Nature of Digital Products

Digital Products have an interdependent relationship with people and nature.

Digital Products require human input and affect human behaviour

Usually, humans interact via hardware with the software (e.g., data or command) and work with the results of the digital product. These results typically influence human communication (e.g., easy access to people in different locations; getting to know other people), human behaviour (e.g., playing video games, navigating based on current location, ordering products and services online), and human thought (e.g., learning about people and ideas).

There are digital products, though, designed to take non-human input (e.g. weather data) or generate output primarily used by other non-living actors (e.g., a software library that provides specific capability for another software).

Moreover, non-human actors may also be affected by digital products. This can be either direct or indirect through human behaviour.

Digital Products rely on physical products and cause ecological consequences

Hardware is necessary for digital products to exist. Software needs memory, processors, electricity, and other physical resources. Digital products interact with humans and the outside world through hardware.

Additionally, human behaviour change infused by Digital Products can have environmental consequences (e.g., conference calls instead of business trips, data-based nudging by home appliances to save water & energy).

Therefore, sustainable product management looks at two aspects of digital products:

1. Input: The planetary resources needed to build and run digital products.

2. Impact: The impact digital products have on people and the planet.

There are multiple frameworks that address one or both of these aspects. The popular ones will be presented on following pages.

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