For over a decade, Folkemødet has been a gathering place for decision-makers, politicians, opinion leaders, journalists, businesses, and citizens to engage in societal debates, democratic conversations, and dialogues. And for just as long, Advice has been a proud content partner.

We've worked with various businesses, organizations, and public authorities to create and host events, debates, networking opportunities, and more. Our expertise has helped shape our client's presence at Folkemødet into a premier destination for meaningful conversations and agenda-setting. 

In 2023, we're excited to be back at Folkemødet, with a prime location in the heart of the action at Kirkegade 2, Allinge.

We believe in the power of tailor-made events that perfectly match your unique needs. At Advice, we provide creative concepts and idea development that help you connect with your stakeholders. Whether it's a morning briefing, a talk, or a debate, we can help you make the most of your time at Folkemødet.

To learn more about how we can leverage your presence at Folkemødet, please get in touch with Merete Arentoft or Lisa Gundsø.


Director, Agendas & Stakeholders
+45 25 57 21 13
Merete.a@adviceagency.com


Senior Advisor
+45 60 24 47 09
Lisa.g@adviceagency.com

Join us at Folkemødet

Anna specializes in Public Affairs, Stakeholder Management, PR, Communication, and Agenda Setting. She combines business understanding with a broad insight into politics. Anna is a sharp intermediary who can translate complex issues into strategy and easily understandable messages.

Anna has worked closely with several of the largest Danish companies and business organizations, especially in climate and energy policy, construction policy, business policy, foreign policy, tax policy, and research and education policy, etc. She has a broad political network in Christiansborg, Brussels, and Washington.

Anna came to Advice from a position as Public Affairs Director in Danfoss, where she has advised Danfoss' management in connection with the World Economic Forum in Davos, climate summit, election campaigns, business promotion, and new energy policy in Denmark, the EU and globally. She has previously been a climate and energy adviser at the Danish Embassy in Washington, worked at the public-private partnership organization State of Green, and been a researcher at Politiken. She is MSc from the University of Copenhagen.

Director, Public Affairs

Anna Louise Henrichsen

In this year’s Sustainability Barometer, we focus on the topics of sustainable tech and digitalisation. Denmark is one of the most digitalised nations in the world, but the subject of sustainability and digitalisation combined is still vastly underexposed.

We need more knowledge and conversation on the subject to be able to measure and fully understand the impact of our digital lives.

With the launch of this year’s Sustainability Barometer, we hope to set the conversation in motion and contribute to the development of sustainable digital initiatives among businesses, brands and organisations.



Advice Sustainability Barometer 2022/23 is exclusively available digitally. You can download parts of the content, graphs and figures (free to use), but otherwise you need to read it online. Our tech-savvy digital team at 

 has ensured the reading experience should be top-notch, but let us know what you think when you’ve had the chance to dive in.

We hosted the launch event in collaboration with The Danish Chamber of Commerce and guests from KMD, TDC NET and Polypoly, who shared their insights and perspectives on the topics of sustainable tech and digitalization.


Ditte Haugaard Clausen, Lead Sustainability Officer, KMD
Peter Søndergaard Andersen, Head of Sustainability, TDC NET
Jon Lund, Head of the Danish branch, PolyPoly.

Digital technologies permeate all parts of our lives. But while the broader topic of sustainability has become part of the mainstream, digital sustainability is still under explored by policy makers and companies alike.  

With the launch of our Sustainability Barometer 2022/23, we set out to change that. More attention must be given to digital technologies, and how they can contribute positively to our common future, both socially and environmentally. 

Advice Sustainability Barometer 2022/23 

Jesper creates digital strategies and advises management in digital development. He draws on his many years of experience in user-driven design, organizational development, and technical understanding in his work. He takes pride in creating business-critical digital changes that are easily communicated across the company and audiences. With great empathy for the reality of organizations, he also acts as a speaker and facilitator in change processes.

Jesper has been in Advice since 2007. Both as CEO of Advice Digital and now director of the Digital Business Area in Advice.

