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 fourth in a series of discussions centered around Climate UX. The adverse effects of climate disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, but what does this mean in the context of UX? How does accessibility affect climate? What lessons can we draw from the accessibility movement to enhance our efforts in scaling climate action? Join our conversation to hear perspectives from those who have worked at this intersection. Panelists: Ned Gartside, Tzviya Siegman, Zoe Lopez-Latorre; Moderated by: Mike Gifford
Key Insights
-
•
Accessibility principles like simplification and user choice inform sustainable web design successfully.
-
•
Sustainability in digital design is multi-dimensional and cannot be judged by page size alone.
-
•
Video, while data-heavy, can be an energy-efficient and inclusive form of user communication.
-
•
User empowerment can include toggles offering choices between higher and lower carbon footprint options.
-
•
Government digital services exemplify leadership in integrating accessibility and sustainability standards.
-
•
Sustainability adoption succeeds when linked to business outcomes like conversion or user experience.
-
•
There is a shortage of sustainability-trained professionals, but the field is rapidly evolving with new educational resources.
-
•
Digital sustainability responsibilities need to be clearly assigned using maturity models and cross-organizational collaboration.
-
•
Digital impact compounds across millions of users, making even small efficiency gains significant at scale.
-
•
The climate crisis urgency requires applying lessons from accessibility work: combined grassroots efforts and organizational leadership.
Notable Quotes
"Accessibility is a better sell than sustainability when engaging clients."
"We need to have a planet before we can have dignity, and sustainability and accessibility are tied basic human rights."
"There is no direct correlation between data size and energy consumed; many factors interplay."
"User choice can include opting for a higher carbon or lower carbon version of the same content."
"73% of users are willing to choose a more sustainable browsing option even if image quality decreases."
"Sometimes the best solution for users isn't digital - for example, farmers often prefer face-to-face interactions."
"Sustainability can accelerate adoption when it aligns with business impact, like improving conversions."
"You need the whole organization involved, from engineering to marketing to legal, to make sustainability work."
"There are risks that sustainability tools become gatekeepers or quasi-standards themselves, which we must avoid."
"The digital sector’s compounded impact on carbon footprint exceeds industries like airlines when aggregated across millions."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Empathy in design has been too focused on people and often on standardized personas rather than true diversity and marginalized voices."
Christian BasonExpand—Rethinking Design for Public Challenges
September 14, 2022
"Taking care of ourselves first is essential before we can effectively care for others."
Lada GorlenkoTheme 3: Introduction
June 10, 2021
"Design ops is at the heart of how we can achieve outstanding quality and value in design."
Stephen PollardClosing Keynote: Getting giants to dance - what can we learn from designing large and complex public infrastructure?
November 7, 2017
"Ownership of VOC is a hot potato, so we built a coalition with a facilitator to keep it collaborative and effective."
Shipra KayanHow we Built a VoC (Voice of the Customer) Practice at Upwork from the Ground Up
September 30, 2021
"Right sizing research respects communities by matching the scope to what participants can reasonably engage with."
Megan Blocker Amy Bucher Katie Hansen Ricardo Martins Nidhi Singh RathoreDay 2 Theme Panel
March 12, 2025
"Conversations create new language, allowing us to see possibilities that old language couldn’t reveal."
Paul Pangaro, PhDSystems Disciplines: Table Stakes for 21st Century Organizations
June 6, 2023
"Start small and learn in low-stakes ways so you can train the organization to think, act, and react to AI."
Erika FlowersAI-Readiness: Preparing NASA for a Data-Driven, Agile Future
June 10, 2025
"In many cases, we don’t even know what the work is in design ops."
Kristin Skinner Kamdyn Moore8 Types of Measures in Design Operations
April 16, 2020
"Testing and implementation processes require sustainable, acceptable approaches using prototype iterations and user feedback."
Onur Kocan Ayhan EnsiciUnderstanding the Strategy for Civic Design in a Complex City: Istanbul
November 16, 2022
