Influencing product lifetime through product design (original) (raw)
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Product Life: Designing for Longer Lifespans
PhD Thesis Kingston University London, 2009
This Doctoral research investigates the role and potential of industrial design to confront product obsolescence in the consumer electronics sector. It investigates how design strategies can be developed to prolong the lifespans of products so to mitigate environmental impacts and contribute towards sustainable consumption. The predominant response by industry and policy makers to environmental problems associated with consumer electronics has been through improved energy efficiency and, more recently, strategies to manage end-of-life waste. However, the volume and speed in which consumer electronics are produced, consumed and made obsolete remains unprecedented. Such circumstances can easily override and negate the effectiveness of efficiency and waste management responses. Moreover, as the lifespan for many of these products, notably personal computers and mobile phones gets shorter many consumer electronics products are still in functional order when disposed of. Product design, technological change, expanding digital infrastructure, replacement verses repair costs, the migration of electronics into new product sectors, in addition to our seemingly insatiable appetite for new and novel goods all contribute to reducing product lifespans. This research investigates design strategies to prolong product lifespans. By investigating existing product features, user behaviours and societal factors, strategies that can prolong product are identified. Three particular design strategies have been developed to explore this proposition - Piggybacking, Reassignment and Scripting. Piggybacking specifically addresses products that are vulnerable to obsolescence from step changes in technology, such as the migration to digital technologies; while a Reassignment strategy is appropriate for products that susceptible to rapid technological change. On the other hand, Scripting is a framework strategy that can guide user behaviour to circumvent premature obsolescence by designing in ʻscriptsʼ within the product. These three strategies offer a new direction and opportunity for product innovation to tackle obsolescence in technological product sectors. It is argued throughout this research that design practice can occur both formally and informally. Designers often establish the circumstances within a product that can lead to obsolescence, while it is the user who often determines actual product life. However, if a product can be adaptable for changing circumstances it is better able to avoid obsolescence. Industrial designers can enable user-adaptation of products through the design of open products. An open product delegates a role of design to the user thereby enabling a product to be adaptable to changing circumstances, prolonging its lifespan. This research contributes new knowledge about product lifespans and design practice. It demonstrates the importance of user behaviour in determining product life by documenting many informal examples of prolonged product life. It applies new design strategies that can lead to new design innovation.
Ageing gracefully to increase product longevity
Longer use and responsible disposal of rapidly discarded consumer electronics would slow material throughput and reduce metal extraction rates and associated environmental impacts. Although longevity is technically achievable, extending product lifetimes is more challenging when devices become ‘tired’, ‘worn’ or ‘damaged’ as these attributes are believed to result in loss of value, dissatisfaction and premature disposal. “Materials mediate the aging process in a tangible and immediate way” (Chapman, 2014, p. 141), thus users’ sustained appreciation of materials will often determine a product’s longevity regardless of physical durability and functional lifespan. This paper presents the findings of a user-centred study which explores tactile and aesthetic responses to new and artificially aged mobile phone cases made from leather, titanium, cork, plastic, rubber, walnut and bamboo. The results indicate that preferences for the materials tested were extremely subjective, and even a single participant was likely to have conflicting requirements for the characteristics of the materials (for example, sleek and shiny yet easy to grip). Participants’ preconceptions about the meaning and function of materials in a particular context strongly influenced their responses. The ageing process had no effect on the position of the sample materials in preference order, but the comments provided by participants gave useful insights into the variety of ways that wear and damage can be interpreted by different people for different materials in a particular context.
Journal of Industrial Ecology
Long‐lasting electronic products contribute to a sustainable society; however, both expected and actual lifetimes are in decline. This research provides in‐depth insights into consumers’ considerations about product lifetimes, barriers to extending lifetimes, and responses to a product lifetime label. Results of interviews (n = 22) with Dutch consumers suggest a positive view on long‐lasting products. Nevertheless, their products’ value depreciated during their lifetimes. Consumers consider themselves unable to estimate how long products should last, which can be detrimental as low expectations tend to negatively influence actual lifetimes. Also, use intensity and consumers’ care(less) behavior influence the lifetime. To extend product lifetimes, consumers often disregard the option of repairing malfunctioning products. They have limited knowledge and ability, and believe repair provides poor value for money. Lifetime extension can also be hindered by market‐related factors, such as...
Design For Longevity and Design For X: Concepts, Applications, and Perspectives
Tibuana
The scientific development of Design For X is very rapid. The definition of Design For X in question is Design for specific purposes. Starting from Design For Manufacture, Design For Sustainability developed into Design For Longevity. The goal of Design For Longevity is design to extend product lifetime.Design For Longevity is a concept where products with a short lifespan are strived for a longer life. As a new concept that develops in a fast-paced era and products shift with short trends, the DfL application is indispensable.This study used a bibliometric study approach using NVIVO analysis and combined with a descriptive qualitative study the relationship between Design For Longevity and Design For X.
The Long View : Exploring Product Lifetime Extension
2017
The aim of this study is to provide recommendations on the opportunities available to consumers, private sector and especially governments, of developed and developing economies, to address product lifetime extension. Seven products representing different lifetime expectancies by consumers for their optimal replacement moments and actual lifetimes in selected countries are analysed: washing machines, refrigerators, TVs, mobile phones, laptops and clothing. The report provides three policy perspectives, two for developed and one for developing countries, for designing measures to address product lifetime extension.
The Consumers' Desired and Expected Product Lifetimes
In this paper, we present empirical evidence from a large-scale questionnaire survey on the average use-times of durable goods and the consumers' desired lifetimes. The results show that consumers' want durable goods to last between 1.7 and 3.6 times longer than they are used. Moreover, we emphasise the difference between desired and expected lifetimes and explain, how the consumers' expectations regarding product lifetimes affect their buying and replacement decisions.
Design of resilient consumer products
DRS2016: Future-Focused Thinking, 2016
Consumer product sustainability is a topic that has been of increasing interest to practice and academia in recent decades. In this context, a widely discussed means of achieving sustainability is to design more durable products, thereby reducing the need for the production of new products. In particular, the emotional perspective on product durability has received attention in recent design literature, since consumer products are often replaced long before they become physically non-functioning. However, the literature does not provide a full account of the causes of product replacement or of the means for making products more durable. This paper addresses these issues by defining the concept of 'resilient product design', providing a detailed classification of causes of product replacement, and organising means to extend product longevity. Hereby, the paper provides a more structured basis for designers to design resilient consumer products and for researchers to engage in further studies.
Making the Best of Obsolescence—A Study on the Changing Landscape of Product Life-Cycle
Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, 2019
Fashion, it is said, thrives on change. Its interception with the consumer is mapped by a well-defined lifecycle, going through stages of Introduction, Rise, Peak, Decline and Obsolescence. Unlike many other products that follow the S-shaped PLC curve, fashion products are marked by a definite period of obsolescence, planned or otherwise. This period of obsolescence marks the uniqueness of this business, promoting the existence of seasonality and trends in the dynamic fashion environment. Traditionally, the period of obsolescence had been a source of worry for marketers and supply-chain personnel. Pertinently, obsolete merchandise that is not liquidated and consumed contributes to landfills amassing massive earth-space, dangerously compromising on the fragile ecosystem of our planet. This study employs quantitative methods to infer the relationship between the "innovativeness" of a consumer and the perceived value of obsolete or End-of-lifecycle (EOLC) products in fashion, and the consequent impact on purchase intention. It also maps the consumer perceived value when presented with a "deconstructed" garment, and seeks to explore the relationship of an innovative fashion consumer and his response in terms of value perception and purchase intention for deconstructed garments.