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[silentsaturdays]

Design, Wondering About The Future

Speculative design is a design practice that uses design to explore possible future scenarios and alternatives. It is a way of thinking about the future that is not limited to predicting it, but rather seeks to actively shape it.

At its core, speculative design is about asking "what if?" questions and using design to explore the implications of those questions. This can be done through a variety of means, including storytelling, prototyping, and scenario planning.

One of the key principles of speculative design is to challenge assumptions and conventions. By asking "what if?" questions, speculative designers are able to explore alternative futures that may challenge our current ways of thinking. This allows us to better understand the potential consequences of our actions, and to make more informed decisions about the future.

Another principle of speculative design is to focus on the human experience. Rather than simply predicting technological advancements, speculative design considers how those advancements might impact people and society. By taking a human-centered approach, speculative designers are able to create designs that are not only technologically feasible, but also socially and ethically responsible.

In addition to challenging assumptions and focusing on the human experience, speculative design also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and co-creation. Rather than working in isolation, speculative designers often work with a diverse range of stakeholders, including experts in fields such as science, technology, and social sciences. This allows them to gain a broader perspective and to create designs that are grounded in reality.

Overall, the principles of speculative design are focused on using design as a tool for exploring and shaping the future. By challenging assumptions, focusing on the human experience, and collaborating with others, speculative designers are able to create designs that are not only innovative, but also socially and ethically responsible.

[silentsaturdays]

Integrating Circular Design in Teams

Circular design, also known as "cradle to cradle" design, is a way of thinking about the entire lifecycle of a product or system. It focuses on designing products and systems that are not only sustainable, but also actively beneficial to the environment.

When it comes to implementing circular design in teams, there are a few key steps to follow:

1. Educate your team members about circular design and its benefits. This will help them understand why it is important and how it fits into the overall goals of the team.

2. Identify the areas where circular design can be applied within your team's work. This could include product design, supply chain management, or waste reduction initiatives.

3. Develop a circular design plan that outlines specific actions and goals for incorporating circular design into your team's work. Be sure to involve all team members in this process and seek their input and feedback.

4. Implement the plan and track your progress. This will help you identify any challenges or obstacles, and allow you to make adjustments as needed.

5. Celebrate your successes and share your learnings with others. Circular design is a relatively new concept, and sharing your experiences and successes can help others learn from your team's experience.

Overall, integrating circular design into teams requires a commitment to education, planning, and collaboration. By following these steps, your team can take a proactive approach to incorporating circular design into its work and making a positive impact on the environment.

[silentsaturdays]

Why Sustainability in UX?

Sustainable user experience is an approach to designing and developing digital products and services that prioritize the long-term sustainability of both the environment and the user. This approach seeks to create positive and lasting impacts on both the natural world and the people who use the products, by considering the full lifecycle of a product or service and its potential effects on both the environment and the user.

It is important to consider the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its lifecycle, from the materials and resources used in its creation, to its use and disposal. This means using eco-friendly materials and resources wherever possible, and designing products that are easy to repair, upgrade, and recycle, in order to reduce waste and minimize the environmental impact.

It also prioritizes the long-term wellbeing of the user. This means designing products and services that are easy to use, intuitive, and accessible, and that support the user's physical, mental, and emotional health. This can include features like personalized recommendations and recommendations, as well as tools and resources that help the user to manage their digital life in a way that is healthy and sustainable.

In order to create sustainable user experiences, it is important for designers and developers to work closely with users, stakeholders, and experts in the field. This collaborative approach allows for the development of products and services that are truly sustainable, and that meet the needs of both the user and the environment. By considering the long-term impacts of their work, designers and developers can create digital products and services that are both sustainable and user-friendly.

In conclusion, this is an essential approach to design and development that prioritizes the long-term sustainability of both the environment and the user. By considering the full lifecycle of a product or service, and working collaboratively with users and stakeholders, designers and developers can create digital products and services that are both sustainable and user-friendly. This approach is important for ensuring the long-term health and wellbeing of both the natural world and the people who use digital products and services.

