In which ways does design influence our ability to make meaningful connections with products?

In order to fully understand how design can potentially influence our ability to make meaningful connections with products, it is important to consider the meaning and implications of short product life-cycles in linear design models and pose ways in which it is possible to design products that consumers want and are able to use for longer. The concept of emotionally durable design represents the ways in which designers could pioneer radical new objects, providing conversation pieces and facilitating longer consumer-product relationships. These richer experiences all aid the development of a more conscious, sustainable system.

Recently the subject of sustainability has dominated the design industry, and many companies are focussing on improving their design cycle to eventually introduce more circular models.
However, could emotionally durable design be introduced on a wider scale to address the pressing issue of product longevity and vastly improve existing linear design models.

Professor and theorist Jonathan Chapman has largely influenced the understanding and practise of emotionally durable design. His book, Emotionally Durable Design, accommodates his critical views on current strategies of sustainable design and product longevity, and proposes that “If we are to create sustainable fashion, we must design products that celebrate the process of ageing, and the accumulation of grime and wear and tear”(2015, pg.168). Chapman suggests an innovative new model that aims to tackle the causes of our waste culture, instead of the symptoms. Posed in his book is the suggestion that we should allow the Earth to “get on with the slow and arduous task of replenishing itself”. His solution to this is predominantly led by the idea of creating meaningful human and product relationships. This theory aims to lead the way to a culture of less waste, a higher consumer satisfaction rate and product experience.

The significant question that Chapman raises is one without one definitive answer: How can products be designed to reduce the need to consume and improve product longevity? Our selfish needs as consumers are typically met by many current design models on a short-term basis. Ashumans and consumers, we are constantly transforming, redefining and revaluating ourselves. We spend a huge amount of time as material beings, aspiring to possess things which aptly define and represent us. Given the fluidity of our identities and the ever-changing nature of our interests and values, it seems nonsensical that the objects which we surround ourselves with, remain static.

Chapman describes the experience of many current products as, “stories with an incredible opening line, but which just continue repeating it throughout. Their narrative capabilities are pathetically limited” (2015, p.122). Although it may seem apparent, pleasure plays a key role in the acceptance and long-term use of a product. While this may seem tremendously important, many objects are lacking in a basic pleasurable experience or are inherently designed to be pleasurable on a short-term basis. In order to continuously meet consumer needs, a successful product should be pleasurable and be able to withhold its own personality.

Designer, Bethan Laura Wood explores the awareness of pleasure thoroughly in her work. This project, entitled ‘Stain’, provides a curious example of how a product can allow the user to become active participants in unveiling a products personality and ‘magic’. The most successful achievement of this product, which sets it apart from many other sustainable products, is how the ageing process of the product has been meticulously considered and is in essence the principal design feature. Bethan Laura Wood writes:

This project examines the assumption that use is damaging to a product. The interior surface of the cup is treated so as to stain more in predetermined places. The more the cups are used, the more the pattern is revealed. (Wood, 2006)

Over time, the cups will build up an individual pattern dependent on the users own tea drinking preference. The experienceable and interactive nature of this product therefore becomes relative to the amount of use the product receives. It is unlikely that the product will reach the end of its life before it begins to stain, as the user will not receive the gratification of using the product to its full potential. The personality of this teacup and the relationship that is built between user and product will in turn work to form a stronger emotional tie. This also significantly reduces the chances that the cup will be passed on, replaced before it becomes useless, or not used at all.
Despite growing numbers of artists committing their practises to creating pleasurable products, this model of design requires a huge shift in consumer behaviour also. In many areas of design exists the policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life. This means that it becomes obsolete (i.e., unfashionable, or no longer functional) after a certain period of time (Bulow 1986, p.729-749). To a large extent this model of design is ideal for consumers who are constantly replacing items to reflect their most current personality. Finding pleasure in products is largely qualified by how the product supports and reflects the consumers personality, and so planned obsolescence allows for a constant refresh of ‘the self’(Negrin, 2009).
Doctor Llewellyn Negrin capitalises on this idea in his book Appearance and Identity. His main theory being that fashion does not express or communicate but replaces the self (Negrin, 2009). Cultivating one’s appearance, to Negrin, is a substitute to other forms of self-realisation. Identity keeps being reinvented and is labelled the “project of the self”. British sociologist Anthony Giddens, best known for his theory of Structuration, goes further in his view of modern society, describing individual identities as “Continuous project of self-reflection, self-presentation, and self-performance situated within a society which values self-realisation and the freedom of choice” (1991, p.215).
Although immense efforts are being made by designers to entwine emotional durability and successful products, through pleasure for example, it is evident that we as consumers are stuck in this cycle of a constant personality masquerade which will not easily be solved by one single long-lasting product. It is also strongly the responsibility of consumers to consider our behaviour and be conscious of which products we purchase and when they are replaced.

