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Extending product life by introducing symbolic meaning: an exploration of design strategies to support subjective well-being
Abstract
Because products are often discarded while still fully functioning, it may be possible to support durability with design that stimulates a more enduring product-owner relationship. This paper is based on the proposition that one promising approach to support such prolonged relevance is by developing products with a higher predisposition for the attribution of happiness-related symbolic meaning. The study was based on a framework with six types of symbolic product meanings: positive relations with others, personal growth, purpose in life, environmental mastery, autonomy, and self-acceptance. In a pre-study, fifty existing symbolically meaningful products were selected based on these six symbolic meanings. In the main study, seven designers and design researchers analysed these fifty products with the aim to uncover underlying design directions. This resulted in sixteen design directions. The directions can act as a source of inspiration to designers when aiming to design for a long-term meaningful product-owner relationship.
... 39 Krippendorff stated that the intent of and response to a design is not necessarily related 40 and, in earlier writings of his, that "no one can presume that form (the designer's objectified meaning) and (the user's) meaning are the same." 41 Crilly et al. on the other hand challenge this in their research on whether the designer's intention is related to user interpretation. They rely on evidence that, in many cases, users actually do "correctly" interpret the intended use of a product and its functions. ...
... This leads them to state that with "respect to product safety, it is important for designers to anticipate how their work might be 38 Klaus Krippendorff, The Semantic Turn (CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2006), 54. 41 Krippendorff, quoted in, Nathan Crilly, David Good, Derek Matravers, and John P. Clarkson, "Design as Communication: Exploring the Validity and Utility of Relating Intention to Interpretation," Design Studies 29, no. 5, (2008): 37. interpreted because it is interpretation rather than intention that determines product use." 42 Equally, they rely on Kazmierczak who emphasized the importance for a designer to be capable of making users respond in certain ways to their designs: "The more strategically successful the design is, the more accurately and consistently does it trigger similar thoughts in different receivers. ...
... A list of topoi is provided in Casais and Desmet's writings on design strategies. 41 Based on analysis of existing products, they propose a list of values to be explored by designers. They describe these in terms of symbolic meaning. ...
Design has the potential to affect the situations we are in, the choices we make and the beliefs we live by. Being such an affective field, one might expect that canonized design thinking models and methods would be much concerned with how designers can discover arguments for their design choices. However, these are predominantly concerned with the phases to go through in a design process and the steps to take rather than informing design practitioners of how to explore their arguments of why.
Concepts and theories from rhetoric are employed here to explain how designers can develop a process where questions of not only how, what and when are explored, but also a thorough investigation of ‘why’. Significant examples from both design students and design professionals are investigated through a rhetorical hermeneutical approach, which leads to the development of a rhetorical framework for design.
The conclusion is that a design process of deliberation can be divided into three areas, drawing on theories and concepts from rhetorical epideictic topoi, amplification of arguments, and constitutive rhetoric, respectively. Together, these three areas define a Topos-Driven Model for deliberating about design choices, which is concerned with not only the making of things but with affecting of situations, actions and systems. In area one, the designers reframe the problem by means of epideictic topoi—meaning that they look for values to celebrate. This leads to deliberation about values to praise in the situations they intend to address by design rather than first and foremost thinking of a problem to solve. In area two, the designers look through the available means of amplification. The purpose of this is to discover ideas for making the design solution as persuasive as possible. In area three, the designers analyze the inherent ideology of their design solution.
Moving through these three areas leads to a design process of deliberation and self-deliberation on the available means of persuasion in the given situations. Furthermore, it leads designers to being not only concerned with designing persuasive products but also with reflecting on the inherent ideology of their designs, how it might affect people’s beliefs, and whether they can justify this.
... We have seen that clothes are more than physical items we interact with. Clothes are expressions of ourselves; they are memory holders, charged with feelings, full of symbolic meaning [26,34,43]: ...
... If a product holds so much of a person's happiness, chances are that the object will be cherished and well kept, as discarding it would mean discarding the "happiness trigger" and the memory that is attached to it, and a sense of emotional loss would take over [28,43]. ...
