just for qualitative research; it’s also powerful for framing quantitative data to drive decisions."
Roberta Dombrowski Sam Duong WoloszynskiMaking Research a Team Sport
March 11, 2022
"About 200,000 digital health products exist, but only 1% of 1% have FDA clearance for accuracy."
Daniel J. RosenbergDigital Medicine Design
September 26, 2019
"Design system is basically an agreement that helps create a sense of consistency and familiarity in all the UIs that you create."
Jaime CreixemsBest Practices when Creating and Maintaining a Design System
June 7, 2023
"Thick data is the opposite of big data and essential for rescuing lost context."
Tricia WangFrom Users to Shapers of AI: The Future of Research
March 25, 2024
"Proving the value of design is a fool's errand. What matters is your value."
Shahrzad SamadzadehWhat Is My Value? Two Takes and Some Mistakes
January 8, 2024
"Design governance needs to be part of the governance of the entire organization, not segregated to design teams."
Jorge ArangoDesign as an Antidote to VUCA
May 9, 2019
"We do about a hundred free community sessions a year where anyone with membership can attend."
Louis RosenfeldThe Rosenbot and the Rosenverse: An AMA with Lou Rosenfeld
June 5, 2024
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What cultural shifts are necessary for true cross-functional operations to thrive in large organizations?
How did the Lab balance flexibility for individual project documentation with the need for an integrated knowledge system?
What are the key pillars to measure success in a business process transformation involving design?