He is an MSc. in Media Studies and Multimedia from Aarhus University & the University of Texas in Austin.

When AGF plays in Copenhagen, Jesper is always in the stands, cheering for ‘the boys in white’ - or in Danish, ‘De hviii’e’.

Managing Director & Partner, Forte Advice

Jesper Nørding Pedersen

Jesper is the managing director of Forte Advice. Get in touch, if you are in need of new digital services. 

With its more than 275 digital architects, developers and UX designers across Oslo, Krakow, Berlin and Copenhagen our new shared company Forte Advice is from day one a digital powerhouse and fully integrated supplier of technology, design and strategic consulting. Forte Advice is a new company with 50/50 ownership between Advice and Forte Digital, and with shared ambitions to offer even stronger and deeper competences and solutions to clients across some of Denmark's largest brands, organisations and government agencies.

Forte Digital is a Norwegian growth comet with an impressive story growing from zero to more than 250 employees in Oslo, Krakow, and Berlin in just five years. Forte Digital was founded in 2017 by a group of skilled IT professionals with an ambition to do things differently – creating less complicated solutions, with the business and the user experience at the centre.

"We see huge potential in moving into the Danish market, where our experience from Norwegian clients can be used in growing and scaling the business and potential of Danish companies. Therefore, we have been looking for a partner with an established, healthy digital business in order to be able to jointly pursue that potential. Advice is one of the most reputable and strongly positioned agencies on the Danish market with a large overlap in the customer types we are used to working with," shares John Kårikstad, CEO and co-founder of Forte Digital.

We turbocharge our offering on technology

"At Advice, we already have a strong position and a digital business with great potential. By joining forces with Forte Digital, who have a unique approach and some of Europe’s most skilled specialists and developers, we expand our existing business within strategy, UX, and development even further," says our CEO Mille Klink, adding:

"More and more communication takes place in our customers' own digital ecosystems. Therefore, it is essential to gain a deep understanding of data and technology. Through Forte Advice, we can raise the bar and create even more solid, long-lasting, and sustainable digital solutions that contribute positively to our customers' business and deliver on 

Jesper Nørding Pedersen, Director of Advice's tech division, is to be the Managing Director of Forte Advice, and CEO at Forte Digital, John Kårikstad, will act as Chairman of the Board.

We have made a big move to boost our tech ambitions. As of September 14, our tech division joins forces with Norway’s most successful and fast-growing consultancy within digital strategy, design, and development, Forte Digital.

Welcome new digital power

Ralf has been with Advice since…forever. Today he is a partner and part of the executive team heading up the agency’s business development and commercial activities.

With more than 20 years of strategy-, branding-, creative concept development- and marketing experience, Ralf’s expertise is in leading large-scale branding processes in complex organizations.

Ralf has created a strong impact for brands like Lunar, Ørsted, Turner Broadcasting, Novo Nordisk, Nilfisk, Nestlé, and MuteBox. Ralf is also a popular opinion leader and speaker within the field of branding, purpose, and storytelling.

As a happy father of four and a Star Wars geek, Ralf’s greatest branding triumph was to convince his wife to name their first son Luke. This makes Ralf… yeah, you guessed it.

CCO & Partner

Ralf Lodberg

Contact Ralf if you consider becoming a client or business partner.

As an industry, we must go into that conversation with curiosity and find new ways to actively contribute to the sustainable transition. Not only within climate, although that is the most urgent agenda, but within the entire sustainability aspect i.e., the UN's 17 SDGs. 

Therefore, we must ask ourselves a very fundamental question; how can we contribute now and in the future?

I want to share four dimensions that help operationalize our own work with sustainability at Advice. Because I genuinely believe that as an industry, we need to share knowledge in this field, where (let's be honest) we're all happy amateurs.

This is where we look at ourselves as a company: What are our 

, how do we buy goods and sort waste, how do we transport ourselves, where are we in terms of diversity, and what certifications do we have?

