Ethical & Sustainable Responsibility
- Designers have a duty to consider the wider impact of their decisions.
- They should consider the client along with the community, the environment, and society at large.
- Responsible designers aim to create solutions that are sustainable, ethical, and inclusive.
1. Responsibility to the Client
- Meet the client’s needs through functional, cost-effective, and appropriate solutions
- Ensure the product aligns with the brief, but not at the expense of user safety or ethics
- Provide honest, professional advice, even when it conflicts with commercial goals
Dyson Airblade™ Hand Dryer
- Dyson designed the Airblade to meet client needs for hygiene, efficiency, and cost savings.
- The product used HEPA filters, reduced drying time, and significantly cut paper towel waste, meeting both performance goals and operational cost reductions.
- Dyson balanced innovative technology with maintenance ease, ensuring long-term client satisfaction.
2. Responsibility to the Community
- Consider social impact: does the product serve or exclude people?
- Design for inclusion, accessibility, and cultural relevance
- Aim for local benefit, e.g. using local labour or solving community-specific problems
IKEA’s Better Shelter
- IKEA partnered with the UNHCR to design flat-pack emergency shelters for displaced families.
- The shelter is weather-resistant, modular, and includes a solar panel, offering safer and more dignified housing.
- The design responds directly to the needs of vulnerable communities, showing how designers can positively impact society on a global scale.
3. Responsibility to the Environment
- Use sustainable materials and low-impact processes
