Rosenverse
Navigating accessibility and climate

Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.

Log in Create free account

100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.

Navigating accessibility and climate

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 • Climate UX Interest Group
Share the love for this talk
Navigating accessibility and climate
Speakers: Ned Gartside , Mike Gifford , Zoe Lopez-Latorre and Tzviya Siegman
Link:

Summary

The fourth in a series of discussions centered around Climate UX. The adverse effects of climate disproportionately affect the most vulnerable, but what does this mean in the context of UX? How does accessibility affect climate? What lessons can we draw from the accessibility movement to enhance our efforts in scaling climate action? Join our conversation to hear perspectives from those who have worked at this intersection. Panelists: Ned Gartside, Tzviya Siegman, Zoe Lopez-Latorre; Moderated by: Mike Gifford  

Key Insights

  • •

    Accessibility principles like simplification and user choice inform sustainable web design successfully.

  • •

    Sustainability in digital design is multi-dimensional and cannot be judged by page size alone.

  • •

    Video, while data-heavy, can be an energy-efficient and inclusive form of user communication.

  • •

    User empowerment can include toggles offering choices between higher and lower carbon footprint options.

  • •

    Government digital services exemplify leadership in integrating accessibility and sustainability standards.

  • •

    Sustainability adoption succeeds when linked to business outcomes like conversion or user experience.

  • •

    There is a shortage of sustainability-trained professionals, but the field is rapidly evolving with new educational resources.

  • •

    Digital sustainability responsibilities need to be clearly assigned using maturity models and cross-organizational collaboration.

  • •

    Digital impact compounds across millions of users, making even small efficiency gains significant at scale.

  • •

    The climate crisis urgency requires applying lessons from accessibility work: combined grassroots efforts and organizational leadership.

Notable Quotes

"Accessibility is a better sell than sustainability when engaging clients."

"We need to have a planet before we can have dignity, and sustainability and accessibility are tied basic human rights."

"There is no direct correlation between data size and energy consumed; many factors interplay."

"User choice can include opting for a higher carbon or lower carbon version of the same content."

"73% of users are willing to choose a more sustainable browsing option even if image quality decreases."

"Sometimes the best solution for users isn't digital - for example, farmers often prefer face-to-face interactions."

"Sustainability can accelerate adoption when it aligns with business impact, like improving conversions."

"You need the whole organization involved, from engineering to marketing to legal, to make sustainability work."

"There are risks that sustainability tools become gatekeepers or quasi-standards themselves, which we must avoid."

"The digital sector’s compounded impact on carbon footprint exceeds industries like airlines when aggregated across millions."

Ask the Rosenbot
Jemma Ahmed
Theme Three Intro
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Nalini P. Kotamraju
An Organizational Story: Salesforce Lightning Design System
2016 • Enterprise UX 2016
Gold
Sarah Barrett
The "How" of Enterprise Information Architecture
2023 • Enterprise UX 2023
Gold
Janelle Estes
UX Research Trends
2021 • Advancing Research Community
Louis Rosenfeld
Opening Remarks
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Yalenka Mariën
Designing for Digital Inclusion in the Belgian Government
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Ariel Kennan
Theme Two Intro
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Susan Weinschenk
Evaluating the Maturity of UX in Your Organization
2020 • Enterprise Community
Amy Parness
Scaling Sustainability: Complementary strategies that drive long-term success
2025 • Climate UX Interest Group
Louis Rosenfeld
GenAI for UXers: A Rosenbot Demo and Discussion
2025 • Rosenfeld Community
Chris Engledowl
A Mixed Method Approach to Validity to Help Build Trust
2023 • QuantQual Interest Group
Amahra Spence
Designing for Liberation, Rehearsing Freedom
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Ryan Matthew
Bridging Design and Code: AI-Powered Design System Integration
2025 • DesignOps Summit 2025
Gold
Matt Bernius
Trauma-informed Research: A Panel Discussion
2021 • Advancing Research Community
Luz Bratcher
This Is a Talk for Tired People
2022 • Design at Scale 2022
Gold
Sam Proulx
Designing For Screen Readers: Understanding the Mental Models and Techniques of Real Users
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold

More Videos

Erin Hauber

"It’s up to designers to be the antidote, to articulate all these changes as one movement."

Erin Hauber

Design is Not the Frosting on the Scaled Agile Layer Cake

October 24, 2019

Megan Kierstead

"The only person who gets to decide what it means to be badass is you."

Megan Kierstead

You Are a Badass at UX: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

March 10, 2021

Maggie Dieringer

"We maintain structured flexibility so we can move people where the work is regardless of politics or whatever else is going on."

Maggie Dieringer

Creating Consistency Through Constant Change

January 8, 2024

Meaghan Waters

"If everyone’s looking at different versions of the plan, you get frustration and confusion."

Meaghan Waters Fotina Koutropoulous

Lack of Product Thinking will Doom Your Legacy Modernization

June 9, 2021

Jemma Ahmed

"We can’t expect all researchers to switch seamlessly across methods without training and time."

Jemma Ahmed

Bringing together market and user research

October 17, 2019

Maria Taylor

"If knowledge is difficult to find or hard to use, then all the great information doesn’t really help anyone."

Maria Taylor

Knowledge is Power: Managing the Lifeblood of the Design Org

October 3, 2023

Sam Proulx

"When blind users choose between Android and iPhone, they weigh trade-offs between stability and customizability."

Sam Proulx

Understanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users

June 6, 2023

Catherine Blizzard

"Some managers felt undermined because they were part of the delivery team rather than just overseeing it."

Catherine Blizzard

Using Integrated Insight to Drive Growth

March 10, 2022

Randolph Duke II

"I’m going to need to bring my A game."

Randolph Duke II

War Stories LIVE! Randy Duke II

March 30, 2020