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
"If you build accessible shopping with these four keys, compliance with legal standards like WCAG will naturally fall into place."
Sam ProulxOnline Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
October 3, 2023
"Draw your ideas, draw your ideas — it unlocked a skill I never thought I had and made my ideas have more traction."
Mujtaba HameedFrameworks for Excellence: Using Visual Thinking and Communication to Elevate Your Research
March 26, 2024
"Distinguishing design ops from design leadership and management is a big, messy space we want to bring clarity to."
John Calhoun Rachel PosmanBring your DesignOps Story to Life! The Definitive DesignOps Book Jam
October 3, 2023
"Every few years consultants come in and tidy up our mess, but as soon as they leave, we mess it all up again."
Peter MorvilleThe Architecture of Understanding
May 13, 2015
"Having questions about team happiness broken into person, team and product helps clear up confusion in large organizations."
Tess DixonC'mon Get Happy
September 29, 2021
"Use these tools to define who you are going to hire next and what gaps those hires need to fill."
Holly ColeUnderstanding Experiences: When you have to do more than work
November 8, 2018
"The layer cake framework helps notice where and what kind of power actually resides in systems."
Shanti Mathew Natalie Sims Natalia RadywylCivic Design at Scale: Introducing the Public Policy Layer Cake
December 9, 2021
"Combining customer journey mapping and jobs to be done gave us a clear set of opportunities stemming directly from the garage’s reality."
Tamara KartoziiaThink global, adapt local: how service design accelerated B2B market entry by 6 months
November 20, 2025
"Limited time and money is not unique to design ops; it’s every single function I’ve ever seen."
Kristin Skinner Kamdyn MooreGroup Activity: A Deep Dive Into Value and Outcomes
October 23, 2019
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What does the mandala metaphor tell us about the temporary nature of service design artifacts?
How can service design move beyond artifact creation to become a strategic partner in organizational change?
How can service design and design ops collaborate intentionally to increase UX service capacity?