How to choose one sustainable design method over another: A consumer-product optimizing prototype

Abstract

This paper developed a prototype aiding designers to optimize sustainability of durable consumer-products. The theory of Emotionally Durable Design indicates emotional attachment between users and products should be strengthened to lengthen psychological life span of products. Yet attachment degree depends more on subjective evaluation of users, who tend to have different degree on different products. In the present study, a questionnaire was used to interview participants about their attachment degree to products. Then the products were investigated about their duration of indefective functioning. The prototype is a two-dimensional coordinate model based on Attachment Degree and Duration of Indefective Functioning. It can be used as a reference to choose among numerous sustainable design methods. For example, products with low Attachment Degree and long Duration of Indefective Functioning need to be redesigned with methods of reducing usage of non-environmentally friendly materials, recycling or building resilience into relationships between users and products.