Design for Sustainability : Beyond Design

The pandemic has provided crucial insights, underscoring the urgent need for a more sustainable future. Sustainability represents a holistic and ethical approach aimed at achieving a harmonious coexistence between humanity and the natural world. Design for sustainability involves crafting meaningful and enduring experiences that benefit both people and the planet, going beyond simple aesthetics and functionality. To make genuine progress, it is essential to foster a culture of sustainable design that encourages us to expand our perspective beyond conventional design principles. Companies should shift from superficial design thinking to a focus on establishing a purpose-driven design culture that can generate positive societal impacts.

The world is confronted with a multitude of complex issues that necessitate a departure from traditional design thinking. The design industry requires a revolutionary shift that moves beyond established frameworks to embrace a new paradigm that promotes a sustainable and purpose-driven design culture. Current design practices worldwide often lack sustainability, leading to significant failures such as the $3 billion setback of Elon Musk’s Mars rocket, the Boeing 737 Max tragedies, the unfortunate Titan submersible incident, Citibank’s $500 million loss due to an ineffective loan management tool, and the $2 trillion F-35 program. These setbacks can largely be traced back to shortcomings in critical thinking, personal integrity, empathy, resilience, and creativity among designers, as well as the lack of a robust design framework.

Technology companies should prioritize cultivating a purpose-driven design culture as a fundamental capability for achieving sustainable growth and securing a competitive advantage. These organizations seek not only financial success but also a significant positive impact on society. They endeavor to comprehend not only customer preferences but also the deeper motivations behind those choices.

To create a more sustainable future, we need to implement a new design methodology that emphasizes the development of intelligent, resilient, empathetic, and honest designers. The primary objective is to transcend conventional design practices by adopting a purpose-driven perspective. Throughout this creative journey, designers engage in empathy towards themselves, end users, and the environment, leading to the generation of innovative, imaginative, and transformative design concepts. The aim is to nurture a sustainable design culture that prioritizes the welfare of individuals and the planet. This book explores this innovative design methodology, which extends beyond traditional design to embrace a purpose-driven ethos.