Sustainability Awareness in Design Bridging the gap between design research and practice Outi Ugas, Kausaali OyTrends and Future of 10 June 2011 Cindy Kohtala, Aalto University Sustainable Development Tampere

Introduction and motivation The expanding role of design Survey framework and initial findings Discussion Contents Outi Ugas, Kausaali Trends and Future of 10 June 2011 Cindy Kohtala, Aalto University Sustainable Development Tampere

Social Transformation Design DESIGN 4.0 Product / Service Design DESIGN 2.0 Organizational Transformation Design DESIGN 3.0 Traditional Design DESIGN 1.0 The landscape of design practice and design education (Source: NextDesign Leadership Institute, GK VanPatter and Elizabeth Pastor)

The various roles of the designer and representative statements on design (Source: Valtonen 2007) Typical statement on design The design processTypical role for designer “Global competition and renewal” “China phenomenon” Design as innovation driver Vision 2000s Innovation & competitiveness Strategy Roadmaps Product definition The entire product development process Product aesthetics, styling 1990s Brand building 1980s Design management 1970s The rise of ergonomics 1960s Involving industry 1950s Promoting the nation “Total experience design – from concept to retail” “Our product portfolio is consistent” “The user (be it a child or elderly) is the most important” “Design as part of the industrial product development process” “We got a prize in Milan” Design for creating experiences for customers Design as coordinator Design for user understanding Design as part of a team together with mechanics and marketing Designer as a creator

Traditional Design Value Profit/revenue Ergonomics Function Aesthetics User need(s) User desire Community need(s) Resource productivity Usability Accessibility User experience Regenerative capacity Safety (user) Safety (planet) TIME BUSINESS USABILITY RESPONSIBILITY Quality Brand building Innovation driver Design Value in a Sustainable Society

Traditional Design Jurisdiction Profit/revenue Function Aesthetics Community need(s) Resource productivity Safety (planet) DESIGN 2.0 DESIGN 3.0 DESIGN 4.0 Innovation driver Creative fulfilment (designer) Creative fulfilment (user) DESIGN 1.0 Societal need(s) TIME Brand building Regional and national brand building User need(s) Product/service life cycle Dematerialization strategies Company differentiation strategies Safety (user) Product-service system Ecosystem Product/service Design Jurisdiction in a Sustainable Society

What is “good design”?

Five level framework for planning in complex systems: 1.System 2.Success 3.Strategy 4.Actions 5.Tools & measures >> Design is target-oriented action towards some goal, conscious and/or unconscious. How to define success in design?

Five level framework for planning in complex systems: 1.System 2.Success 3.Strategy 4.Actions 5.Tools & measures >> Design is target-oriented action towards some goal, conscious and/or unconscious. How to measure success in design?

Five level framework for planning in complex systems: 1.System 2.Success 3.Strategy 4.Actions 5.Tools = measures >> Design is target-oriented action towards some goal, conscious and/or unconscious. What are the characteristics of the system that designers work within?

What does “good design” mean in a sustainable society?

What is success in sustainability? In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to… 1. … systematically increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the earth's crust. 2.… systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced by society. 3.… systematically increasing degradation by physical means. And in a sustainable society, 4.… people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs. (e.g. Robèrt et al, 2002; Robèrt 2009)

The survey: How to measure success in design?

Dimensions

Survey Framework

1. Designer’s competence/capability in responsibility issues 2. Designers and ethics 3. Paying attention to the value chain 4. How designers consider the user’s fundamental needs Initial findings

3. Paying attention to the value chain

Findings and conclusions The commonly acknowledged strengths = the actual characteristics of design The gap between a sense of global responsibility and the focus on the user PSS in design mainstream >> potential danger that we will lose sight of products and production The designer’s own perceived jurisdiction smaller than it could be (or should be) Research challenges:  strategic link between everyday business practice and addressing the macro needs of both the ecosystem and the society  unpacking the meaning of social sustainability and the layers of the social tissue in terms of user/community/society needs

Aminoff, Christian – Hänninen, Timo – Kämäräinen, Mikko – Loiske, Janne (2010) The Changed Role of Design. Ministry of Employment and the Economy. retrieved 9 July Max-Neef, Manfred A. (1991) Human Scale Development: Conception, Application and Further Reflections. New York: The Apex Press. Robèrt, Karl-Henrik – Schmidt-Bleek, B. – Aloisi de Larderel, J. – Basile, G. – Jansen, J.L. – Kuehr, R. – Price Thomas, P. – Suzuki, M. – Hawken, P. – Wackernagel, M. (2002) ‘Strategic sustainable development – selection, design and synergies of applied tools’, Journal of Cleaner Production Vol. 10(3), 197–214. Robèrt, Karl-Henrik (2009) Real change through backcasting from sustainability principles: presentation of an international research programme built on a unifying Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). Progress in Industrial Ecology, an International Journal Vol. 6(3), Ugas, Outi (2011) Designers and responsibility – How to measure success in design? (unpublished research report, forthcoming). Faculty of Information Technology, University of Jyväskylä. Valtonen, Anna (2007) Redefining Industrial Design: Changes in the Design Practice in Finland. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland. Sources

Outi UgasCindy Kohtala Kausaali OyAalto University School of Art & DesignHelsinki, Finland Thank you!

What is success in sustainability? In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to… (1) … systematically increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the earth's crust. (2) … systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced by society. (3) … systematically increasing degradation by physical means. And in a sustainable society, (4) … people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs. (e.g. Robèrt et al, 2002; Robèrt 2009) System Strategy Actions Tools Success