PLATE 28, Ageing gracefully to increase product longevity, Bridgens et al.pdf (3.72 MB)
Aging gracefully to increase product longevity
conference contribution
posted on 2015-07-07, 13:15 authored by Ben Bridgens, Debra LilleyDebra Lilley, Grace SmalleyGrace Smalley, K. BalasundaramLonger 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 samples 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.
Funding
The authors would like to thank the UK EPSRC who provided all funding for this work as part of the Closed Loop Emotionally Valuable E-waste Recovery project [grant number EP/K026380/1].
History
School
- Design
Published in
Product Lifetimes and the Environment (PLATE)Citation
BRIDGENS, B. ... et al, 2015. Aging gracefully to increase product longevity. IN: T. COOPER ...et al. (eds.), Product Lifetimes and the Environment (PLATE), [Nottingham Trent University], Nottingham, 17-19 June 2015. Nottingham: Nottingham Trent University: CADBE, pp 19-26.Version
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2015Notes
This is a conference paper.ISBN
9780957600997Publisher version
Language
- en