[silentsaturdays]

World Mental Health Day

“Whilst the pandemic has, and continues to, take its toll on our mental health, the ability to reconnect through World Mental Health Day 2022 will provide us with an opportunity to re-kindle our efforts to protect and improve mental health. Many aspects of mental health have been challenged; and already before the pandemic in 2019 an estimated one in eight people globally were living with a mental disorder. At the same time, the services, skills and funding available for mental health remain in short supply, and fall far below what is needed, especially in low and middle income countries.“ Source: World Health Organization

On the occasion of Mental Health Day, I’ll be sharing the outstanding Mental Health Patterns for design. The Library began as a design sprint hosted by Snook and the Public Policy Lab. Since then, it has turned into a community of more than 200 people around the world, all invested in providing the best digital mental health support that they can.

Apps, websites and social networks are well-known to provide both advantages and risks that may impact severely users’ mental health (let’s use as an example research suggesting the relationship between depression and social networks, virtual violence and harassment, mobbing, among many others), with this in mind, we must take responsibility when creating experiences and make sure we provide safe spaces independently of the type of project we’re working on.

Mental Health Patterns rely on principles that are well supported by patterns proven effective to be reused, and examples to go into deeper detail.

Listen and respond

Make it human

Give control

Be clear

Adapt to changing needs

Create a safe space

Be reliable and consistent

When I think of all the possible situations affecting human psychology in the human computer interaction, the importance of applying a mental health approach goes further into the field of accessibility (for example, in the case of inability caused by any mental condition, that could have potential triggers such as the effect of parallax on the vestibular system), being one of the many aspects that are directly or indirectly affected. We can also reflect on the many emotions, thoughts and feelings that are involved during an uncertain financial transaction, when entering a password in a confusing form, or when we submit our personal information without having a clear understanding of the purpose and storage, not to mention our privacy when sharing pictures or videos on the internet. These many examples can give you a starting point on how much you can spot opportunities for improvement in the quality of users’ mental health when providing an experience.

You can read the whole library here https://designpatternsformentalhealth.org/

[silentsaturdays]

Our Role in Social and Ecological Challenges - Transforming Denial and Grief

This afternoon, I made a pause to take a look at the landscape through my window and saw a beautiful strange but unsettling reddish orange sky, not like the one from dreamy sunsets. I read later on in the news that the strong winds brought ashes from fires coming from three different locations near my city. The view reminded me to give any starting point to this blog, a resource for reviews, insights and thoughts on my recurring concerning topics: sustainability, wellbeing, mental health and social impact from the designer’s place.  

News about the consequences of our activity in the world can be so disheartening that can ultimately lead people to burnout, denial, or any other situation that prevents them from taking action, continuing working on those issues, and educating colleagues. We have plenty of resources thanks to the effort of design and tech communities who gathered during long periods to work together in methodologies that allow including our current and future challenges in the scope of our work. 

Source: El Trece

The amount of information and negative news can be so vast that Climate Anxiety is unfortunately a common thing right now. I found in Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to the Work That Reconnects by ecologist and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy and Molly Young Brown (which you can buy here) a wonderful tool for everyone who wants to face the upcoming challenges with a mindset that balances both positivity and acceptance. 

“The Work that Reconnects has spread around the world, inspiring hundreds of thousands to work toward a life-sustaining human culture. Coming Back to Life introduces the Work's theoretical foundations, illuminating the angst of our era with extraordinary insight. Pointing the way forward out of apathy, it offers personal counsel as well as easy-to-use methods for group work that profoundly affect peoples' outlook and ability to act in the world.” (Amazon)

By allowing ourselves to acknowledge our thoughts, emotions and feelings we can leave denial and inaction to move onto a place of co-creation, building networks and strengthening our bonds to find solutions that benefit us all. I take this into the design practice where we can all put together our knowledge to map and assess the impact of services and products to transition them into solutions that improve our lives and also benefit future generations life quality. In this way, you can put all your skills and knowledge in a mindful way, at the service of your users and stakeholders, without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the issue you may be tackling. The book includes a wide range of workshops that can be carried out in groups with a variety of objectives and exercises, as well as an analysis of the many challenges for our subjective experience of the current situation in our world. I find this book a precious tool for everyone working in any role, from leaders to individuals wanting to take action, and to incorporate in everyday’s life.  

With this wonderful book a welcome you into a blog of resources, advice, and shared knowledge that I hope you find useful in your professional journey. Thank you for reading.