The industry can do a lot, and we must remember that an agency is a company on a par with all others, and we have a responsibility for our own footprint.

This is about which customers we work for and within which projects. For example, by using a screening systemand client-disclosure reports (as the IPCC suggests).

But it's not just about saying yes and no. It is also about how we influence our customers – which methods we use to help and nudge them to make sustainable choices.

For instance, how we train our employees, which tools we use and how creative we are in terms of developing concepts that shift attitudes and actions towards more sustainable action among our customers' customers; consumers or citizens.

And finally, it is a question of being able to document our positive or negative imprint. The latter is difficult, and at Advice,we certainly haven’t crossed the finish line yet. But it shouldn’t be an obstacle for getting started in the first place.

If we have control over dimension 1 and 2, then we can move on and create sustainable contributions ourselves.

This can be through free analyses, small pieces of technology or completely new business models, which are intended to be sustainable from the beginning and help reach one or more of the world goals.

At Advice, for example, we were one of the first agencies to create a free 

, which measures Danes' attitudes towards sustainability every year.

, which conveys the valid and hard-to-find health information in new, online formats.

But there are plenty of other good examples out there.

Many in the creative industry have made various efforts with NGOs to support them during the war. It is an easy and efficient way to contribute as an agency. But it must not beat the expense of categories 1-3. If anyone, agencies must indeed be experts in avoiding greenwashing, pinkwashing, rainbowwashing, etc. But the world needs more philanthropy, so this dimension is certainly relevant.

This content is a sneak peek of a column written by our CCO & Partner Ralf Lodberg in Dansk Markedsføring. You can read 

Debates at the Danish democracy festival Folkemødet and most recently the debate in Dansk Markedsføring about Greenpeace's proposal to legislate against advertising and sponsorship from the most climate-damaging industries show that the conversation about sustainability has truly entered the creative industry. 

4 tips on how to make your agency more sustainable 

We are in the midst of a climate crisis, which calls for all responsible people and companies to stand up. For too long, the creative industry – and the consulting industry as a whole – has been hiding behind their customers with the narrative “we are not a real company, we’re just helping other companies”. But not only is the creative industry huge worldwide, it also helps develop solutions that shift attitudes and create actions - and in many cases, also sales.

Therefore, it is time for the consulting industry to pull itself together and take on as much social responsibility as it advises the clients to do. And we literally don’t have any time to waste.

This content is a sneak peek of a column written by our CCO & Partner Ralf Lodberg. 

In an ad from the tobacco brand Camel in the late 40s, a doctor praises cigarettes for working well against tickly coughs in the throat’s so-called t-zone. Today, this ad seems absurd. But I believe future generations will perceive today’s advertisements for online casinos, energy drinks, diesel cars and quick loans in the exact same way some years from now.

Debate: The consulting industry must wake up and take responsibility in the green transition 

And now you might be thinking; what is microcopy?! Overall, microcopy refers to the smallest pieces of text on a page. It can be anything from button labels to link copies and input fields. Although these copies don’t seem like much, you shouldn’t underestimate their impact.

Microcopy has a huge impact on the overall user experience and it’s something you can’t overlook when talking about digital platforms. Think about the last time you logged in to Netflix, and the text fields and buttons you encountered along the way, such as ‘Play’, ‘More info’ or maybe even an error message. We constantly encounter these small pieces of microcopy. Therefore, we also owe it to the users to pay attention to them. 

We must take responsibility and focus on the discipline of UX writing. This requires a definition, where I allow myself to borrow the words of Lisa Sanchez:

“UX writing is the practice of designing the words people see and hear when they interact with software. It's about designing the conversation between a product and its user.”

Personally, I’d like to say that UX writing is very similar to copywriting, as many of the same principles are repeated: clarity, consistency, precision, context and of course voice and tone. But with UX writing, the interaction with the users might get a little bit more attention.

However, UX writing is not "just" about microcopy. It is just as much about the complete experience users get. The reason why this blog post is specifically about microcopy, is because it is a great place to start when we talk about UX writing. By focusing on microcopy, you can quickly raise the level of quality, and it’s thus a good starting point for working with UX writing at a higher level.