The current patterns of production and consumption of clothes are known for their negative impacts on our planet, and the efforts towards a responsible fashion system must come from industry and users alike. Whereas the fashion industry may focus on achieving eco-efficiency, designers need to engage the wearers in long-term commitment with their clothes to counteract the ongoing increase of textile waste. However, current design strategies for product attachment have proven that it is difficult to succeed at this mission. In this paper we introduce the focus and theoretical framework of a research project that aims to study the relationship between wearers and clothes. We present our research perspective through a literature review that is supported by empirical testimonies of dozens of women, whose words illustrate the complexity of human relationships with garments. When we compare our connection with clothes to interpersonal love relationships, we find that the similarities are significant enough to justify a different approach in design practice, and we suggest a re-focus on the existing wearer–clothing relationships.
... While these six types of happiness-related symbolic meanings can be interesting to analyse existing products, they are too abstract to be applied as a source of inspiration in design processes. As a result, in their research Casais, Mugge, and Desmet (2015) uncovered sixteen design directions (table 1), distributed over the six symbolic meanings. Using a set of product examples selected by four experts in Design for Emotion and Well-Being, that were believed to be related to the six symbolic meanings, sessions with designers and design researchers were conducted to identify relevant design directions. ...
... Based on these insights, we believe that in order for designers to successfully use the sixteen design directions, these should be offered in a card set that provides optimal support for the design process. Table 1 Happiness-related symbolic meanings and respective design directions (Casais et al, 2015). This paper presents the development of the SIM toolkit for designers ('Design with symbolic meaning for user happiness'), focusing specifically on the SIM card set. ...
Using design to improve the lives of people towards a positive flourishing state is the main premise of Positive Design. Our contribution to this growing field focuses on making use of the symbolic meaning that design can have to bolster human happiness. This paper presents the development of a card set for designers aiming to inspire design for happiness. The card set is explored in three sessions with groups of design educators, design students and design professionals respectively to collect diversified recommendations to improve its format and use. The resulting SIM toolkit for designers (‘Design with symbolic meaning for user happiness’), composed of a card set and a website, is disclosed and a workshop on how to use it is discussed.
... In this sense, materials influence this assessment, owing to sensory qualities, which are recognizable in the affective response of users, mainly due to external attributes, inherent to an expressive and formal scope [16]. This category of materials considers actions such as reducing, recycling and reusing material when the useful life of the product is ending [17,18]. The appearance of emerging materials offers the opportunity to achieve new experiences for users. ...
The current approaches referred to the design of new sustainable materials are related to the existence
of a greater awareness of energy dependence and the unfavourable consequences for the economy.
The objective of the research is to define a management model that provides parameters for the
manufacture of sustainable materials made in the laboratory, based on household waste Polyethylene
Terephthalate (PET), applied to pavements for urban use. The methodology includes six stages for the
creation of a management model that has as a case study a material designed with Polyethylene
Terephthalate (PET) waste, a 100% recyclable plastic that is mainly used in the manufacture of bottles:
Identification of PET waste collection systems for home use, using territorial mapping software;
Collection logistics; Distribution to the place of the processing; among others. The conclusions allow
visualizing a management model that implies the coordination of actions between the cycles of waste
deposit by users and the logistics of manufacturing and distribution with market projection. The results
define the logistics and production process for the elaboration of a material made with PET waste, times,
equipment, logistics and associated costs, which show data related to the viability of the proposal.
... Some studies aim to integrate design variables and consumer preferences with information on attitudes and demographics [8], space design [9], or product life cycle [10]. The dedication to designing positive experiences has been explored by various authors from academia and technology centers [11,12,13], addressing emotional, sensory and functional variables associated with the purchase decision, usability, acceptance of new materials and its integration in certain products and environments [14,15]. Researchers have explored the idea of how materials can be developed by integrating potential users in the design process, in order to increase the acceptance projections of new proposals in a market scenario. ...
This document reveals the results of a study carried out on forty-six Design and Innovation Master's
students from Portugal and Chile, to discover the possible influence of demographic factors on the
perception of emerging materials designed with household solid waste. The creation and application of
new materials that contribute to the ecological transition are necessary and are being increasingly
demanded by the manufacturing industry, which needs to communicate more environmentally friendly
solutions to its customers. The objective of the study is to determine the influence of demographic factors
on user acceptance of emerging materials made from household solid waste. The methodology
considered the collection of information, through a self-applied questionnaire, with structured questions
with semantic differential and Likert scale, adopting five attributes: ecological, cozy, attractive, luxurious,
comfortable. Three prototypes designed based on eggshells, orange peel, and cardboard boxes in 300
x 300 millimeter sheet format were studied. The results indicate that the attributes perceived in each of
the prototypes of new materials present significant differences in terms of the valuations associated with
their perception. The conclusions are referred to the implications of demographic factors for the practice
of design, whose knowledge can help the creative process, for a positive user experience.
