Emotionally Durable Design

171 Pages·2014·14.22 MB·English

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Emotionally Durable Design:
Sustaining relationships between users
and domestic electronic products
Jonathan Alexander Chapman
PhD 2008
Abstract
The UK disposes of 1.25 million tonnes of domestic electronic products (DEPs)each year,
the majority of which still perform their tasks perfectly, in a utilitarian sense. In an emotive
sense, however, these unwanted products bear a metaphysical mode of defect manifest
within the relational space occupied by both subject and object. Inthis way, it is clear that
design for durability has important implications beyond its conventional interpretation, in
which product longevity is considered solely in terms of an object's physical endurance -
whethercherishedordiscarded.
Thisthesisexploresthe emotionaldimensionof designfor durabilityto providea more
progressive set of sustainabledesign propositions; arguingthat consumer desirescontinually
evolveand adapt whilst the DEPsdeployed to both mediate and satisfythose desires remain
relativelyfrozen in time; this incapacity for mutual evolution renders most DEPsincapable of
both establishing and sustaining a relationships with users. The waste this inconsistency
generates is considerable, and comes at an increasingcost to manufacturers facing the EU
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, but more importantly, the
naturalworld.
This thesis explores 3 converging fields of knowledge: sustainable product design,
emotional and user-centred design, and consumer motivation. Although the literature
reviewed inthis thesis presents selected discoursesthat articulatethe needfor longer lasting
domestic electronic products, practical working methods, design frameworks and tools that
enable the commercial implementation of such artefacts, haveyet to be realised.This study
argues that the apparently intangible, ethereal nature of considerations pertaining to
psychological function cause confusion for the practicing designer tasked with the design
and development of greater emotional longevity in DEPs.As a result, the potentially positive
impact(s) of academic studies in this area has thus far failed to penetrate the working
practices and methodologies of design - arguably, the one place where new models of
sustainabledesignknowledgeand understandingaremost urgentlyneeded.
The aimof this thesis isto generate new and practical design informationthat enables
product designers to engage more effectively with complex issues of emotional durability
through design; presenting a more expansive, holistic approach to design for durability, and
more broadly, the lived-experienceof sustainability.Thethree core contributions made bythis
thesis are thus; (1)the implicit development of a 6-point experiential framework to structure
inquiry and exploration into salient issues of emotional durability through design; (2) the
design and production of 6 experimental DEPs,which exemplifyways of working with the 6-
point experiential framework; (3) the development of an original, and transferable,
methodology for developing case-specific design knowledge to address emotionally durable
design.
Contents
List of Figures and Tables v
Acknowledgements vii
Declaration viii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Problem statement
1.3 Hypothesis 5
1.4 Summary of the literature review 6
1.5 Research questions 11
1.6 Methodologies 12
1.7 Overview of results 16
1.8 Structure of thesis 18
2 Review of the Literature 20
2.1 Introduction 20
2.2 Consumer motivation and the lifespans of DEPs 21
2.3 Longer lasting DEPs and environmental sustainability 28
2.4 Object meaning 36
2.5 Emotional connections between users and DEPs 43
2.6 Longer lasting products and the creative industry 54
2.7 The EUWaste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)directive 62
2.8 Implications for research 69
3 Research Context 73
3.1 Introduction 73
3.2 Relevance 73
3.3 Context 76
3.4 Timeliness 81
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4 Research Questions 85
4.1 Introduction 85
4.2 Do the creative industries recognise product lifeextension as a viable 85
approach to sustainable design?
4.3 Do users possess DEPs to which they are emotionally attached? 88
4.4 What designable conditions nurture more durable relationships 91
between users and DEPs?