Now, it may be a little bit confusing where to start, so let me make it easy for you. Below, you will find Advice's starter pack for good microcopy within UX writing.

You are probably familiar with having some sort of checklist that you automatically follow when designing something. As a UX designer, I at least recognize having some kind of golden rule set that acts as my own checklist - a checklist that raises the quality of my work every time I tick a box.

At Advice, we currently have seven golden principles when it comes to microcopy within UX writing. Don’t pay too much attention to the specific number though, because we all get wiser over time, so the list will probably expand. However, it certainly does not change the validity of the principles, which in our opinion should be checked if you want to create a user-centric design.

First, you should define your microcopy voice. This means considering what you want the voice to sound and feel like, even in the smallest pieces of copy. So, how do you do that? Our advice is: dive into the organization's voice and tone.

The voice and tone define how you say things. How do you express the organization behind (voice), and how do you speak to your users (tone)? Therefore, in your voice and tone, you should ensure that your microcopy reflects the values of the organization as well as the feelings of your users in the situation.

Being consistent is about using the same words and phrases when referring to the same thing. It is thus about whether you create a consistent experience across your platform and pages.

However, I often find that we use different words for e.g. buttons that entice the same action, which confuses the users, perhaps even to such an extent that they don't achieve neither their own nor the company’s objectives. So, even if you think you have been consistent with your choice of words and phrases, then you should always doublecheck your microcopy. My guess is that you will be amazed how often you say the same thing with different words.

Tip! Put your button and link texts in a document and compare them to each other. Then edit.

#3 PRINCIPLE: CREATE MEANINGFUL LINKS AND BUTTONS

Do your users know what awaits them when they press a button or follow a link? It is your responsibility to prepare them. A responsibility you can only live up to by making sure you use the right verbs and phrases.

 is sharp when it comes to creating meaningful labels on buttons and link texts. By comparing two examples, he shows the effect of choosing verbs carefully and making it clear what to expect next.

Even though the copies above are somewhat similar, the comparison highlights how the exact choice of words defines how well you succeed in guiding the user. The same applies to the examples below:

So, be critical of which verbs and phrases you use. Ask yourself if there are other words that can help give users a better indication of what to expect when they click on the link and/or button.

#4 PRINCIPLE: MAKE THE COPY EASY TO DECODE

Once you have decided which verbs and phrases you want to use, you should make sure that it is written in present tense. This makes your text more active and alive, which is easier for users to decode.

Feel free to be brief, but still informative so it is clear what you want to say to the users or want them to do. But remember, it must not be too rigid either. After all, the users should not feel that you are simply giving commands.Do not sound too formal in your microcopy, but use simple everyday words that match the target group you want to reach. 

, with just the slightest change, you can make the copy more informal and thereby help users decode the button.

#5 PRINCIPLE: PUT YOURSELF IN THE USER’S SHOES

When users visit a website, it is often with a purpose. Perhaps they look for inspiration for buying a new sofa or for more information on which insurance company to choose. No matter what, the context helps determine the emotions users have in the situation.

These feelings must be addressed when writing your microcopy. Therefore, you must put yourself in the user’s shoes. It will help you write a more useful and informative copy that meets the target group at eye level.

In addition, your copy should always be open and inviting. Often, it is beneficial to communicate positive emotions as users will find the content more appealing. It will lead to a better experience even when error messages appear, which leads me on to the next principle.

You know what it feels like to be met with an error message. Remember that feeling and then think about how you can improve that user experience. Not that you can prevent users from getting error messages, but you can try to make it a less negative or maybe even a positive experience.

First and foremost, keep a positive tone. The way you express yourself has a lot to say. It’s bad practice to write error messages that are too technical. Instead, take your users by the hand with understandable and informative copies that help them make their next move.

