In a recent article by Roberto Verganti on the Harvard Business Review website, provocatively entitled “User-Centered Innovation Is Not Sustainable,” he writes:
“…one thing is certain: User-centered innovation has helped conduct us into an unsustainable world. The reason is sustainability is not embedded in the anthropology of our existing culture, society, and economy. Yes, people are starting to be concerned about the environment. But their concerns about many other things — their budgets, health, safety, well-being, and emotional fulfillment — are increasing, too…”
The crux of his provocative article is that vision-centered processes, conducted in tandem with users when possible, are the proper way to cultivate sustainable behaviors that have lesser impact on our world. This new paradigm, for both designers and executives, would require less pure observation and “propose new scenarios and solutions that are meaningful for people, good for the environment, and profitable for businesses.”
Interesting ideas on “Human-Future” interaction and UX