The exploration of a sustainable design method targeting the conceptual and creative design stage

The purpose of this thesis is driven by the notion of giving designers a tool to be creative with sustainable design practices. After conducting a thorough literature review it was evident that the conceptual design phase holds the most influence on decisions defining the final product, and that no tool currently exists targeting this phase, a sustainable design model was created and the content of a conceptual design tool targeting sustainable intervention proposed. Environmental problems related to the apparel industry, design processes and creativity were explored, in order to provide suitable answers to the inherent problems. A questionnaire was utilized to understand the designer’s perception (visual analogue scale), needs and wanted features (open text) within a future tool targeting their conceptual design process. Further, a sustainable design model was created to be able to fully understand where in the conceptual design process sustainable strategies would be best implemented. Results from the questionnaire showed that most of the designers were positive towards the inclusion of further sustainable practices, but felt the need for more incentives and recognition, more educated help and further guidance from management. The results from the sustainable design model indicated when and where designers should include sustainable practices within their conceptual process, and therefore acted as a blueprint towards the future implementation and success. The results from both the questionnaire and the sustainable design model aided the birth of a proposed solution to the inherent problems that exist within developing a computer-based platform in which collaboration, creativity and sustainable practices may thrive