It is your job to ensure that the users don't "get stuck". Therefore, use microcopies and effects to give them ongoing feedback, for instance when they press a button or fill out a field. The feedback can be both positive and negative, and it can give a hint as to whether they are on the right track or not.

 makes it easy for users to create a strong password by continuously providing clear feedback.

Imagine that you worked for hours on your content and then threw it out in the trash. Similar scenarios would unfold if you did not take the content structure into account. Because no matter if your content is 'on point', it doesn’t help if the structure is bad.

Therefore, prioritize your text and make sure to place the most important things at the top. Next, you must create a good flow down the page. It is important that you help users with what information to focus on. Consider everything from the level of detail to the use of effects such as colours, fonts, etc. to catch the eye. This helps users get a better overview of the content.

If you manage to create good content and a good structure/flow at the same time, then I almost guarantee you’re home safe. At least, you have improved the user experience a lot.

Test, test, test… As with all other UX work, you should always test your microcopy with your users to make sure you meet them in the best possible way.

You might not ‘hit the spot’ in your first try, but you'll already be well on your way. By reading guidelines like this one, you are one step closer to creating good microcopies that live up to the criteria within UX writing.

The art of writing digitally lies in what we call UX writing. A discipline where we use text to guide users on their customer journey, most often on digital platforms. In doing so, microcopy is extremely important.

Microcopy and the golden rules of UX writing

Download Sustainability Barometer

Has COVID and social movements like MeToo and Black Lives Matter changed Danes’perception of sustainability? Has the proportion of Danes passionate about sustainable development increased or decreased? Do we still consider Vestas and Ørsted to be Denmark’s most sustainable companies?

Those are just some of the questions we have asked Danes about in the Advice Sustainability Barometer, which was launched in 2021 for the third year in a row.

The Advice Sustainability Barometer continuously takes the pulse on Danes’ view of sustainability. We now begin seeing the statistical development.

Once again, we get insight on Danes’ priorities when it comes to sustainable consumption and production. But we also get insight on which industries and companies Danes believe are the most sustainable.

If you are curious to know more (for example about your industry, company or target group), please get in touch.

We are showcasing Danes' perception of sustainability and the role of companies and consumers in the sustainable transition.

Advice Sustainability Barometer 2021

Shortly after Denmark’s first shutdown, we measured the pandemic’s impact on Danes' consumption habits.This content is a follow-up on that insight.

But this time, we also look closely at Danes’ reflections on their social habits and consumer behaviour after the crisis. Hopefully, this makes us a bit wiser about what we can expect from Danes' behaviour and how we can stay relevant to our target groups. The analysis was made in collaboration with the Nordic data provider 

We found 5 trends that characterize Danes' consumer behaviour during and immediately after the Covid pandemic.

If you want to know more about the analysis, we are no further than a screen away, so feel free to get in touch!

During the Covid pandemic, Denmark was characterized by restrictions and shutdowns, which changed our behaviour and consumption patterns. But what did our behaviour look like a year into the Covid crisis, and what will it look like going forward?

Consumer behavior in the light of a pandemic

Jesper has worked on the development of all forms of digital communication since the year 2000. He understands the synergy between different platforms, solutions, and technologies. Jesper always aims for approaches that deliver the best immediate solutions while supporting the customer’s product and business moving forward.

Jesper strives for all elements to be thought into the solutions - everything from proper HTML code and responsive design to the website's speed, SEO, SEM, and Tracking.

He focuses on developing design-borne HTML deliveries and style guides, creating CMS architecture, optimizing and expanding existing websites, and technical tracking implementation.

Jesper is a trained media graphic artist, which enables him to understand the visual presentation of websites on all platforms.

Jesper once found a snake in one of his shoes - at home in his fourth-floor apartment. Yikes.

Chief Developer, Forte Advice

Jesper Reck-Jensen

For a long time and with good reason, many websites have been built upon monolith CMS – giant CMS that can do whatever the heart desires and where all functionalities are gathered in one system. From simple content management, advanced layout builders and user databases to newsletters and e-commerce with order management functions.

