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Summary
Our fifth Climate UX discussion dives into fundamentals in climate tech. What are the technical primitives that underpin climate tech? What should we consider when working with complex data models and math? What ethical considerations are we integrating into these foundations? How do we balance innovation with inclusion to ensure we are preventing harm? Join us for a conversation about first principles thinking in the climate tech space. Panelists: Dem Gerolemou, Neef Rehman; Moderated by: Alexis Oh
Key Insights
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Trust is a foundational primitive in climate tech UX, essential at every stage from design to user interaction.
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Uncertainty is a unique challenge in climate tech, requiring designers to communicate probabilistic and model-based data effectively.
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Working with expert users in climate tech demands meeting them at their level while also making systems accessible to the general public.
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Many UX approaches from other complex fields like healthcare are transferable to climate tech, especially user research and risk management frameworks.
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Aligning incentives is key to making climate-positive behaviors easier and more attractive than alternatives for users.
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Naive or provocative design prototypes are valuable to explore undefined climate tech problems and provoke interdisciplinary conversation.
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Stakeholder engagement in climate tech must broaden beyond experts to include affected communities and the general public, despite selection biases.
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Balancing speed of innovation with business viability and trustworthiness presents a significant design and ethical tension in climate tech.
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The beneficiaries of climate tech solutions often differ from the users, necessitating design that focuses on user needs to maximize overall impact.
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A planet-centric design mindset expands traditional user-centric design to account for broader ecological impacts and unintended consequences.
Notable Quotes
"AI is just a tool. Behind it is complex technology working with data models, not magic."
"Tolerance to uncertainty is one of the biggest considerations working in climate tech compared to other fields."
"Making the hard thing easier to do is essential for encouraging positive climate behavior."
"Trust is not just something you build once; it’s something you maintain and treat as foundational."
"Asking stupid questions when working with experts can lead to reframing and breakthroughs."
"There’s a risk of changing expert interfaces that work well just for the sake of innovation."
"Climate tech requires intentionality and zooming out to understand broader impacts beyond immediate problems."
"Design should protect users from engaging directly with the complicated scientific systems whenever possible."
"The real challenge is not only designing technology but making it understandable for both experts and the public."
"Being a newcomer without technical baggage can be a strength in imagining better climate solutions."
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