UX-ploring Sustainability
Timeline:
2022-2023
Hats Worn:
UX Design
UX Research
Project Management
Team:
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Note: Some details have been adapted to respect confidentiality, but the case study reflects the real work and impact.
TL;DR / Quick summary
My Master’s thesis explored what sustainability means in the context of UX design. While sustainability in design is usually discussed through physical outputs like recycled materials or energy savings, it is rarely applied to intangible fields such as UX. I conducted a systematic review of 29 peer-reviewed sources, analysed frameworks like the Double Diamond, and mapped them against the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The outcome was a set of practical recommendations showing how UX designers can embed sustainability into everyday practice — from reducing complexity to aligning design choices with social, economic, and environmental values.
Sustainability has long been a central theme in design, but the focus has almost always been on physical outputs. A product might be praised for using recycled materials. A garment might be measured in litres of water saved. An interior project might be recognised for reducing energy consumption. These are visible, measurable outcomes that make sense in material-driven fields.
UX design, however, does not deal with physical materials in the same way. Our work shapes interactions, behaviours, and systems that live in the digital world. The impact is less visible, but it is no less real. Every decision around usability, engagement, or growth influences how people consume resources, how they access services, and how sustainable those systems can be in the long term.
This gap in perspective became the starting point for my thesis. If sustainability is rarely applied to intangible design fields, then UX designers lack the frameworks to understand their responsibilities and act on them. My goal was to explore how social, economic, and environmental sustainability could be embedded into UX practice in a way that was structured, practical, and actionable.
Problem
The absence of sustainability in UX practice is not due to a lack of relevance, but a lack of structure. Designers often focus on usability, accessibility, or delight, but rarely pause to ask how their work contributes to or detracts from sustainability goals. Unlike in product or fashion design, there are no clear metrics or guidelines for what sustainable UX looks like.
This creates several barriers. Sustainability is often treated as an external responsibility rather than something that can be shaped by digital design. The topic itself feels abstract, with few concrete methods for applying it to research, prototyping, or delivery. And without a shared framework, UX designers are left without the tools to identify where they can make a difference.
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The challenge was to surface these barriers, translate them into actionable insights, and propose ways for sustainability to become part of everyday UX practice rather than an afterthought.
My Role
This was my Master’s thesis, where I worked independently as both researcher and designer. I framed the research questions, reviewed existing literature, conducted interviews and surveys, and analysed the findings. I also designed the frameworks and tools that emerged, translating the research into practical methods for UX designers to integrate sustainability into their work.
The starting point was to ground the research in existing theory. I analysed established UX frameworks like the Double Diamond alongside global sustainability frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This created a shared language to discuss where values of sustainability could intersect with the realities of UX practice.
From there, I conducted a systematic literature review. The focus was on peer-reviewed sources that connected UX design and sustainability, whether directly or through adjacent fields like sustainable interaction design. In total, I reviewed and compared 29 sources, categorising them by themes and frameworks they proposed.
Key areas of emphasis included interaction and sustainable interaction design foundations, designing simultaneously for user needs and sustainability, reducing complexity and cognitive load, and embedding eco-design principles into design education.
This process highlighted both the gaps and the opportunities. It showed how sustainability could be integrated into UX by extending familiar frameworks and practices, while also underscoring the need for practical tools that designers could apply in their daily work.
Combining both the Double Diamond process and UN Sustainable Development Goals gave a comprehensive understanding of UX design in Sustainability
Research Insights
The systematic review of 29 peer-reviewed sources revealed both the opportunities and the blind spots in how sustainability is approached in UX. Several themes emerged:
Sustainability is rarely applied to UX directly
Most research linked sustainability to tangible design fields. In UX, sustainability was often mentioned only in passing, or framed through narrow lenses such as energy efficiency. The absence of comprehensive frameworks reinforced the need for new ways of thinking.
Values and user needs must be designed together
Multiple sources stressed that designing for sustainability cannot be separated from designing for users. Sustainable interaction design showed how user needs and environmental or social goals could be aligned rather than treated as competing priorities.
Reducing load is a sustainability practice
Studies pointed to the importance of minimising complexity and cognitive load. Lighter, simpler interactions not only improve usability but also reduce wasted energy and unnecessary digital consumption.
Education is essential
Several sources highlighted the role of training in eco-design and sustainable interaction design. Without awareness and education, sustainability risks remaining abstract or invisible to practicing designers.
Frameworks already exist, but they are fragmented
There were scattered references to methods and models, from the Double Diamond to Sustainable HCI, but little consensus on how to embed them consistently into UX processes.
Together, these insights showed that while sustainability in UX was underexplored, the building blocks were already present. The challenge was to connect these scattered ideas into something coherent, practical, and usable for designers in their everyday work.
Execution
The insights from the literature review and theoretical analysis were synthesised into practical outputs. My goal was to move sustainability from being an abstract principle into something designers could actively apply.
I mapped sustainability values against the Double Diamond process to show where they could influence each stage of design. In discovery, sustainability meant framing research questions that considered long-term social and environmental impact, not just short-term usability. In definition, it meant aligning problem statements with both user needs and sustainability goals. In development, it meant prototyping with efficiency and inclusivity in mind. And in delivery, it meant considering not only adoption but also long-term use, resource impact, and systemic effects.
I also connected these practices with the UN Sustainable Development Goals to ground them in a recognised global framework. This created a common reference point that designers could use to frame their decisions in relation to broader sustainability targets.
Finally, I proposed methods inspired by sustainable interaction design, including designing for reduced complexity, encouraging sustainable behaviours through interaction patterns, and embedding eco-design principles into training and design education. These methods were not presented as a rigid checklist but as flexible entry points that designers could adopt within their existing workflows.
The result was a set of frameworks and practical recommendations that turned sustainability from something peripheral into something designers could see, measure, and act on throughout the UX process.
A sneak peek of the framework
Outcomes
The thesis contributed one of the few structured explorations of how sustainability can be embedded into UX practice. By mapping values onto established design processes and aligning them with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, it created a framework that gave designers both context and practical entry points.
The review of 29 scholarly sources was consolidated into themes that made sustainability visible in UX where it had previously been overlooked. The work demonstrated that sustainability is not limited to material choices or energy efficiency, but can also be advanced through digital decisions about complexity, inclusivity, behaviours, and long-term system impacts.
In academic terms, the project opened a conversation around sustainability in UX design where very little structured research existed. In practical terms, it offered tools and language that designers could use to bring sustainability considerations into their everyday practice.
This project showed me how powerful UX design can be when it is connected to larger global challenges. It also showed me how underexplored that connection still is. Sustainability in UX will not be solved by a single framework or method, but by consistently questioning how our choices shape behaviours and systems over time.
For me, the biggest lesson was that design has the ability to influence sustainability even when we cannot see it directly. A lighter interaction, a reduced load, or a more inclusive flow all play a role. What matters is recognising that responsibility and choosing to act on it.
The thesis reinforced something I carry into every project now: UX is never just about usability or delight. It is about the long-term impact of what we design, and how it contributes to the kind of world we want to live in.