... Hence, it is especially important to identify what triggers attachment in order to extend product durability (Mugge et al., 2010). In this regard, several studies have analyzed factors that influence attachment to a product, such as pleasure, satisfactory interaction, creating positive relationships, autonomy, and memory or memories, among others (Casais et al., 2015;Harmer et al., 2015;Ko et al., 2015;Mugge et al., 2010;Park, 2009;Van Weelden et al., 2016). In terms of providing pleasure, there are four types of pleasure that can be sought in products: physiological, psychological, social, and ideological (Jordan, 2000). ...
Editor Managing Review: Xin Tong Funding information This work has been carried out thanks to the project with reference UJI-B2019-27 from the Universitat Jaume I. Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume I. Abstract Despite the fact that one of the goals of the circular economy is that products can be used for as long as possible, existing data show that the number of years that small household appliances are used until they are replaced is not increasing and is even decreasing in some cases. This work focuses on product attachment as a strategy to slow down the replacement of the product and, consequently, to lengthen product life, thereby preventing psychological obsolescence. To this end, a representative sample of 70 small household appliances with attachment-related characteristics was analyzed to identify which of the 38 attachment strategies listed in the emotional durability design nine tools they contain. As a result, the most frequently used strategies are "design for animacy," "design for variability and modularity," and "connection or community belonging." Furthermore, 13 of the 38 strategies do not appear in this type of product and the strategies vary to a greater or lesser extent depending on the type of appliance. Therefore, there is still a lot of room at the design level to exploit attachment in this type of product, which could be very useful for business models based on life extension services. Moreover, the method applied to search for products on the web and to assign attachment strategies can also be used for other sectors and products.
... Los mercados incrementan un tipo de demandas de materiales, productos y servicios coherentes con las preferencias de confort físico y psicológico y, especialmente en este último caso, las percepciones subjetivas deberán ser cuidadosamente valoradas para prever y reducir las experiencias negativas (Kim y Christiaans, 2012;Hassenzahl et al., 2010). La dedicación a diseñar experiencias positivas ha sido explorada por diversos autores (Desmet et al., 2005;Fenko et al., 2016;Casais et al., 2015), abordando variables emocionales, sensoriales y funcionales, asociadas a la decisión de compra, usabilidad, aceptación respecto de nuevos materiales y su integración en determinados productos y entornos (Fenko et al., 2011;Crilly et al., 2004;Alarcón et al., 2021;Desmet y Pohlmeyer, 2013). Un tema fascinante y complicado es que las experiencias materiales no son absolutas. ...
The manuscript addresses the ideation of superficial appearances for emerging materials, taking as reference natural subjects of the plant world. The appearance of new materials offers the opportunity to achieve renewed experiences. The objective is to design appearances for predetermined substrates in the laboratory, assessing the contributions of surface design to the users’ perceptual construct. The methodology includes aspects related to bionics, selection and analysis of natural subjects; ideation of proposals; definition of substrates; prototype manufacturing; and user studies. The conclusions are oriented towards the implication of the natural referent in user evaluations, as well as the use of digital technologies in the ideation process.
... These approaches are insufficient if they do not generate relevance for the users. Design must account, therefore, for the human perspective and human emotions, becoming thusly more significant [38]. This relevance is fundamental for better human-product/human-computer relationships that result in longer-lasting designs that people want to care for and engage with, repair, reuse, repurpose, and (eventually) discard with respect [37]. ...
Emotions are fundamental in people’s lives. Both positive and negative emotions are important because they create complex and rich experiences. Several strategies for designing with emotions have been explored from designing for meaning, to designing for pleasure or for rich experiences. While there has been a great focus on tangible products in emotional design, our increasingly digital lives make engaging users in these contexts essential. Rich emotional experiences are relevant for digital contexts because they help create more immersive and realistic experiences. Design that considers emotions is a design that becomes more relevant, and this relevance is fundamental for better human-product/human-computer relationships that result in longer-lasting designs with which people want to engage. In this paper, we define emotion and offer a panorama on the work that has been developed in the design field surrounding this concept.