Anyonewho has worked with web content has comeacrossone of these systems and most likelyone of the classic CMS such as enterprise closed source (Sitecore, Episerver etc.), open source (WordPress, Drupal, Umbraco etc.) or home-built systems. They can be based on different development languages such as PHP or .NET and talk to different databases. Either way, the most important role of the CMS is to help editors manage and structure a website's content as easy and user-friendly as possible.

The classic CMS consist of the editorial user interface, where the content is controlled (backend): admin, back office, etc. And then, we have the actual display of the website (front-end): What the users see in their browser. This content can be managed using the CMS' theme engine – page templates and theme files containing the content’s design and display logic. So, in the classic CMS, we both have the "body" and the "head".

Over the years, the need to implement third-party tools has increased; several development languages have emerged. Data was implemented from third-party tools in classic CMS via APIs (Application Programming Interface). In addition, the need to “reuse" CMS content and data elsewhere rose. Therefore, today most CMS have their own API that can be used in other channels. In addition to the classic channel (the website in the browser), you can take content from the CMS via its API and use it in other channels such as mobile apps, KIOSK software etc.

This configuration is called decoupled CMS, which means you can apply your own "heads" (displays) with the display that comes with the CMS or as separate displays in various channels. However, this setup is not 100% "headless".

This background leads us to the 100% headless CMS, which has no predefined display layers. There is only one backend where editors can structure and manage content, which can subsequently be displayed via the built-in API. This sharp separation of content and display means that you are forced to think "content first" and not together with a specific display in the front end. It is based on the idea that the content can and must be used in many channels.
Dette kalder man for decoupled CMS, hvilket vil sige, at man kan sætte sine egne ”hoveder” på(visninger). Enten sammen med den visning, der følger med CMS’et, eller som separate visninger i diverse kanaler. Dette betyder dog, at dette setup ikke er 100% ”hovedløst”.

The classic CMS is often located on one server, meaning the display and backend have shared server space. In addition, there may be additional technical server setups that optimize speed, security, etc. In 9 out of 10 times, a headless CMS is a SaaS solution (Software as a Service), always available and up to date. The display of the individual channels can be hosted in many different places, depending on the type of channel (website, app, etc.) or whether the data is static or dynamic. The flexibility is enormous.

BENEFITS AND "CHALLENGES" OF HEADLESS CMS

A headless CMS has many benefits, but you need to be aware of a few challenges.

Great for a lot of content of the same type. E.g. e-commerce products and the like

Security is high, as the connection between the data and display is decoupled

Headless CMS can be used with other data sources and third-party tools where needed, such as:

Developer friendly - free choice of development language for the front-end channels

Platform independent as there will often be SaaS

Start small, but there is no need to start over when the solution needs to grow or be developed further

Speed - A headless CMS is often associated with fast solutions (this depends on the technology that is chosen for display)

It can be harder to make very special layouts in a headless CMS

It is more difficult to get an immediate view of what you are working on because of a less visual editorial experience (however, many headless CMS providers work on improving this)

There is no doubt that a headless CMS has many benefits. From a developer's point of view, headless is a fantastic context in which to work. The question is whether all editors will feel just as blessed, especially if they are used to working very visually with their content. However, it will soon be easy to make ends meet. So, if you have a lot of data and content with identical characters, headless CMS is the way forward, and it is clearly here to stay. The market will grow, and the products will eventually evolve for the benefit of the editors, developers and end users.

WEBINAR ON DEMAND: HEADLESS CMS - FROM CONSIDERATION TO BENEFITS & CHALLENGES

If you are interested in learning more about headless CMS and its possibilities, you can watch the webinar we facilitated in collaboration with IT Minds. Here, you get examples and advice on how to use headless CMS from our Chief Developer, 

, and Senior Software Developer at IT Minds, Lasse Fisker. Watch the webinar here (in Danish):

When you manage content on a website, you use a Content Management System (CMS). CMS has developed a lot since the beginning of the web, and right now the biggest trend is headless CMS. But what exactly is that?


Headless CMS - What's that?

