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PLATE 28, Ageing gracefully to increase product longevity, Bridgens et al.pdf (3.72 MB)

Aging gracefully to increase product longevity

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conference contribution
posted on 2015-07-07, 13:15 authored by Ben Bridgens, Debra LilleyDebra Lilley, Grace SmalleyGrace Smalley, K. Balasundaram
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 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

2015

Notes

This is a conference paper.

ISBN

9780957600997

Language

  • en

Location

Nottingham Trent University

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