back to impact
making product sustainability measurable at the point of design
reimagining lifecycle assessment for apparel, footwear and textile teams.
full lifecycle
impact assessment from materials through end of use
industry
apparel, footwear and textiles
type
lifecycle assessment platform
mandate
product experience design
the platform
the higg product module was conceived to help designers, brands, retailers and manufacturers understand the environmental impact of the choices they make across a product’s lifecycle.
working with the sustainable apparel coalition, clarient helped shape complex lifecycle assessment data into a digital experience teams could use to compare decisions, understand trade-offs and design more sustainable products.
the product brief
the challenge was larger than digitizing an existing assessment tool. what had begun as spreadsheet-based data capture needed to evolve into a product capable of supporting workflows, comparisons and data sharing across a much broader industry ecosystem.
clarient worked across research, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping and interface design to make that transition possible.
our contributions
User ResearchIndustry AnalysisUX and UI DesignInformation ArchitectureInteraction DesignWireframingInteractive PrototypingUser Testing
the measurement gap
for brands trying to make more responsible product decisions, intention was only part of the problem. they also needed a credible way to understand how choices around materials, manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-use changed a product’s environmental footprint.
the existing tools had proved the value of the methodology, but they were not designed for the scale or breadth of workflows now required. the next step was to turn that analytical depth into an experience that more people across the product lifecycle could work with confidently.
the existing tools had proved the value of the methodology, but they were not designed for the scale or breadth of workflows now required. the next step was to turn that analytical depth into an experience that more people across the product lifecycle could work with confidently.
the experience framework
the work drew on sac’s knowledge of brands, retailers, manufacturers, and other industry stakeholders, alongside research into how different users approached sustainability decisions.
prototypes and working concepts were refined with the client throughout the design cycle, allowing complex methodology to be translated into interactions people could understand and use.
move beyond data capture
the experience had to do more than record information.
we redesigned the underlying workflows so users could work with lifecycle data, compare choices and share what they learned rather than treating assessment as a static reporting exercise.
make complexity legible
lifecycle assessment carries substantial technical depth, but the interface could not require every user to become an expert in the methodology.
clear hierarchy, purposeful visualization and carefully structured interactions made sophisticated environmental data easier to interpret.
put better decisions within reach
the product was designed around the decisions teams make while developing a product.
materials, processing choices, transportation and end-of-use assumptions could be explored in context, helping users see how different choices altered overall impact.
move beyond data capture
the experience had to do more than record information.
we redesigned the underlying workflows so users could work with lifecycle data, compare choices and share what they learned rather than treating assessment as a static reporting exercise.
make complexity legible
lifecycle assessment carries substantial technical depth, but the interface could not require every user to become an expert in the methodology.
clear hierarchy, purposeful visualization and carefully structured interactions made sophisticated environmental data easier to interpret.
put better decisions within reach
the product was designed around the decisions teams make while developing a product.
materials, processing choices, transportation and end-of-use assumptions could be explored in context, helping users see how different choices altered overall impact.
the outcome
clarient helped turn Higg PM into an experience where lifecycle assessment could become part of product development rather than a specialist exercise performed around it.
users could model a product across its lifecycle and understand the environmental consequences of different choices. side-by-side comparisons made it easier to assess alternatives, while detailed inputs allowed teams to examine the effects of materials, processing methods, transportation and end-of-use scenarios.
the design had to preserve the rigor of the underlying methodology without allowing that complexity to take over the experience. information architecture, interaction patterns and visualization were therefore built around progressive understanding, giving users the detail they needed when they needed it.
environmental impacts could be visualized and translated into datasheets, while underlying process information, modeling approaches, sources and data-quality ratings remained available for users who needed greater depth.
the experience also gave designers and product teams a more practical way to bring sustainability considerations into existing development processes. rather than evaluating impact only after decisions had been made, teams could explore alternatives while products were still taking shape.
that made higg PM more than a measurement interface. it became a decision-support tool through which brands, retailers and manufacturers could compare products, communicate environmental information more clearly and work towards more considered product choices.
most importantly, the product provided a scalable digital foundation for an assessment methodology that had begun in spreadsheets and was now expected to serve a global industry ecosystem.