Integrate socio-technical environments into design

Several elements linked to the socio-technical environment must also be taken into account to promote frugal design. The socio-technical environment is the set of objective – technical and social – dimensions that characterize the context in which innovation takes place. The following dimensions are particularly worth considering.

• Stakeholders, their organizations and governance: in many countries, the involvement of the state and NGOs plays an essential role in structuring the market and prioritizing the means of action. Understanding and representing these different "pre-users", or secondary users, who affect local practices in one way or another, enables us to better understand the capacity for action and the resilience of local communities to adopt an innovation.

• Available resources and materials: exploring...