Digital Sustainability Workshop

Designed and facilitated interactive digital workshops applying UX methods to uncover the environmental impact of digital products.

Role

UX Strategy, Workshop Design, Facilitation

Team

UX Designers, UX Researchers, Developers, Students

Tools

Excel, Miro, PowerPoint, Figjam

Executive Summary

Interactive Learning Design

This workshop introduced new UX methods for visualizing and addressing the environmental impact of digital products. By educating both internal teams at Intel and external participants at Elisava Barcelona School of Design, the initiative aimed to raise awareness among designers and developers about the hidden environmental costs of digital experiences. The effort culminated in a published article on Bootcamp on Medium, titled Applying UX methods to uncover and depict the environmental impact of digital products.

30% of top 25 apps
disclosed environmental pledges
Scored 25 apps across 10+
environmental-impact attributes
Mapped energy impacts
through usage journey
4 major insights
from cross-team activity

My Medium Article

Applying UX methods to uncover and depict the environmental impact of digital products

Read the Medium article published on the workshop in Bootcamp, exploring how UX methods can be used to visualize and understand the environmental impact of digital products.

Read Article

The Tension Points

Environmental Impact Blindness

The environmental impact of digital products is often overlooked in the design process, with traditional UX methods not equipped to reveal or evaluate energy consumption and environmental costs.

Missing Sustainable Design Tools

Designers and developers lack actionable tools and approaches to understand and mitigate the environmental effects of their work, leaving a critical gap in sustainable design thinking.

Limited Environmental Transparency

Only 30% of top digital applications disclose environmental pledges, making it difficult to assess and compare the sustainability impact of different digital products and services.

Strategic Approach

Environmental Impact Assessment Framework

Developed a comprehensive scoring system to evaluate 25 popular applications across 10+ environmental-impact attributes, creating a visual representation of digital product sustainability.

Journey Mapping Integration

Integrated environmental impact data with user journey maps to visualize energy consumption patterns throughout daily digital activities, revealing peak impact moments.

Interactive Workshop Methodology

Created interactive digital workshop formats that enable designers and developers to understand and address environmental impact through hands-on collaboration and visualization.

Process & Methodology

Research & Discovery

Identified key gaps in how environmental impact is currently addressed in digital product design. Conducted background research on digital carbon footprints and sustainability metrics, using Excel to organize supporting data.

Design & Iteration

Developed a hands-on workshop format using journey mapping and impact assessments to connect design decisions with energy use. Designed an interactive activity in FigJam to help participants visualize user behavior and associated environmental costs.

Implementation & Results

The workshop was conducted internally at Intel and externally at Elisava School of Design, successfully raising awareness and equipping participants with practical tools. Insights and methods were shared in a widely read article on Bootcamp on Medium.

Impact

Environmental Awareness & Education

The digital workshop successfully raised awareness about environmental impact in digital product design, equipping participants with practical tools and methodologies to assess and reduce their digital carbon footprint.

Before the Workshop

  • Limited awareness of digital carbon impact
  • No systematic approach to environmental assessment
  • Design decisions made without sustainability consideration
  • Lack of practical tools for impact measurement

After the Workshop

  • Increased environmental consciousness in design
  • Practical frameworks for impact assessment
  • Sustainability integrated into design decisions
  • Tools and methods for ongoing measurement

Visual Assets

Figma Workshop Board

Interactive Figma workshop board for collaborative learning and ideation

Workshop Scorecard

Digital scorecard and assessment tools for workshop outcomes

Learning Scorecards

Comprehensive learning scorecards and progress tracking

Tools & Technologies

Figjam

Interactive Design

Miro

Collaborative Boards

Digital Tools

Collaboration Platform

Facilitation

Workshop Methods