... In the design literature, association and relationship-focused identification have long been considered to add value to user experience. Accordingly, several design strategies have been proposed (e.g., Casais et al., 2015;Mugge et al., 2008). For instance, how to use symbolic meaning of a product to influence users' behaviours. ...
This paper reveals how the patterns of positive user experience in relation to a product vary over the usage life cycle, from before purchase to disposal/repurchase, and in what way the positive experience interacts with demographic factors. As constructs of positive user experience, five attributes of positive user experience were adopted in the study: aesthetics; instrumentality; association; self-focused identification; and relationship-focused identification. Love letter, UX curve and retrospective interviews were used as methods. A total of 49 people participated in the study. The results indicate that the critical attributes of positive user experiences differed to a large extent according to the phase of product usage. However, these differences were not significant in terms of gender and age. Among the five attributes, instrumentality played a main role in positive experiences throughout the product usage life cycle, while the importance of the other attributes tended to decrease after first-time usage. The findings highlight implications for design practice that can aid the process of designing for long-lasting positive user experience throughout the product usage life cycle.
... Positive Design Framework has been complemented by studies in different areas related to the specific ingredients. Topics like positive emotions and its structure (Desmet, 2012;Yoon, Pohlmeyer & Desmet, 2016); the richness of negative emotions (Fokkinga & Desmet, 2012); dilemmas and self-control (Ozkaramanli, Özcan & Desmet, 2017); and the symbolic value of products (Casais, Mugge & Desmet, 2015) have been researched. Specifically, the mentioned research tackles the ingredients of pleasure and personal significance. ...
Virtue is a fundamental aspect of well-being. Past research has proposed that emotional-driven design can be a powerful mediator towards supporting virtue. However, virtue-focused solutions generally target isolated actions. Here, using saving as an example of virtuous behavior we present a design cas —Billy Cash, a digital piggy bank that allows users to reflect during the saving process and extend the appreciation of the purchased item—that aims to demonstrate how design can facilitate virtuous behavior that is sustainable and can promote actual change. Through the analysis and evaluation of the design case, we propose a framework of design for virtuous behavior. The framework sets a scenario for design interventions that contemplate virtuous actions to be transformed into virtuous behaviors mediated by the resignification of resources and stimuli behind the experience.
... A final contribution of products is that they can strengthen our awareness of one's past achievements or of one's progress towards a future goal. Someone may hold on to his worn-out dancing shoes because they serve as a tangible representation of his efforts to become a ballroom dancer (Casais, Mugge & Desmet, 2015). Likewise, trophies and souvenirs can serve as reminders of our past achievements, keeping these vivid by making them touchable and perceptible (Belk, 1988). ...
... It might be irreplaceable like a stuffed toy that has been at your side since you learned how to walk, it might be the brooch inherited from a deceased grandma, or it might be a Buddha statue that represents deeply felt spiritual beliefs. All of these objects illustrate examples of meaning attached to an object (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton 1981;Fournier and Richins 1991;Casais et al. 2015). Such physical representations remind us of what, or who, is important to us. ...
What role does the design of products, services, and the built environment have on people's psychological well-being? This chapter introduces the emerging field of Positive Design, which studies the mechanisms and manifestations of design that stimulates human flourishing. After a brief account of research on Positive Psychology Interventions, this chapter examines the possibilities and limitations of design for well-being. It is argued that especially the enablement of pleasurable and meaningful experiences and activities in daily life is a promising approach. Four Positive Design examples related to taking notice and savouring are provided in order to illustrate new forms of Positive Psychology Interventions. These examples range from designs whose explicit core function is the promotion of well-being to common, everyday products that foster determinants of well-being as an additional effect. A number of challenges that Positive Psychology Interventions in practice currently face and the potential benefits of Positive Design are considered. In particular, this chapter discusses the strengths of Positive Design in terms of reach, adherence, and person-context-activity-fit.
... Although this may already give inspiration for design, it only provides rather abstract insights. To provide more specific insights on how to design for these six categories of meaning, further research developed concrete design directions for direct use in the design process (see Casais, Mugge & Desmet, 2015). Specifically, individual sessions with designers and design researchers were conducted, focusing on 5). ...
