Understanding Practical Challenges and Enablers for Embedding Environmental Perspectives in Digital Product Design and Development

Although awareness of and urgency around the environmental impact of energy consumption in digital infrastructures such as data centers are gradually increasing, many academic efforts still struggle to translate research into practical, real-world applications for reducing digital carbon footprints. Recent studies have highlighted incorporating environmental interventions such as sustainable interaction design (SID) into digital product development practices holds significant potential to reduce their carbon footprint, but integrating sustainability perspectives into everyday design and development practices remains limited in the industry. In this study, we report on the results of in-depth interviews with eight practitioners who have attempted to embed environmental interventions into their practices, capturing their experiences that highlight complex challenges and motivational enablers within the organizational context. Based on these findings, we propose implications for the broader engagement in sustainability-centered design and development practices that resonate with the organizational complexities.