About [via Sustainable Web Design Community Group]

The Sustainable Web is a framework for integrating various aspects of web design
and development to increase the long-term sustainability of the web itself. The
goal of the group is to develop a framework for the web, apps, and online games
similar to sustainability frameworks in other design professions, e.g.
Architecture.

While improving efficiency at the hardware level (e.g. "green" server farms) is
important, the group takes the position that Design is the Problem. Re-thinking
Design is the only way to create a web that is more efficient, has a smaller
carbon footprint, and increases access and inclusion.

Read more about Design as the Problem in Nate Shredoff's great book on the
topic:

Nathan Shedroff’s “Design is the Problem”:

http://www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/sustainable-design/

Tim Frick provided a good intro to the concept at his recent Ted Talk:

https://youtu.be/qW75oJszcws

You can see discussions of specific topics at the SustainableUx website - how
Experience Designers can combat climate change:

http://sustainableux.com

Here's a video of the Sustainable Ux conference:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrJVv8APJhWmHnDXE7xIns5RjAmos1Nj7

 

Relation to other Sustainability Frameworks

There are many other frameworks in other areas of design, a few of which are
listed here:

However, there are many useful ideas in the following frameworks:

 The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
 Sustainability Helix
 Cradle2Cradle
 Biomimicry
 The Living Principles
 Wendy Jedlicka’s Books

 Sustainable Graphic Design
 Sustainable Packaging



 

Here is a possible breakdown of sustainable principles for the web, game and
interactive world, adapted from the list developed by Nathan Shredoff in his
book, Design is the Problem: The Future of Design Must Be Sustainable:



General Sustainability Principle
Sustainable Web Design Goals


Make meaningful products
Make websites that are have real value, not fashion or tech-tricks


Easy design rollback
Iterative or Agile design workflow


Source Renewable Materials
 Switch to a “Green” webhost


Design products to work in the future
 Implement classic design strategies


Design with the user in mind
 Create effective User Experience (UX)


Ensure democratic access
 Build accessible, responsive websites


Interchangable Parts
Apply standards-based design


Minimize energy and resource consumption
Web Performance Optimization (WPO)


Don’t corrupt the virtual system
 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)



Another possible formulation for sustainable web design comes from the
Permaculture movement. Here is a list from the Staydiligent blog with some
additions by myself:



Permaculture Sustainability Principle
Sustainable Web Design Goals


Observe and Interact
Build sites as part of an interdependent community


Catch and store energy
Cache information, update sites rather the build completely new ones


Obtain a yield
The site should provide positive value to the client, and larger web community,
not a time or money sink


Apply self-regulation and accept feedback
The site should have “reporter” technology for use, efficiency and
ultimately carbon footprint can be tracked and used for revisions


Use and value renewable resources and services
Use efficient virtual services (e.g. green webhosts)


Produce no waste
Sites should be steady-state, not causing an accumulation of e-junk (files,
stored data) in themselves or on the Internet


Design from patterns to details
Start with group-design techniques like Progressive Enhancement


Integrate rather than segregate
Connect your site to others, and create value by interconnection of websites
instead of portal-style content provisions


Use small & slow solutions
Design for the low end first, instead of starting with the bleeding edge


Use & value diversity
Use local designers, developers, webhosts of big “cloud” services with low
green scores


Use edges & value the marginal
Support communication at the edges – old browsers, platforms, slow networks


Creatively use & respond to change
Use, don’t avoid new technologies that promise sustainability, e.g. imageless
design with CSS



-Pete Markiewicz



----------

This post sent on Sustainable Web Design Community Group



'About'

https://www.w3.org/community/sustyweb/2016/03/20/about/



Learn more about the Sustainable Web Design Community Group: 

https://www.w3.org/community/sustyweb

Received on Sunday, 20 March 2016 14:49:43 UTC