Material possessions with happiness-related symbolic meanings can provide a contribution to subjective well-being (happiness), because they remind owners of memories, achievements, or aspirations. Such possessions provide an anchor for personally meaningful narratives, help in the construction and communication of self-identity, represent personal values and achievements, etc. Capturing this richness in a design process is
challenging, because meaning is person and context-dependent, and the effects on happiness are subjective. In order to provide inspiration for designers to create products predisposed to symbolic meaning attribution, six happiness-related symbolic meanings were identified. Based on those, 16 design directions were developed. To
communicate the six symbolic meanings and the 16 design directions, a toolkit for designers was created, composed of a deck of cards and a website. This paper serves as an introduction to a workshop where the toolkit is applied, and it explains the process and the rationale behind the card set and website that make up the
toolkit.
... A list of topoi is provided in Casais and Desmet's writings on design strategies. 41 Based on analysis of existing products, they propose a list of values to be explored by designers. They describe these in terms of symbolic meaning. ...
This article introduces knowledge of the rhetorical genre of epideictic to design. The aim is to provide designers with concepts that stimulate their ability to deliberate about design choices and explore the arguments they may be making about the human-made world. The article begins with explorations of how to perceive the situations that designers may address, then rhetorical perspectives that may be useful when creating design arguments, and finally examples of how to use these rhetorical perspectives in design. Based on analyzed examples and theories on design problems, situational perspectives, and rhetorical genres, the article concludes that designers can benefit from perceiving their design as value celebration rather than problem solving.
Fine motor skills are one of the important skills in the development and preparation of children before writing since it is an activity that consists of precision and a high level of coordination based on tasks where the eye, hands and fingers are used. simultaneously. performing actions such as grip, precision and blows. A tool (board) is proposed to support the performance of fine motor activities in children with motor disorders. The tool seeks to meet the requirements set through interviews with experts and surveys conducted with teachers and children, as well as provide certain requests for communication and data collection that allow their analysis. A planned board of five activities called tweezers, precision and three types of stroke is designed, built and implemented, each of these seeks to help children to have better eye-hand coordination, as well as better coordination in fine and precise movements. Participants have a close familiarity with the tool, which allows them to gather information about their perception of both the design it offers and its use. The board is of interest to both experts and children as it allows versatility when interacting with the activities, giving the option of combining striking elements or figures for the users by adding the different visual and auditory stimuli that appear in the tool once finished. any of the activities. There is the possibility of proposing in the future an intelligent system based on neural networks, capable of taking the data and proposing the activities and the number of times they should be carried out to optimize the sessions given by the professionals, making them more efficient and effective, undoubtedly improving the fine motor skills of children who have had access to the tool.
The global attention paid to wellbeing and happiness shows no signs of abating. From Bhutan, the first country to establish wellbeing indicators as a benchmark for social progress, to the announcement of a Minister of Happiness and Wellbeing in the United Arab Emirates in 2016, the move towards establishing policies, practices, and programs to support that which makes life worthwhile and contributes to the development of stronger, more vibrant nations is becoming accepted policy practice. The World Happiness Report has been a contributor to this development by highlighting the need for, and possibility of measuring wellbeing at a national level by GDP, life expectancy, social support, generosity, freedom and perceptions of corruption. While chosen for their impact on wellbeing, we highlight a missing facet; that is, Commercial Life and its related social interactions, emotional experiences and long-term psychosocial outcomes, and propose that it be included as a measure of a nation’s wellbeing. Thus, we highlight the importance of the consumer experience, employee wellbeing, and product/service innovation possibilities that can contribute to greater social, environmental, and individual wellbeing and draw upon various theories in positive psychology to inform our approach.
