Reductionism is both a classic technique for placing greater user focus on select elements of an object/process, and for lean & sustainable product development. One major design proponent of reductionism is John Maeda, dean of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - Although not explicitly related to sustainability, I do recommend you check out some of his writings. So after reading a recent post by Scot Herbst of Lunar Design, titled Conservation is not done with the pen…it’s done with an axe, I got to thinking how valuable this valuable philosophy and approach is. It encompasses what Wendy Jedlicka talked about in her recent interview with GreenBiz.
Scot notes in the article some of their work with Hewlett-Packard:
“Last fall HP started delivering the Touchsmart PC, a gorgeous piece that exudes ‘less’ while offering the consumer ‘more.’ We shed the oversized metal box and integrated the CPU and display into a single compact gesture that reduces part-count and shrinks the shipping footprint considerably.
Most notably, the product reduces material usage by 50% (primarily plastic and steel). It has also successfully helped catalyze a paradigm shift in consumer perception of size and desirability. HP is now defining this emerging category as the Single Volume Product (SVP). SVP is a more dynamic solution to the part and feature consolidation that was originally introduced in the All-In-One computer (i.e., Apple IMac).”
A great quick case study indeed. How many other products can we envision redesigned?
One commentator in that article pointed out a common critique of product companies, in that selling “more” is the goal. If so, that seems contradictory to sustainability at large. I replied with the following:
“The solution lies in business design and addressing the fundamental question: what are we selling?
This may yield scenarios where an increased number of services versus products are delivered over the customer lifespan.Alternatively, there’s the option of leasing/rental versus ownership. Profit margins in these scenarios often be higher than outright sales. Secondly, the business would automatically address the increasing concern for extended producer responsibility and disposal.”
These are some options. Whether we apply strict reductionism to save on material complexity & costs, or design services for various reasons, the ultimate sustainable goal is to make money, and be socially & environmentally proactive & responsible.
