Dark UX vs Sustainable UX

1. How
How Good UX Designers
Can Help Save the Planet:
Dark UX Patterns vs. Sustainable UX
World Usability Day 2018
Jill Vacarra

2. Here I am!

3. Together, we share the ultimate User Experience living on Planet Earth.
Photo: NASA

4. Climate Denial:
DARKEST Pattern.
Ever.

5. UX designers help create the future.
We have the power to fight dark UX patterns
and the darkness of climate change denial.
We have the power to advocate for the
user and for a more useful, usable, delightful
and sustainable world for all.

8. 2010 2005 2007 2013
2006 1998 2002 2003 2011
2014
2012
2015 20092016
17 of the 18 Hottest Years on Record Have
Occurred Since the Year 2001
2004 2001
2017
Data: NASA/GISS

9. 201420152016
The Hottest of All Have Been the Last Four Years
2017
Data: NASA/GISS

10. Ellicott City, Maryland
May 27, 2018
© 2018 Jennifer Royal/Storyful

11. Good news:
We have the solutions at hand!

12. Green Energy Progress
How Do Projections Compare With Reality?
2000 Projection
By 2017 that goal
was exceeded by
a factor of
Worldwide
wind capacity
will reach 30
GW by 2010
Reality
18 x
Data: International Energy Agency; Global Wind Energy Council; Bloomberg New Energy Finance

13. Every hour the Earth gets as much energy from the sun as
we need to run the entire global economy for a full year.
Photo: NASA

14. Solar Energy Progress
How Do Projections Compare With Reality?
2002 Projection
The solar
energy market
will grow one
gigawatt per
year by 2010
Reality
17 x
The reality is
that goal was
exceeded by
Source: Fresh-Energy; Bloomberg New Energy Finance

15. Solar Energy Progress
How Do Projections Compare With Reality?
2002 Projection
The solar
energy market
will grow one
gigawatt per
year by 2010
Reality
98 x
In 2017 it was
exceeded by
Source: Fresh-Energy; Bloomberg New Energy Finance

16. Cost of Clean Energy Technologies in the U.S.
-100%
-80%
-60%
-40%
-20%
0%
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Data: Natural Resources Defense Council
Residential PV
Utiilty-scale PV
Wind
EV Batteries
LED Lightbulbs
- 55%
- 75%
- 79%
- 71%
- 94%

17. In the 2015 Paris Agreement,
every nation in the world agreed
to work together to achieve net zero
greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century
The U.S. cannot legally withdraw until
the day after the 2020 Presidential election.

18. Over 140 global companies have made
a commitment to go 100% renewable

19. Auto Manufacturers Are Moving to Electric Vehicles
Companies with Electric Models in Production
Aixam
Aston Martin
Audi
BAIC
BMW
Bolloré
Buddy Electric
BYD
ChangAn
Chery
Chevy
Citroën
Citydom GmbH
CODA
Daimler
Exagon
Fiat
Fisker
Ford
Geely
GM
Goupil
Honda
Hyundai
JAC
Kandi
Kantanka
Kia
Kyburz
Mahindra
Mercedes-Benz
Mitsubishi
Mullen
NIO
Nissan
Opel
Peugeot
Qiantu
Rayttle
Renault
$mart
Subaru
Tata
Tesla
Toyota
Trumpchi
Venturi
Volkswagen
Zotye
Data: Bloomberg New Energy Finance, EVObsession

20. Time to illuminate our industry’s
dark & dirty data secrets

21. The internet is the biggest thing ever built.
It’s on the way to becoming the largest
C02 emitter on Earth after the U.S., China,
and India..And it’s mostly powered by coal.
Data: Sustainable UX

22. The internet’s data centers alone
may already have the same C02
footprint as global air travel.

23. Every MINUTE we create:
300
hours
510,000
comments
350,000
tweets
Data: Sustainable UX, Amanda Sopkin

24. One Bitcoin transaction uses as much
energy as your house uses in a week!
Bitcoin alone could push global temperatures
over the 2-degree catastrophic threshold by 2033.

25. Be a sustainable
UX superhero
6 ways to fight
the darkness

26. 1. Do good UX and you do
good for users and planet.

27. 2. Discuss sustainable product
development with your team.

28. 3. Evaluate new technology
from an ethical and
sustainable POV.

29. 4. Lower your carbon
footprint as a UX pro
and user advocate.

30. The typical American is responsible
for creating about 18 tons of C02 a year.

31. Adjustment
Est. C02 Savings
~23 lbs
Replace your iPhone every 3 years
instead of every 2 years.

32. Adjustment
Est. C02 Savings
~396 lbs
Replace your laptop every 4 years
instead of every 2 years.

33. Adjustment
Est. C02 Savings
~240 lbs
Meet via online conference instead of
driving to every client meeting
(save 500 driving miles/year)

34. Adjustment
Est. C02 Savings
~364 lbs
Drink black coffee instead of a latte
2x/day for 365 days.

35. Save fewer files on cloud storage.
Why?
Saving a local file to a hard drive takes1-millionth
of the energy as saving a file to the cloud.
Adjustment

36. 5. Invest Wisely! Work with
companies and on projects
that are ethical and sustainable.

37. 6. Volunteer your UX & design
expertise to organizations
fighting climate change.

38. • Climate change IS happening.
• Humanity has the tools & tech NOW to fight climate change.
• As UX pros:
• Avoid Dark Patterns and loss of user control.
• Do Good UX so your work is usable AND sustainable.
• Discuss and practice sustainable product development.
• Evaluate new tech from an ethics and sustainability POV.
• Lower your carbon footprint as a UX pro.
• Invest wisely with your time and skills.
• Volunteer your skills to help fight climate change.
Summary

39. Fight the darkness!
Use your UX
superpowers
to advocate for users,
the planet and our future.
Give them back the choice.

40. Your world depends on itPhoto: NASA

41. Resources
Planet Friendly Web Guide
Sustainable UX
Book: Designing for Sustainability (by Tim Frick, O’Reilly Media)
Green UX: Is Your UI Harming the Environment?
How Your iPhone Is Heating Up the Planet
How Bad Are Bananas
Climate Reality Project Training
LA Chapter of The Climate Reality Project
UX Worker C02 Sheet
websitecarbon.com

42. Get in touch at:
jvacarra@gmail.com
@jvacarra
Photo: Jaw Lee