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Summary
The first in a series of discussions centered around Climate UX. On November 15, Rosenfeld hosted a conversation between four UX professionals who have focused their careers around climate tech work. Whether you're looking to pivot your career towards climate tech or adapt your current role to be climate focused, this panel offered valuable perspectives on what it means to work on climate. Panelists: Matt Jones, Olga Khroustaleva, Michael Leggett, Karol Munoz; Moderator, Lou Rosenfeld
Key Insights
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Core UX skills like problem-solving, systems thinking, and storytelling are highly valuable in climate tech, even without advanced climate science knowledge.
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Early-stage climate startups often lack UX and product skills, creating opportunities for designers to profoundly influence product and business directions.
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Actively seeking climate-focused roles and saying yes to diverse opportunities accelerates entry into climate work, as Michael Leggett exemplifies.
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Communicating complex climate problems effectively to scientists, policymakers, and business leaders is a critical UX contribution.
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Climate UX is an emerging field without standardized titles or job descriptions, requiring UX professionals to position themselves flexibly (e.g., as product people).
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Designers can accelerate climate innovation by rapidly prototyping ideas that make abstract technical concepts concrete and understandable.
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Finding a niche that overlaps with personal skills and interests, and being willing to pivot, helps sustain a career in climate UX.
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Systems thinking enables UXers to consider multiple interconnected impacts, such as climate mitigation, biodiversity, and behavioral change.
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Climate work can be fun and creatively fulfilling, similar to the early days of internet design, offering renewed professional excitement.
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Engaging peers within existing roles through educational presentations and conversations can make every job a climate job.
Notable Quotes
"I woke up to my Facebook feed full of pictures of orange skies in California—multiple crises at once—and it became a moral imperative to work on climate."
"I said yes to everything at all related to climate for four months until I found my fit in the space."
"Most science founders don’t really understand product development or who their users are—that's where UX can add huge value."
"You have a lot to offer. You don’t need a PhD to contribute meaningfully in climate work."
"Design is the way we automate processes, make transportation better, and can make the biggest impact on climate."
"Helping visualize the problem clearly and getting everyone on the same page is as important as designing solutions."
"There will rarely be a climate startup job posting that explicitly calls for a UX researcher or designer—position yourself as a product person."
"Every job is a climate job if you choose to find the connection."
"Talking about climate more openly at work and with family is a critical but underused tool for change."
"Designing for climate isn't just about fixes; often the solutions are just better ways of doing things."
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