I created this short animation in Adobe After Effects to illustrate a very complex nebulous concept in a very simple way.
I prepared the illustration assets in Adobe Illustrator in advance.
THE OFFERING
Digital carbon footprint written on a post-it note. That's how Data Decarbonization offering started. Few months later, the offering was selected as one of the Sustainability & Climate Bold Plays on the market by Deloitte and Google Alliance (LinkedIn announcement). It helps organizations optimise their digital footprint and competitiveness by applying digital sustainability across their organization.
THE TEAM & MY ROLE
A uniquely passionate innovation team from Deloitte NSE Region, structured on cross cultural and diverse profiles, shaped this offering that has the potential to make an exponential impact on Sustainability and Climate Change.
MY ROLE: UX/UI Design; Design Sprint participation; user research and interviews + user insights; crafting compelling visual storytelling; presentation design; animation; creative data visualization; design high-fidelity prototype.
Working on such a large scale and complex project, crafting impactful storytelling was very important to persuade key stakeholders to believe in the potential of this offering.
MY ROLE: UX/UI Design; Design Sprint participation; user research and interviews + user insights; crafting compelling visual storytelling; presentation design; animation; creative data visualization; design high-fidelity prototype.
Working on such a large scale and complex project, crafting impactful storytelling was very important to persuade key stakeholders to believe in the potential of this offering.
THE PROBLEM
Digital is not environmentally neutral. By 2025 digital pollution is expected to match that of internal combustion engine cars. Digital sustainability will become the next optimization focus for society and for organizations. Companies must address the exponential increase of carbon emissions caused by digital transformation. In addition, carbon accounting is beginning to link physical and digital carbon footprint. We are already in the middle of data explosion. Organizations should understand the value of their data even though most don't look at digital sustainability.
Decarbonizing Cloud is not enough, it's only addressing less than half of the problem.
1 car generates 6TB of data per day (1.5 hrs of usage). 1B cars generate 6 Billion TB of data per day.
A global fleet of autonomous vehicles could generate as much GHG emissions as all data centres in the world today.
THE SOLUTION
Current digital transformation initiatives are defining the digital carbon footprint growth path for the next years to come. Optimizing digital footprint trajectory by moderating explosion of key data pockets is essential. Embedding digital sustainability across organizational practices will optimize digital footprint and competitiveness. Organiztions should sustain their digital transformation by adapting their infrastructure, operations, processes and services that produce and consume only key data and digital interactions. The role of Deloitte is to deliver E2E sustainable digital solution, from IT infrastructure to data lifecycle.
DESIGN SPRINT CLICKABLE PROTOTYPE
HOW MIGHT WE... assist clients by providing them with the information & decision making frameworks needed to assess and moderate the environmental footprint of new & existing digital products across the entire end-to-end lifecycle. Therefore allowing them to become masters of their company holistic sustainability efforts by spotting opportunities for greener digital transformation?
HOW MIGHT WE... assist clients by providing them with the information & decision making frameworks needed to assess and moderate the environmental footprint of new & existing digital products across the entire end-to-end lifecycle. Therefore allowing them to become masters of their company holistic sustainability efforts by spotting opportunities for greener digital transformation?
THE 2 DESIGN SPRINT QUESTIONS:
1. Can we prove that digital footprint will be a key factor for carbon? i.e. that it becomes a no brainer to act.
2. Can we prove that sound data-growth strategy can boost efficiency?
Together with the team we worked on the user journey storyboarding and drafted initial wireframes to base our first clickable prototype. My role was to design a quick and dirty clickable prototype that I and the team later tested with SMEs as a tool for discussion to (in)validate assumptions, early solutions and gain further user insights. Initially the project was called Digital Circular Economy and was later changed to Data Decarbonization.
USER JOURNEY:
1. Entry point - client sees on a LinkedIn article about Deloitte measuring its digital carbon footprint and how shocked everyone was seeing the results. There is a comment under the article - Digital is the new oil!
2. Client checks the article on Deloitte's websites and finds out that physical sustainability is only the tip of the iceberg. Intrigued to take action, users signs an engagement letter with Deloitte to use company's Digital Carbon footprint calculator to assess EVD. (a fictional company from the automotive industry) company digital footprint.
3. Client profile creation - input of generic profiling company data - company name, industry, product lines, number of employees, tools used, business model, physical or digital products are more prevalent, etc.
