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This project is creating more usable analytics and visualization tools to help product designers and engineers understand and act upon sustainability considerations. We focus on life cycle assessment (LCA), which evaluates the environmental impacts of a product throughout its life cycle, from extraction and processing of raw materials to manufacturing, distribution, use, and final disposal. We partner with Synapse Product Development and EarthShift Global to ensure our tools are tailored to the needs of real-world practitioners.

Ecosketch

This research examines collective contexts where data tracking and sensemaking practices may be socially motivated, collaboratively conducted, or otherwise extend beyond the single-user assumptions of typical personal informatics tools. Given graphical metaphors can be more familiar, relatable, and therefore meaningful to users as well as provide privacy-sensitive abstraction of data, we are also designing media representations for personal devices and public displays to explore questions around flexible interpretation, social connectedness, and data ephemerality.

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Grace Qu

Publications

Examining the User Experience of Life Cycle Assessment Tools and Their Ability to Cater to Ecodesign in Early-Stage Product Development Practice

Projects

Ecosketch

Sprout