sustinui
Sustinui is a term used in interaction design and sustainability discourse to describe a set of practices and philosophies aimed at extending the usable life of digital interfaces and reducing their environmental and social impact. It is employed as a broad umbrella concept rather than a standardized method, encompassing both design principles and methodological approaches intended to improve longevity, efficiency, and user well-being.
Etymology: The term combines sustain and UI, and is sometimes described as a portmanteau reflecting the idea
Definition and scope: Sustinui covers principles such as energy efficiency, data minimization, modular architecture, accessibility, maintainability,
- Energy efficiency in rendering and processing to reduce power use.
- Data minimization and privacy to lower storage and transmission costs.
- Modularity and maintainability with clean APIs to extend lifecycle.
- Accessibility and inclusivity to widen user base and reduce redesign needs.
- Offline resilience and graceful degradation to function with limited connectivity.
- Longevity and updatability, emphasizing backward compatibility and vendor independence.
- User well-being and cognitive load reduction to prevent fatigue and confusion.
History and usage: The term has appeared in design essays and industry discussions since the mid-2010s,
See also: sustainable design, green software, human-computer interaction, design for longevity.