The relationship between design and medicine is not new. The discipline of design has impacted the medical practice in meaningful ways, from the development of spaces and devices to the optimization of healthcare services and strategies. Earlier approaches have focused primarily on solving or improving specific needs such as designing more hygienic spaces, creating more powerful tools, or increasing medical record efficiency. Function and usability were primary goals. However, as the field of design began to evolve, so did the concept of Medesign. From a utilitarian perspective to a user-centric model, healthcare designers began to explore other dimensions related to experiential comfort, emotions, and motivations from practitioners and patients. The purpose of this study is to expand those user-centered dimensions and to start discussing elements related to the symbolic value and reflective aspects of medicine. A two by two matrix was created to explore the actual universe of healthcare, from a functional approach to an experiential one, to expose opportunities in which design can influence practitioners' and patients' well-being. The practitioner-patient axis determines who benefits from the design intervention. The functional-experiential axis determines the level of problem-solving compared to opportunity-driven approaches. Five cases were analyzed according to this matrix to emphasize and define aspects essential to design for well-being and future healthcare. We expect to identify new action fields that expand the interactions between design and medicine. We discusses five directions for applying design for health and well-being that can broaden the spectrum of design interventions, including the use of metaphors, tangible models, and the level of interaction, among others. These directions can create more alternatives for designers who want to promote a more human slant in medicine, creating awareness, understanding, and the involvement of patients, practitioners, and caregivers. Abstract 11 12
For all its richness and potential for discovery, qualitative research has been critiqued as too often lacking in scholarly rigor. The authors summarize a systematic approach to new concept development and grounded theory articulation that is designed to bring “qualitative rigor” to the conduct and presentation of inductive research.
How can interpersonal « contacts » allow for a « touching » relationship at a distance? To answer this question, we try to understand the reasons for the pre-eminence of the tactile modality in descriptions of emotional exchanges. With the help of an original experimental setup, we will propose a description of the essential conditions for “contact” mediated by technical devices. Next, in order to understand the relationship between such contact and emotional values, we will construe emotion as being the product of a force that instigates movement. We will then show that the “force” which is transmitted in touching contacts is based in the duality of the perceiving body and the body image. The fact that the subject is ignorant of his own body-image is revealed by the breaking of perceptual symmetry on the occasion of a touching encounter. These results provide some guiding principles for the design of interfaces and structures of interaction that allow for emotional contacts across networks.
This study investigates the effect of personalising a product's appearance on the emotional bond with a product. We present a conceptual model for the relationships between the effort invested during the process of product personalisation, the degree of self-expression, and the degree of emotional bonding. Data from a questionnaire study in which respondents (n=149) filled out questions concerning their (non-) personalised bicycle support our expectations. By personalising the product's appearance, a person invests effort in the product. Our findings show that the amount of effort invested has a direct effect (as a result of the extended period of time spent with the product) and an indirect effect (via the personalised product's self-expressive value) on the strength of the emotional bond with the product. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for product designers.
Our possessions are a major contributor to and reflection of our identities. A variety of evidence is presented supporting this simple and compelling premise. Related streams of research are identified and drawn upon in developing this concept and implications are derived for consumer behavior. Because the construct of extended self involves consumer behavior rather than buyer behavior, it appears to be a much richer construct than previous formulations positing a relationship between self-concept and consumer brand choice.
A hypothesized need to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal relationships is evaluated in light of the empirical literature. The need is for frequent, nonaversive interactions within an ongoing relational bond. Consistent with the belongingness hypothesis, people form social attachments readily under most conditions and resist the dissolution of existing bonds. Belongingness appears to have multiple and strong effects on emotional patterns and on cognitive processes. Lack of attachments is linked to a variety of ill effects on health, adjustment, and well-being. Other evidence, such as that concerning satiation, substitution, and behavioral consequences, is likewise consistent with the hypothesized motivation. Several seeming counterexamples turned out not to disconfirm the hypothesis. Existing evidence supports the hypothesis that the need to belong is a powerful, fundamental, and extremely pervasive motivation.
In today's unsustainable world of goods, where products are desired, purchased, briefly used and then promptly landfilled to make way for more, consumption and waste are rapidly spiralling out of control with truly devastating ecological consequences. Why do we, as a consumer society, have such short-lived and under-stimulating relationships with the objects that we invest such time, thought and money in acquiring, but that will soon be thoughtlessly discarded? Emotionally Durable Design is a call to arms for professionals, students and academic creatives; proposing the emergence of a new genre of sustainable design that reduces consumption and waste by increasing the durability of relationships established between users and products. In this provocative text, Jonathan Chapman pioneers a radical design about-face to reduce the impact of modern consumption without compromising commercial viability or creative edge. The author explores the essential question, why do users discard products that still work? It transports the reader beyond symptom-focused approaches to sustainable design such as design for recycling, biodegradeability and disassembly, to address the actual causes that underpin the environmental crisis we face. The result is a revealing exploration of consumer psychology and the deep motivations that fuel the human condition, and a rich resource of creative strategies and practical tools that will enable designers from a range of disciplines to explore new ways of thinking and of designing objects capable of supporting deeper and more meaningful relationships with their users. This is fresh thinking for a brave new world of creative, durable and sustainable products, buildings, spaces and designed experiences.
