The Promise of Green Design

Abstract

A blank slate may seem like an innovator's opportunity, but twentieth-century designer Charles Eames was right: There is no design without constraints. That blank slate means you have to start at the beginning, figuring out the right questions to ask in order to understand what is and isn't known, who can contribute, and how to define the goal. The absence of those constraints quickly became apparent when design became part of Dell's challenge to become the "greenest" technology company on the planet. We recognized that we would need a framework of constraints in which to innovate, but consider that there is no exact formula or calculator for green design in the technology space. Although there are certifications that monitor and regulate practices in the industry, the need exists for greater clarity.Last year, Dell announced a global challenge to address this head-on. We began by engaging customers in forums and communities through our digital properties, such as the Direct2Dell and IdeaStorm blogs we developed, which had grown into case studies of effective engagement with customers. We knew we did not want to own the knowledge domain; rather, we wanted to involve a broader community in understanding what it means to design greener IT. For this goal, we recognized that we needed help from a broad audience to identify the scope of the challenge and create the knowledge base. The result was ReGeneration, a global initiative aimed at people of all ages who care about sustaining the world's natural environment. Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell first introduced ReGeneration on World Environment C A S E S T U D Y n its quest to become the greenest technology company on the planet, Dell held a design competition. Interestingly, the computer concepts submitted not only explored multifaceted approaches to sustainability, but also, as Rajib Adhikary describes, became the nexus for a global conversation on green design and a source for many lessons on business and sustainability.

Integrating design management concept in entrepreneurial practices: evidence from the cross-border project

“…Design as an approach and tool opens up new perspectives in all challenged societal and economic arrays, through, e.g. inclusive design (integrating both customers / end-users and information needs) (Coleman et al 2007;Bound, Coleman 2005), design for all, social design, ecodesign (Ljunberg 2007) or design for social responsibility (Persson et al 2015;Bochinska 2011), collaborative design (Sebastian 2004), green design (Adhikary 2008) and sustainable design (Heylighen 2008;Novak 2014;Nielsen et al 2009;Fargnoli et al 2014;Laszlo, Cooperrider 2007).…”