4. The client's digital footprint is calculated, after all relevant data is provided. The client is presented with an interactive dashboard that can be navigated like a Miro board/Prezi.
5. Unlock action plan - the platform provides general tips and insights on digital footprint components + forecasting of "data explosion" + estimation of digital footprint after receiving help from Deloitte. The clients decides to unlock the action plan and address digital sustainability now.
6. Actions & Next Steps - this page is compiled by the Deloitte team and is accessible by the client at any point in time. It contains action points and the time frame to reduce digital footprint and develop sound strategy for data growth trajectory.
1. Can we prove that digital footprint will be a key factor for carbon? i.e. that it becomes a no brainer to act.
2. Can we prove that sound data-growth strategy can boost efficiency?
Together with the team we worked on the user journey storyboarding and drafted initial wireframes to base our first clickable prototype. My role was to design a quick and dirty clickable prototype that I and the team later tested with SMEs as a tool for discussion to (in)validate assumptions, early solutions and gain further user insights. Initially the project was called Digital Circular Economy and was later changed to Data Decarbonization.
USER JOURNEY:
1. Entry point - client sees on a LinkedIn article about Deloitte measuring its digital carbon footprint and how shocked everyone was seeing the results. There is a comment under the article - Digital is the new oil!
2. Client checks the article on Deloitte's websites and finds out that physical sustainability is only the tip of the iceberg. Intrigued to take action, users signs an engagement letter with Deloitte to use company's Digital Carbon footprint calculator to assess EVD. (a fictional company from the automotive industry) company digital footprint.
3. Client profile creation - input of generic profiling company data - company name, industry, product lines, number of employees, tools used, business model, physical or digital products are more prevalent, etc.
4. The client's digital footprint is calculated, after all relevant data is provided. The client is presented with an interactive dashboard that can be navigated like a Miro board/Prezi.
5. Unlock action plan - the platform provides general tips and insights on digital footprint components + forecasting of "data explosion" + estimation of digital footprint after receiving help from Deloitte. The clients decides to unlock the action plan and address digital sustainability now.
6. Actions & Next Steps - this page is compiled by the Deloitte team and is accessible by the client at any point in time. It contains action points and the time frame to reduce digital footprint and develop sound strategy for data growth trajectory.
INSIGHTS FROM PROTOTYPE USER INTERVIEWS
WHAT IS MOST INTERESTING AND WHY?
- Digital is just another chunk in our value chain
- Not many companies are thinking about digital sustainability
- Why miles? Many user found the miles analogy hard to grasp and confusing
- Articles like this encourage that thinking - clients want to know what we are doing and thinking, not just what we provide
- Digital is just another chunk in our value chain
- Not many companies are thinking about digital sustainability
- Why miles? Many user found the miles analogy hard to grasp and confusing
- Articles like this encourage that thinking - clients want to know what we are doing and thinking, not just what we provide
WHY DOES IT HELP CLIENTS?
- Most clients don't know where to start
- Categorise emissions by product
- Most of the people we spoke to thought that this would really help clients understand the impact of their digital activities on their carbon footprint
- Most clients don't know where to start
- Categorise emissions by product
- Most of the people we spoke to thought that this would really help clients understand the impact of their digital activities on their carbon footprint
WHO IS THIS TOOL FOR?
- Useful for all our clients
- We need to meet them where they are in their journey
- CSO - chief sustainability office in a big company
- Better understanding of data can help reduce the amount of it in storage
INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS
- 80:20 rule - big companies "should" be all over this
- It would be good to see how they compare to competitors
- Everyone is in a cost mindset now so we need to show how it impacts cost
- The current focus is more on carbon in production and supply chain
HOW DO YOU SEE THIS WORKING WITH THE CURRENT SYSTEMS YOU HAVE IN PLACE
- Look at the customer perspective - Azure, Microsoft - use it for an year, what will be the emissions
- This is just one part of the puzzle - make sure you are not moving emissions from one place to another, you are actually dealing with them as well.