The climate and energy agenda has been a strategic focus area in Advice for many years and only continues to grow. Right now, every stone in society is being turned to find new solutions to accelerate the green transition.

"Our customers increasingly need profound sectoral insight upon which we can build our advisory within political advocacy, communication and campaigns," says Director and Partner 

“With the hiring of Anna, we upskill our advisory within climate and energy policy. Anna will be responsible for further developing our advisory and services within this area. In addition, she will also advise on public affairs, stakeholder management and agenda setting in a broader sense.”


, has had extensive experience within the climate and energy policy field for the past ten years. In close collaboration with some of the largest Danish companies, she has worked on creating business and growth policies, finance and tax policies, innovation and public-private partnerships.

For more than five years, she has advised Danfoss' management on government contact, the participation in COP21 in Paris, and the annual World Economic Forum meetings. Moreover, she has been a co-initiator of the establishment of SYNERGI, the Danish industry organization for energy efficiency. Prior to that, she was a climate and energy advisor at the Danish Embassy in Washington, where she worked for the public-private partnership organization State of Green. And before that, she was a researcher at the Danish newspaper Politiken.

 has an MSc in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen.

In 2020, Advice strengthened its climate and energy advisory by hiring Anna Louise Højbjerg Henrichsen. Anna has worked extensively with the climate and energy agenda for a decade nationally and internationally, most recently as a Public Affairs Director at Danfoss.

Advice strengthens its climate and energy advisory

For more than a decade, Jarl has worked with digital design and has thereby built a solid and basic understanding of technology and user interfaces.

Jarl specializes in UX Strategy, UX Design/Information Architecture, Wireframing, and Prototyping for digital user interactions. She has worked on fintech, IoT, AI, music production, transport and interconnection, sustainability, e-commerce, entertainment, dating, e-Sport, marketing, start-ups, and B2C and B2B products. In short, Jarl’s done just about everything.

Work, analysis, and strategy are the pillars of his philosophy. Based on Constructive Design and Lean UX, he produces both Low-Fi and High-Fi prototypes and wireframes during testing.

Jarl has a master’s degree from the IT University in Copenhagen and Aalto University, Helsinki. 

 Jarl is not only a gigantic nerd when he works - he’s also one in his spare time, where he produces modular music. If you don't know what Modular Music is, then google it and you still won’t know.

UX Director, Forte Advice

Jarl Lyng

Of course, it is important to remember that it will always be better to send 100 emails than 100 letters. Or to arrange a Teams meeting rather than flying to meet in person. This way, one can always argue that websites as such are more sustainable than the alternative. But we can do better, and we SHOULD do better.

the Internet accounts for 2% of global CO2 emissions

. Roughly speaking, that is close to what the aviation industry emits.

Due to the energy used every time we send data online, That is, whenever you load a website or check your favourite social media etc. It all requires electricity, and data centres thus spend huge amounts of energy to support the increased digital consumption worldwide. Not to mention the production of electronic devices and batteries, which harms nature too.

For instance, in an article from June 26, 2019, 

“..An EU-funded research project estimates that streaming and downloads of the ‘Despacito’ hit required as much power as the five African countries Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic spent in a year combined."

This context is where User Experience (UX) comes to the rescue. And you should pay special attention to ‘experience’. Because the user experience with your digital product or website helps create a greener digital environment.

If done right, it results in a better user experience and a healthier economy for your brand or service. And ultimately, a greener internet.

6 UX tips for complying with sustainable web design + A consideration about web design

Overall, we can call it the ‘efficient web’ because it is all about how much data we send and, thereby, how much energy we spend.

According to the Norman Nielsen group, you’ve got around 10-20 seconds to get your target group’s attention. Some even say less. So, imagine spending 5 or 10 seconds loading your digital product. That’s neither good for your business, your audience or the climate. The users just click on the next platform in line and get a bad experience with yours.

