Enabling a Green Future through Design and Visualization: A Case Study of how Visualization of R&D Processes Create a Shared Vision and Better Understanding of the Sustainable Future

Abstract

This thesis investigates the role design and visualization play in the green transition and how these tools can enable the societal shift to a more sustainable future. Based on a single-case study of the Danish design- and innovation studio KIRT x THOMSEN, the empirical analysis is based on four interviews, hereof two internally in KIRT x THOMSEN and two with the company’s clients, as well as two observations of client meetings. The findings reveal that visualization is able to accelerate the green transition through generating trust, enabling collaborations across sectors and competencies, and reduce the time-to-market for necessary green innovations to be implemented in society. As visions of a green future seems an abstract concept which differs in the imaginative appearances depending on the individual and a green future entails complex new technologies difficult to comprehend for the average person, it is necessary to align these visions and present the technologies in a context using a shared visual language to avoid miscommunication. This research has found that visualization proves an advantageous tool to accomplish this and enable fast and optimal decision-making for the green transition to be achieved. By exploring the role of visualization for creating socially performed visions of a green future, this thesis closes a gap in the literature on future imaginaries.