UX Design & sustainability, creative awareness

We are now fully aware that our habits have an impact on our own lands, seas and skies. But one can also question their influence on… the internet carbon footprint.

NASA

Our global network is responsible for “2% of global greenhouse gas emissions” [1] (GHGE). So the same way we now should take under consideration sunscreen composition [2] or be careful with seasonal food [3], it might soon be recommended to take CO2 emission into account when designing websites.

Such guidance should not be taken as a lesson where missed steps are pointed out through our increased number of technological breakthroughs. On the contrary, because this is likely to please clients as much as users, but also creative professionals. 

Make best practice conscious 

When looking into environmental issues for content creation, it does not necessarily have to be a burden, as it reduces website pages’ “weight” and enhances loading time. A great plus, especially for viewers – whose quality of experience orientates designers’ and content managers’ decisions. And considering the whole sound and eco-friendly era we are leaping in, conceiving a design fitting ecological requirements is likely to be praised.

For designers or webmasters, this is an additional way to make their choice more understandable to inexpert clients or colleagues.

For instance, it illustrates how it is not mandatory nor practical to attract visitors’ attention by through floating elements, fade, or using other effects that seem fancy to one’s eye. The key is to focus on a content going straight to the point.

Other than multiple effects, numerous pages are another bane for website building and our air quality. As a Digital Consultant for SMBs, I witnessed old websites with pages dedicated to a Google Maps tool, internal or external links only. Whether this was the fruit of a professional or a business owner's work, this is a loss of time, human and natural energy – not to say of sense. Visitors are not browsing to see one element on a page, neither are search engine’s bots. Gathering strategic information means saving time on sitemap planning, ensuring fewer carbon emissions in the future and optimising user experience as well as SEO.

The heavier, the lower 

Today, venturing to use a lot of content is no longer a high-ranking pledge.

Other creative aspect of website making and maintenance is content management. This goes from copywriting management to a cautious colour choice and selecting pictures regarding their weight.  

Firstly, choosing light files and a short but accurate text from the early phase can guarantee the most efficient loading. And when going back to basics, to remind ourselves the primary objective of web pages, we realise embracing Social Responsibility is a win-win strategy. Renewed quality content and optimisation do create traffic, and the requirements to make it possible are advancing with our century’s concerns.

Regarding copywriting strategy for instance, the era of filling the blanks is finally over! As marketing specialist Neil Patel underlines, it is now handier to adapt word selection and count to both your sector and audience. This ensures that analytics go along with your expectations. That way, users will not lose themselves in long readings, and content creators will be more passionate about writing for their customers or readership. 

Images and colours choices are also challenged. Lossless compression enables the use of lighter images and fewer pixels [4]. Unifying your colour palette is judicious too since it can reinforce your brand image, while the planet will be thanking you for not implementing an over consuming website.  

Design tools: back to Stone Age, or “a giant leap for mankind”? 

Using and creating less can feel like going backwards in a time where thousands of tools are accessible. But it is acknowledged that even an email produces around 4 grams of CO2, so it appears we got carried away regarding technology advances. 

Our learning path implies mistakes, and following recommendations to use less can be seen as a challenge to rethink our tools. From enhanced design software to better Quality Assessment guidance and an improved, more conscious education, if the industry starts caring and helping creatives make more sustainable products, where is the limit? 

GreenIT, a French initiative, is an example of professionals taking a step into reducing the digital world influence on our environment.

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[1] Already in 2015, Adam Vaughan from The Guardian exposed that datacenters used by digital giants are producing as much CO² as airplanes. Which will be growing with digital demand.

[2] A 2008 study from the Environmental Health Perspectives, conducted by Professor R. Danovaro, shows that sunscreen contributes in “aquatic organisms” contamination.

[3] Consuming food produced in its original season is an effective method to save energy in our day to day diet, explains “Seasonality and dietary requirements” of J.I. Macdiarmid (2014).

[4] For whichever data, algorithms programmed for lossless compression keep its quality unchanged during the process. Wikipédia – Lossless compression.