But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with some great UX tips: 

The images we use eat data for breakfast. Image files also become larger as our screens get better and better, with high resolutions almost surpassing real vision. Images can be a big part of the user experience, and we don’t want pixelated images on our websites, which is why high-resolution PNGs are mostly used.

But luckily, we don’t have to compromise on the quality. A high-resolution image contains several metadata, which aren’t necessary for the image sharpness. So, you can remove the metadata before uploading the image on your website or in your digital product.

 are some services that can help reduce the size of your images without losing sharp quality.

A good rule of thumb is; that if an image should be 300×300px on your website, the size of the original image should be 600×600px and 72dpi. So, twice as big but not any bigger!

Lazy loading sounds silly, and you get the impression that it is a lazy code. Well, it actually is. But if you use it properly, you ensure that your scripts only load images when necessary. So, when a user lands on your website, the script only loads the images that are visible to the user but not the images further down the page. Data saved!

At the same time, the visible images are loaded faster because fewer images need to be loaded simultaneously. Ergo, your website is also getting faster.

If you have recurring users, caching is a really good idea. In practical terms, when a user visits your website, it tells the browser that it needs to store information such as CSS, JavaScript and images. The next time the user visits your site, this information does not need to be reloaded. Thereby, you save data, and at the same time, your website loads faster, which ensures a better user experience.

If you need more practical knowledge about web caching, 

It's quite straightforward. For instance, if you have a Sitecore, WordPress or Drupal site, you probably also have a media library filled with images and videos that are not being used. Maybe you also have a lot of old posts or something that is not actively used. If so, make it a habit to delete these files, as they take up a lot of space and make your website load slowly. At the same time, I want to emphasize the benefits of reviewing your digital material: You can remove everything that isn’t relevant anymore and thereby improve the user experience too.

5. Optimize your information architecture

I strongly recommend making your website's information architecture or digital service a high priority, especially when discussing sustainable web.

A good example would be the navigation of your site or service. The more the user clicks around to find what they look for, the more data needs to be loaded. This example doesn’t just create a bad user experience, but it also uses unnecessary energy. In the worst-case scenario, the user never finds what she/he is looking for and ends up going to the competitor’s site, and then all the loading on your platform is wasted.

So, make sure to keep track of your information architecture. For the sake of nature too.

Actually, this point might be the best place to start, but it is not necessarily a simple task. In fact, my experience is that most people don’t know at all who’s in charge of their hosting or where it is physically located.

However, if you are ready to go all in with a completely green digital presence or service, a good benchmark is to choose a Google Cloud Platform hosting service partner. They only use renewable energy and maintain a commitment to carbon neutrality.

Take advantage of having a green hosting service. Spread the word. Inspire others to do the same. It might even positively spill over your users’ perception of your brand and platform.

One last thing that can be a little bit difficult to figure out is the idea that websites designed in black do not use nearly as much energy because they require less light from your computer screen or smartphone. After Apple introduced Dark Mode, a trend emerged where everyone now has an opportunity to switch from a light design to a dark one, and mostly with good reason. But if we look at it from a sustainable web perspective, it’s (perhaps) a different matter.

If we take an LCD screen, it will have a very small effect that can be difficult to measure. If we look at CRT or AMOLED screens, however, a small effect can be measured but still on a very small scale.

So yes, it can have an effect, but you must also consider how it affects another important aspect: UX optimization. Will it ease the experience of your digital product, or can it have the opposite effect? I recommend you assess your digital product in its context because the dark mode is not for everyone.

If you want to dig deeper into the trend of dark mode and how it can affect the user experience, you can 

Now that you have read the tips, you have hopefully noticed a recurring theme; efficient websites. That is websites that load fast and are easy to navigate. Start implementing my recommendations in your own digital product. It will not only become more sustainable, but you will probably also reduce your server costs and provide a better user experience—a classic win/win scenario.

Wherever I look, I see brands committing to reduce their carbon footprint. Yet, I rarely see brands taking a stand on their digital climate footprint. And that’s a thing too. In this blog post, I’ll share six tips on how to make your web design more sustainable with UX.

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