Author: Ruxandra MIUȚI, Innovation Manager, Green eDIH
In 1865, in his book The Coal Question, British economist William Stanley Jevons first introduced the paradox that now bears his name. He observed that improvements in steam engine efficiency did not reduce coal consumption in British factories, as one might expect, but instead increased it. Why? Because more efficient steam made energy cheaper, which led to the construction and use of more engines, more factories and ultimately much higher coal consumption.
Fast forward to the AI era. As artificial intelligence models become faster, cheaper and more accessible, we paradoxically face the same dilemma we encountered 150 years ago. Today, warns Richeng Piao, visiting lecturer in economics at Northeastern University’s College of Social Sciences and Humanities, the same logic applies to modern digital technologies. “Jevons’ paradox teaches us that efficiency generates new demand,” he says. “The democratization of artificial intelligence will boost GPU sales, energy consumption and the market power of tech giants like Nvidia.” In other words, progress does not necessarily lead to reduced consumption. On the contrary, it makes access easier and accelerates usage.
Efficiency, Piao explains, can have the opposite effect to what is intended, turning a resource into something so cheap and available that everyone begins to overuse it. A historical example? Britain’s coal consumption tripled by 1900, despite increasingly efficient engines. This dynamic repeats across other technological shifts. Los Angeles had 10,000 horses in 1900, but by 1950 it was overrun by a million cars. Today, although we have electric vehicles and efficient engines, the total number of kilometers driven continues to rise. Likewise, energy-efficient computers have fueled the explosion of smartphones and data centers, which now consume about 1.5% of global electricity.
An Invisible but Increasingly Pressing Impact
In an increasingly digital world, where our interactions with apps, online platforms and connected devices grow by the day, we rarely stop to consider the ecological impact of these seemingly harmless actions. Every email sent, every video streamed and every website visited invisibly contributes to global energy consumption and, in turn, carbon emissions.
In this context, a key question emerges for anyone working in technology: can digital design actively support a more sustainable future? The answer is a resounding yes, and the key lies in how we design digital experiences, specifically in the practices of sustainable UX (user experience).
What Sustainable UX Means
Sustainable UX is a design approach that integrates environmental, social and economic objectives into the process of creating digital products. Its dual goal is to provide users with valuable, intuitive and accessible experiences while also reducing the ecological footprint of those interactions.
This includes optimizing digital resources such as images, code and fonts, lowering energy consumption, extending the lifespan of interfaces and encouraging more mindful digital behaviors.
Sustainable UX is both ecological and social. It means designing for everyone, not just for users with the latest devices and ultra-fast connections. It means responsibility in every line of code and every pixel displayed.
Efficiency Without Waste Between Ideal and Paradox
According to a study presented at the ACM Conference on Designing Interactive Systems 2024, the energy consumption of global digital infrastructure continues to grow, with data centers becoming major contributors to climate change. At the same time, both designers and users are not fully aware of this impact.
Jevons’ paradox, formulated in 1865, is more relevant than ever. It states that when technological efficiency increases, overall consumption may actually rise, not fall, because services become cheaper and more accessible. Today, energy-efficient computers have led to an explosion of mobile apps, data centers and digital consumption. The faster the apps, the more often we use them. Efficiency, without limits or conscious design, can become a trap.
Design That Matters
Reducing digital weight is a crucial first step. Websites and apps overloaded with unoptimized media files, redundant code or excessive visual effects lead to unnecessary energy use. In contrast, sustainable design involves compressed images, local fonts, content loaded only when needed and minimal animation.
Digital product durability is also essential. Interfaces that remain functional long-term and do not require frequent rebuilding help reduce resource waste. Additionally, dark mode and simplified interfaces are not only more energy-efficient but also easier to use.
A sustainable UX is also an accessible UX. It is designed to be usable by all people, regardless of abilities or the level of technological infrastructure available to them. This is not only a matter of social inclusion but also of digital equity.
Finally, digital products can encourage more conscious users. That means transparency about data collection, estimated emissions generated or tips for responsible usage. Design becomes a silent educator.
Real-World Cases What Sustainable UX Looks Like in Practice
At LUT University in Finland, a UX experiment compared two versions of the same website. One had a traditional design, the other was built using sustainable design principles including dark mode, optimized images and reduced interactions. Although the classic version initially seemed more appealing, users eventually preferred the sustainable version for its simplicity, speed and clarity. After learning about its lower ecological impact, many completely changed their perspective.
Also in Finland, an educational platform was redesigned around principles of sustainable well-being: visual clarity, moderate interactions and the avoidance of overstimulation. The result was a more user-friendly, equitable and energy-efficient platform that improved satisfaction and reduced dropout rates among students and teachers.
In other international settings, good practices in sustainable UX are already producing notable results. In India, a mobile app for farmers was designed to function offline, with a simplified interface and minimal data usage, taking into account the limited digital infrastructure in rural areas. The design was adapted for older phones and unstable connectivity, offering a functional and sustainable experience for users with limited resources. Another good practice involves making dark mode the default option, as recommended by researchers as a way to reduce energy consumption on OLED or AMOLED devices. This principle is easy to apply and well received by users, especially in interfaces used over long periods.
A minimalist approach that reduces the number of steps needed to complete an action is another validated technique. It optimizes time spent in the app, lowers cognitive load and minimizes processor activity, reducing both the mental effort required of users and the device’s energy use. Some platforms go even further, offering real-time feedback about ecological impact. For example, certain interfaces display estimated CO₂ emissions associated with sending a large file or streaming a high-resolution video, encouraging more environmentally friendly alternatives.
These examples show that sustainable UX is not an abstract theory but a practical, scalable reality that benefits both users and the planet.
Why Isn’t This Standard Yet
Despite promising examples, sustainable UX is not yet the norm. There are many obstacles: lack of awareness, the absence of clear metrics to measure impact, corporate reluctance to prioritize sustainability over immediate performance and, most commonly, confusion between green design and purely aesthetic choices.
The reality is that sustainability is not an optional feature but a redefinition of how we evaluate quality in digital products.
Green eDIH’s Conclusion Purposeful Design
At Green eDIH, we actively support the integration of sustainability in digital transformation. We believe that responsible design starts with the question: what is the cost of this experience for the planet and for society? Through advisory services, workshops and practical tools, we encourage companies to rethink their digital products in terms of impact and durability.
Projects like CityPedia, developed with Green eDIH’s support, show that open data, transparency and accessible interfaces can directly promote responsible civic behavior. The platform uses a clear, energy-efficient UX that allows citizens to monitor urban sustainability. Design is not just functional, it is a facilitator of democratic engagement and change.
We aim to make sustainability a fundamental criterion for evaluating digital innovation. Just as user-centered design became the standard of the 2010s, sustainability-centered design must become the standard of the 2030s.
In conclusion, sustainable UX is not a limitation but an opportunity. It is a chance to rebuild the digital world in harmony with the natural one. It does not ask us to give up innovation, but to channel it responsibly. We should measure success not just in clicks and conversions, but also in consequences. Good design is the one that brings value without waste and leaves behind a world that is clearer, calmer and cleaner.