4.5 Summary 93
5 Research Methodology 94
5.1 Introduction 94
5.2 Brief overview of allfieldwork 95
5.3 Fieldwork phase 1 96
5.4 Results from phase 1 102
5.5 Fieldwork phase 2 117
5.6 Results from phase 2 125
5.7 Critical reflection and assessment of work 142
5.8 Summary 144
6 Conclusions 145
6.1 Introduction 145
6.2 Conclusions 145
6.3 Contributions to knowledge 147
6.4 Future research 152
154
7 References
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List of Figures and Tables
List of Figures
Figure2.1: Maslow's Hierarchyof Needs 25
Figure2.2:Attachment anddetachment profiles 34
Figure2.3: 10categories(andtargets)forWEEE 64
Figure5.1:Theinformation-gatheringstand at 100% Design,from 99
which thesurveywas conducted
Figure5.2: Groupingofinformationinthesurvey,andquestion 101
numbers
Figure5.3: Whatdo youdo? 106
Figure5.4: Whichspace do youthink ismoresustainable? 107
Figure5.5: How sustainablewould yousayyourwork is? 108
Figure5.6: Whichstrategydo youthink ismostviable? 109
Figure5.7:Whichscenariobestdescribesyouasauser? 110
Figure5.8:Whatisyourmost cherishedelectricalproduct? 111
Figure5.9:Whydoes itmeansomuch to you? 113
Figure5.10: Cananythingbe 100%sustainable? 113
Figure5.11:Whydo youthinkthat is? 115
Figure5.12: TheProduct LifeCreativeWorkshop (Monday 124
25 September,2007)
Figure5.13: Narrativemobilephone(byAshleyPhillips,Richard 128
Morris,LesleyWhitworth andChrisLefteri)
Figure5.14: Detachmenttelevisionset(byJamesMcAdam,Arash 130
KaynamaraandAdeelKhan)
Figure5.15: Surfacevacuum cleaner(byChrisRose,BenWilson, 132
Dr.NatalieWoolfandAkilChomoko)
Figure5.16:Attachment digitalcamera(byKarinJaschke, Nick 134
RawcliffeandJonathan Blaker)
Figure5.17: FictionToaster(byKathrynLadd, KieranJonesand 136
HannahScroggs)
Figure5.18: ConsciousnessMP3player(byBernicePan,Stefano 138
SantilliandSarahOwen)
Figure5.19: Exhibitionof6experimentalprototype objects at 141
100% Design(2007)
Figure6.1:Atransferable,methodological processfordeveloping 151
case-specificdesignknowledgeto addressemotionallydurabledesign
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List of Tables
Table 2.1:Ownership of household appliances by UK 56
households (2000)
Table 5.1: Results of the survey staged at 100% Design 104
(September 21-24, 2006)
Table 5.2: Results of the survey staged at 100% Design 140
(September 20-23, 2007)
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Acknowledgements
Iwould like to thank my supervisors Chris Rose and Jonathan Woodham for their support
throughout the development of this research, and the team at the University of Brighton's
Centre for Research and Development (CRD). Thanks also to Nick Gant, Ezio Manzini,
AlastairFuad-Luke,andTimCooperfortheirvaluablecontributions to thisresearch.
I would also like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their
contributions and support; Anne Boddington, Professor Bruce Brown. Dr Catherine Harper
and Dr Chris Pierce of the University of Brighton's Faculty of Arts and Architecture; Pete
Massey, Alice Brown and Helen Harten-Smith of Reed Exhibitions (100% Design); David
White of the Knowledge Exchange and Richard Morris of InQbate. My thanks also to the
following individuals; Ian Rudge; James McAdam: Seb Oddi: Ashley Phillips: Dr Lesley
Whitworth; Chris Lefteri: Arash Kaynamara; Adeel Khan; Ben Wilson; Akil Chomoko;
Dr Natalie Woolf; Karin Jaschke: Nick Rawcliffe; Jonathan Blaker; Kieren Jones; Kathryn
Ladd; HannahScroggs; StefanoSantilli;SarahOwenandDrBernicePan.
Finally,Iwould liketo thank my wife, Ming Ming, and son, Jasper, far their patience,
understandingandsupport throughout the research.developmentandwritingofthisthesis.
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Declaration
Ideclarethat the research contained inthis thesis, unlessotherwise formally indicated within
this text, is the original work of the author. The thesis has not been previouslysubmitted to
this or any other university for a degree, and does not incorporate any material already
submitted foradegree.
Signed:
Date:
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1 Introduction
1.1 Introduction
In this first introductory chapter, an outline is presented that provides a comprehensive
overview of the key elements of this PhD thesis; this outline uses the following sections to
facilitate both comprehension and precision of discussion:
Problem statement: what issues, or problems, does this research address, and why?
Hypothesis: the hypothesis underpinning this thesis will be stated
Summarv of the literature review: overview of core literature and its implications
Research questions: the 3 research questions driving this research are introduced
Methodologies: the research methods used are provisionally outlined and justified
Overview of results: an overview of findings and their implications
Structure of thesis: an outline of the remaining chapters in this thesis
The 6 sections of this initial chapter will now be described in greater detail, to provide a global
overview of this thesis.
1.2 Problemstatement
Since Bernard London (1932) introduced of the term 'planned obsolescence", made popular
by Vance Packard" in his book The Waste Makers (1963)3, interest in the lifespans of
manufactured objects has steadily become a 'crucial constituent of contemporary design
discourse". Yet despite the pervasiveness of this insightful notion, thus far, the creative
methodologies addressing design for durability have attended almost exclusively to the
cosmetic, bodily survival of manufactured objects. In these somewhat superficial scenarios,
1 London, B., Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence, Pamphlet, US,1932
2 VancePackardwas aleadingAmericanjournalist,socialcriticandauthorwho questioned the
moralityofplannedobsolescence, to describethe impact of production andconsumption. His
work exploredthe useofconsumer motivationalresearchbyadvertisersto manipulatethe
desiresandexpectationsofconsumers.
3 Packard,V., The Waste Makers, Penguin,Middlesex, 1963
4 Cooper,T., 'Durableconsumption: reflectionsonproduct lifecyclesandthethrowaway
society', inHertwich, E., (Eds),Life-cycle Approaches to Sustainable Consumption (Workshop
Proceedings),Austria,November2002, pp15-27