20. Validate the user journey and needs
Why does it matter?
Every product we create consumes resources, so we must create wisely. Validating user journeys during the discovery phase, before the development phase, helps reduce the likelihood of creating unnecessary, unused features. Wasted time, money, energy, and materials all come with an environmental cost. Remember: about 80% of features and products fail after launch.
User journeys should be validated for all users and the team should explore the systemic effects that the product/feature’s usage will have.
Don’t start building until you’ve minimized the risk of launching something no one will use. This often means convincing management that investing in thorough user research is worth the time and money. In the long run, it leads to a well-researched, effective product. And don’t be afraid to Kill unused features and Delete old user accounts and old data.
What can I do?
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Prioritize key research over rework. Invest early in lightweight, high-impact user research to avoid building wasteful or unused features later. This reduces energy, storage, and developer hours.
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Right-size your research. Use remote and asynchronous methods where possible to cut travel and digital overhead, and keep fidelity proportional to risk.
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Avoid main cognitive biases
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Map journeys through a low-impact lens. Understand how users access your product (device type, connection speed, frequency) to design for longevity and reduce unnecessary data or hardware strain.
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Identify anti-personas early (ideally during consequence scanning) for climate risk. Identify users or usage patterns that may lead to excessive resource consumption, exclusion, or environmental harm.
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Identify user devices, operating systems, etc. required.
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Build sustainable research into your rituals. Embed these steps into your processes for planning and reevaluating features. It should be a regular part of backlog refinement, discovery sprints, and feature sunsetting.
What does success look like?
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🧑💰 Enhanced user experience leading to improved conversion rates and overall satisfaction
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🧑💰 Reduction in maintenance costs, reflecting efficient design and execution
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💰 Optimization leading to reduced cloud expenditure
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🧑💰 Accelerated development cycles emphasizing efficient resource use
Things to consider
User research is not a new field. Feel free to rely on existing resources out there. For example, the well-known Value Proposition Design book by Strategyzer and the practical step-by-step guide to frame your research, How to Write a User Research Plan That Sets Your Project Up for Success.
Assess both the financial and environmental costs of each feature—include the emissions and energy required to define, build, and maintain it. Compare this against the long-term value it delivers to users and the planet. This helps avoid building features that are costly in dollars and carbon, but low in impact.