Product lifespans of electric and electronic products are in decline, with detrimental environmental consequences. This research maps the environmental impacts of refrigerators and laptops against their increasing energy efficiency over time, and finds that product life extension is the preferred strategy in both cases: refrigerators bought in 2011 should be used for 20 years instead of 14, and laptops for at least 7 years instead of 4. Designers however lack expertise to design for product life extension (through longer product life, refurbishment, remanufacturing) and product recycling. The paper explores a range of product life extension strategies and concludes that tailored approaches are needed. One of the main research challenges is to determine when to apply which product life extension strategy.
Previous approaches to the study of successful ageing are reviewed. It is argued that there has been an absence of theory guiding this research; an implicit negativism in the proposed conceptions of well-being; a neglect of the possibility for continued growth and development in old age; and a failure to see conceptions of positive ageing as human constructions that are open to cultural variations and historical change. An alternative approach that draws on the convergence in life-span developmental theories, clinical theories of personal growth, and mental health perspectives is presented. Six criteria of well-being result from this integration: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth. These dimensions are defined and their relevance for the study of adulthood and ageing is discussed. New avenues for investigating successful ageing as a human construction are presented with emphasis given to the complementarity between quantitative and qualitative research strategies.
From an environmental perspective, the early replacement of durables is generally detrimental. This article examines 'ensuring a strong person-product relationship' as a design strategy to postpone product replacement. If a person experiences a strong relationship with his/her product, this can result in more protective behaviours towards this product and in product longevity. A crucial precondition for a long-lasting relationship is that consumers feel the product is irreplaceable. Such a condition is obtained only when a product's meaning is deeply anchored in a specific product and the product and its meaning are inseparable. Designers can encourage the product's irreplaceability by stimulating the formation of memories associated with a product or by creating unique and personal products. Several examples of design strategies are discussed.
Despite the widespread adoption of reflective practices across many fields of study, a critical analysis of the concept of reflection and its application within higher education has been lacking. This article provides an examination of several major theoretical approaches to reflection including those of Dewey; Loughran; Mezirow; Seibert and Daudelin; Langer; Boud, Keogh and Walker; and Schn. Commonalties in terminology, definitions, antecedents, context, process, outcomes, and techniques to foster reflection are addressed. The implications of the findings for higher education are explained.
Communication of affect across a distance is not well supported by current technology, despite its importance to interpersonal interaction in modern lifestyles. Touch is a powerful conduit for emotional connectedness, and thus mediating haptic (touch) displays have been proposed to address this deficiency; but suitable evaluative methodology has been elusive. In this paper, we offer a first, structured examination of a design space for haptic support of remote affective communication, by analyzing the space and then comparing haptic models designed to manipulate its key dimensions. In our study, dyads (intimate pairs or strangers) are asked to communicate specified emotions using a purely haptic link that consists of virtual models rendered on simple knobs. These models instantiate both interaction metaphors of varying intimacy, and representations of virtual interpersonal distance. Our integrated objective and subjective observations imply that emotion can indeed be communicated through this medium, and confirm that the factors examined influence emotion communication performance as well as preference, comfort and connectedness. The proposed design space and the study results have implications for future efforts to support affective communication using the haptic modality, and the study approach comprises a first model for systematic evaluation of haptically expressed affect.
This article investigates the possibility of influencing product lifetime through product design. First, the results of a literature study on consumer behavior are presented. These show that surprisingly few researchers have focused specifically on the arousal of the need to replace a product. Therefore, empirical data about motives for product replacement were acquired through a combination of qualitative investigation and a quantitative survey. This resulted in a model of factors influencing the replacement decision and in a replacement typology. Finally, possible design directions for longer lasting products were explored. It was concluded that despite the variety of replacement motivations people basically want a well functioning and up to date product that meets their altering needs. This requires the development of dynamic and flexible products, which implies designing for variability and product attachment and preparing the product for future repair or upgrading. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
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