With the resurgence of small independent businesses and crafts people, an increasingly less desirable feature of mass-produced products is the uniformity and lacking personality (Matsumoto, Umeda, Masui and Fukushige, 2012). Self expression has become essential in today’s society for many, and so purposefully leaving space within the product experience for the user to navigate and exhibit their personality is one more step in the direction for emotionally durable designs.
Created by Eugenia Morpurgo, the ‘Repair it Yourself’ (RIY) range of canvas footwear combines customisation with self-expression to create a great example of designing with for longevity and beyond material life. The shoes are assembled with canvas and mechanical components, its own repair kit is also included. The footwear is also reversible which works to support evolving consumer personalities.

The infinite individual meaning which has been designed and can be controlled by the user is integral to why these trainers are likely to last longer. These shoes are able to adapt and grow to fit the body and ultimately evolve to support the user’s personality. The transparency of the repair process also encourages an understanding between product and user, placing the user not only in the place of the ‘maker’ but also encourages the owner to care.
In an interview, Yoshiaki Yoshimura (2013), Creative Directing Manager of Footwear at Puma, says it is possible to “create objects which are sold at a set price, but become priceless through use”. The sentimentality of this product increases with age and adaptation, and consequently so does the emotional ‘value’.

These ‘RIY’ sneakers provide proof that there is commercial potential for emotionally durable designs and that they are not merely a theoretical dream. The design by Morpurgo is an accomplished example of using self-expression and modification to extend the products lifespan. In customising our garments or products, we begin to tell our own stories, and craft our own narratives as creatives and individual identities.

Designer and theorist Joe Macleod has been working on the issue of ‘closure experience’ within his work and company And End for many years, ultimately aiming to alter the pattern of denial at the end of the consumer lifecycle. In a TEDX conference led by Macleod entitled Why we overlook endings, and why we shouldn’t, he discusses how designers are failing to create endings, and more importantly, meaningful endings in which consumers are able to reflect on the products use.

When giving insights into his previous experiences at various design companies Macleod (2020) states, “We talked about every facet of the products offering, but we never discussed the end”. This accurately demonstrates the importance of designing longevity into products, but alternatively designing products in which the ending has significance to the consumer. As it stands for many product and textile design companies, the end life of a product is scarcely considered, and an overwhelming responsibility is transferred onto the consumer to dispose or not dispose of the product when necessary in the correct way. Since listening to Macleod’s TEDX talk, it seems obvious that marketing for such products is entirely focussed on the start of a products life; what it can do for a consumer at the point of being new. This has the potential to offer designers a new perspective when considering ways in which a product could be considered ‘sustainable’. Despite many preconceptions, tackling sustainability goes well beyond the physical qualities of the product and action of recycling.

As is the case with many mainstream products, the appearance of the product typically deteriorates with age. In consequence, this effects the consumers desire for the product, resulting in the purchase of a newer, more boastful replacement.

Japanese-based design firm Torafu Architects have created their own solution to the time restraints on good design. The ‘Gold wedding ring’ is a transformative product, much alike to Stain. Over time and with use, the silver plating of the wedding ring wears off, revealing the gold band underneath.

Unlike common rings which discolour and require re-plating, the ‘Gold wedding ring’ could be considered to age gracefully, revealing individual wear patterns and a narrative of time and age. Due to the prevailing appearance and the subtleties which have been meticulously crafted into this product, it has the ability to not diminish but successfully enhance the product-person relationship over time. Additionally, what makes this design even more successful in achieving emotional durability, is its ability to even enhance interpersonal relationships, through sentimentality and nostalgia. Torafu Architects rightly state that the bands actively portray “the time shared between two people” (2012). The ‘Gold wedding ring’ is more than just an interesting and cleverly fluid design, it is a time capsule, a representation and physical expression of two lives.

