GaLaPaGoS: A Design Pattern for Sustainability of ICT Interactive Software and Services

Abstract

ICT is an enabler for sustainable development and contributes to sustainability problems arising from different human activities aided by ICT interactive software and services. Consequently, these ICT-aided activities contribute to a vast amount of electronics and paper package waste at different stages of production, usage, and disposal. Some of these wastes can be attributed to a lack of understanding from ICT designers on how to design ICT interactive software and services for a green user experience. This paper explores design patterns as a tool to capture and incorporate sustainability concerns into the design of ICT interactive software and services for green user experience, where users become more conscious of the sustainability impacts of their actions. The Design science research method was applied to create and validate three sustainability design patterns. The results show that the proposed design patterns can guide ICT designers to engage and influence user behavior toward sustainability awareness.