WHAT IS MISSING
- Quantify the cost
- Simulate the journey
- Step by step: high level view, how we work together, the impact it will have
- Building a sense of urgency
- Think holistically
- Useful for all our clients
- We need to meet them where they are in their journey
- CSO - chief sustainability office in a big company
- Better understanding of data can help reduce the amount of it in storage
INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS
- 80:20 rule - big companies "should" be all over this
- It would be good to see how they compare to competitors
- Everyone is in a cost mindset now so we need to show how it impacts cost
- The current focus is more on carbon in production and supply chain
HOW DO YOU SEE THIS WORKING WITH THE CURRENT SYSTEMS YOU HAVE IN PLACE
- Look at the customer perspective - Azure, Microsoft - use it for an year, what will be the emissions
- This is just one part of the puzzle - make sure you are not moving emissions from one place to another, you are actually dealing with them as well.
WHAT IS MISSING
- Quantify the cost
- Simulate the journey
- Step by step: high level view, how we work together, the impact it will have
- Building a sense of urgency
- Think holistically
OTHER INSIGHTS
- Leading by example was seen very positively (Deloitte is taking a step to cut their digital footprint)
- The engagement letter was not very clear to the users we spoke to
- Clients want an easy option built in to a pre-existing solution
- All users want to have an automated data input
- The product looks neat and clean
- It would be good to see industry benchmarks
- The Dashboard is not immediately obvious that it is talking about digital
- The clients need a framework to see where they are on their journey
- Recommendations should be actionable and company specific
- To get credibility I would expect my digital footprint to be broken down
- Leading by example was seen very positively (Deloitte is taking a step to cut their digital footprint)
- The engagement letter was not very clear to the users we spoke to
- Clients want an easy option built in to a pre-existing solution
- All users want to have an automated data input
- The product looks neat and clean
- It would be good to see industry benchmarks
- The Dashboard is not immediately obvious that it is talking about digital
- The clients need a framework to see where they are on their journey
- Recommendations should be actionable and company specific
- To get credibility I would expect my digital footprint to be broken down
FEEDBACK ON MY WORK FOR THE PROJECT
Here is some of the feedback I received from my colleagues on the work I've completed on this project:
Here is some of the feedback I received from my colleagues on the work I've completed on this project:
"You are a very talented visual and UX designer, creating stunning graphics that succinctly illustrate a complex, nebulous concept. The impact that your designs have had are that very senior audiences are grasping a very controversial, very newly formed piece of thinking much quicker than they would with simply text. I've seen skeptical recipients on our pitches and decks being cautious and unconvinced at first, but guided by your visuals and the team's pitching, the penny has dropped. I think the real mark of impact here is the penny had dropped regardless of background knowledge or industry area." - Ben Lester
"Desi is a great and highly motivated team member, and your products/deliverables have a differentiating impact on the story telling of the complex narrative. Desi is persistent in finding new ways of representing complex concepts and she is demonstrating great ability to work with business analysts and proactively suggesting options to share the right message with graphics. Thanks for the great impact on the senior and diverse stakeholder management" - Fabien Lopez
"You did a fantastic job with the first Data Decarbonization prototype and it already looks incredibly slick given the tight timeframe in developing it. You are a very skilled designer, and you have a real eye for the visual aesthetics of the mockups which has translated into something that both tells a story and already looks beautiful. You did very well on focusing on speed over perfection, I know you prefer to work on things until they are perfect, so it was great to see you deliver such a brilliant piece of work despite being outside your comfort zone." - Stephanie Terwindt
"I believe your contribution to the PoC work was phenomenal, both in terms of deliverable (always on time and precise) and contribution to team dynamics. You made yourself available to support harsh deadlines, and went the extra mile to delivery quality outputs. You were challenging at the right times while always maintaining the utmost respect for your fellow team members.
In terms of your team's impact on the project, I reckon you played a great role in the workshop design and facilitation. You actively contributed by brining fresh, creative perspective to such a complex problem. Your input definitely helped us shape our thinking. Our success in senior stakeholder engagement is also attributable to the beautiful design of our deck, which was all on you." - Federico Falessi
In terms of your team's impact on the project, I reckon you played a great role in the workshop design and facilitation. You actively contributed by brining fresh, creative perspective to such a complex problem. Your input definitely helped us shape our thinking. Our success in senior stakeholder engagement is also attributable to the beautiful design of our deck, which was all on you." - Federico Falessi
"Your real skill in visual storytelling and your commitment and belief in the problem we were addressing really helped the project endure in peoples mind long after they had seen it. The inclusion of this project as one of the 6 bold plays in partnership with Google is a testament to the power of that skill." - Isobel Demangeat
