We come across dozens of design breakthroughs and technological innovations daily--so many that it's easy to miss important trends emerging in the chaos all around us and not connect the dots to see the BIG picture. Here at The Institute for Customer Experience (ICE), we understand the business and design value of capturing the right trend insights at the right moment. We observe and analyse trends in design, technology, and business, and keep our fingers on the pulse of the global zeitgeist. In this series of trendbriefs, we bring you alerts on what's trending in our world and their possible impact on our future. Subscription to ICE Breakers - http://eepurl.com/S1ZFL View Archived ICE Breakers - http://ice.humanfactors.com/ice_breakers.html

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IMPACT ON UX
8DESIGNING FRUGALITY
FrugalDesignisnomorejustaboutdesigningproductsandservicesthatwill
changethelivesoftheworld’spoorestcitizens.Facedwithecological
devastation,thegreatchallengeofourtimeistofindwaysforusalltolivewith
decentmaterialconditionswithinplanetarylimits,nowandinthefuture.
Designcanbebothsuccessfulandresponsiblebyfocusingonanewtypeof
valuecreation,onethathasefficiencyandsufficiencyofresourceuseatits
heartandasitsaim.Severalemergingtechnologies,designsand
businessesaremakingfrugalityanintegralpartoftheirpracticesandsystems.
EF Schumacher, Small is Beautiful: A Study of
Economics As If People Mattered (1973)
“Ithinkfrugalitydrives
innovation,justlikeother
constraintsdo.Oneoftheonly
waystogetoutofatightboxis
toinventyourwayout.”
Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO,
Amazon.com
“Anyintelligentfoolcanmake
thingsbigger,morecomplex,and
moreviolent.Ittakesatouchof
geniusandalotofcourageto
moveintheoppositedirection.”
Smart Meters
British Gas’s smart meters comprise one electricity meter, one gas smart meter, a
communications hub and a smart energy monitor. They all work together wire-
lessly to relay energy usage back to customers and present that information in an
easy-to-understand package. Being able to see their usage of electricity and gas in
terms of money puts the customer in control of how they use energy, giving them the opportunity to save
money and precious resources. British Gas has already fitted more than a million smart meters to homes and
businesses across Britain.
(http://www.britishgas.co.uk/smarter-living/control-energy/smart-meters/what-are-smart-meters.html)
Replenish Refill System
Up to 95% of the substance in household cleaning products is water, and disposing of the
packaging when the bottle is empty is wasteful. This design from Replenish offers a concentrated
recharging cartridge screwed into the bottom, which when inverted fills a chamber with sufficient
liquid that can then be topped up with tap water. Less waste equals less cost, which means more
money saved for manufacturers, retailers and customers. Reusable refill components reduce
plastic, energy and pollution by 80-90%, while conserving natural resources.
(http://www.myreplenish.com/#home)
Howcanwemakeproductsmoredurable,reducingtheneedforfrequent,future
replacements?Howcanwedesignproductstoencouragecustomerstousethemuntil the
endoftheirlives?
Howcanweconceiveproductstoperformanimportantculturalfunctionalongsidetheir
“real”function,tocreate“timeless”design?
Howcanweemphasizefunctionalityandfeaturesthatenablesharing?
Howcanwepersuadecustomerstosavemoney,timeandeffortintheshortterm,and
impactandhealtheenvironmentinthelongterm?
Howcanweadoptbusinessmodelsthatcreatevaluewithfewer,betterobjects?E.g.
replacingsales-basedmodelswiththe“access-based”modelsofleasing,rentingorservicing.