Despite the financial and emotional incentives to invest in products with the ability to age well, this does not replace our desire to keep up to date with current trends and styles. The worry that clothes are no longer ‘fashionable’ or no longer compliment other products we own is one so deeply ingrained into western society. The stubborn saturation of the market is preventing a much needed pause for reflection on our consumer habits. Chapman (2015, pg.24) introduces this idea in his book and states, “Us as individuals are constantly changing, while the matter we deploy to portray these values and beliefs is relatively frozen in time”. As a result of being in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution, there is an ever-growing rate of production. Consequently, we are able to produce more textiles than ever. This in turn drives down the price of fashion and textiles products; meaning we, as consumers, are able to replace products with more frequency (Fixing fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability – Report Summary – Environmental Audit Committee, 2020).

Cultural theorist Mark Fisher (2009, pg.2) states in his book Capitalist Realism, “It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”. This takes a discouraging view towards the world of fast fashion, however, aptly summarises the current social and cultural reality so many designers are working to change.

Creating dynamic relationships between person and product, one in which the labels of ‘owner’ and ‘object’ are reconsidered could also be a successful strategy in absorbing the user in an emotional engagement with an object. By revaluating use as a one-way system and encouraging reciprocal owner-product relationships, it may prove harder to replace possessions before they’re broken. It should be the responsibility of the designer to create conversations and consider the degrees of response from products.
One way in which this could be conducted is through constructing engaging, gratifying, active connections between people and products by designing opportunities to engage in mutual interactions with the product. This has the potential to allow users to assume the role of producers, not observers of their interaction. This then creates the potential for the user to begin to reimagine the object or acquire a new skill or extend their knowledge through its use. As William Green and Patrick Jordan (2006, p.310) state in their book Pleasure With Products, “As the user’s needs, skills and abilities change over time, products which can be adapted or can be used in flexible ways, will also provide a greater satisfaction and pleasure”.
Another way of creating dynamic relationships is designing for animacy. The concept of animacy refers to the state of being alive and animate. By this understanding it could be assumed that products designed for animacy are capable of possessing qualities such as sentience and consciousness (Chimero, 2012). Designing in such a way that products are able to have quirks and can be unpredictable, indicating that the object has its own personality and autonomy. In doing so, the designer is able to give power to the product and give the perception of character traits and expression, such as mimicking human behaviour. This makes the interaction seem more intuitive while creating unexpected moments, which generate richer experiences with the product. In Tim Ingold’s book Rethinking the animate, re-animating thought, he argues, “Thus we have all evolved to be closet animists without of course realizing it. Intuitive non-animists have been selected out, due to unfortunate encounters with things that turned out to be more alive than anticipated” (Ingold 2006, pg.11). It seems conceivable that we may actually be designed to see life instead of no-life in things.
Additionally, designing in mechanisms that encourages users to care, tend to and maintain the product will work to sustain a relationship of shared altruism. This could possibly stimulate a feeling of control, a sense of mastery through the object, either through superior knowledge of the product and its particular workings or the aptitude to use it well. By providing moments to generate a ritual or habit with the product, a relationship of stability and reliability is likely to form.
Contrary to the direction in which design is slowly evolving, impermanence is highly reflected on in Japanese culture. Meaning ‘the pathos of things’, the term ‘mono no aware’
is the appreciation of short-lived experiences as part of the long and short cycles in nature. As Macleod would concur, this signifies the importance of reflecting on endings; being both saddened and appreciative of transience.

Two possible ways in which this could be interpreted are through a natural understanding, and a manufactured context. From a human perspective, the nature of a finite existence is contrasted with the never-ending stream of change as life continues to materialise and influence despite the passing of experiences and objects. Nature takes on the framework of countless small linear life models working to ensure the movement of a much larger circular model. The brevity of beautiful but finite moments in nature is bittersweet; the aftermath supplying nutrients to provide for regeneration.

From here, it is possible to understand how this could be used in product design to shift focus from awareness to a deeper appreciation of the beauty and aesthetic value of change. Despite this, understanding and accepting the uncertainty of product lifespans seems counterintuitive when trying to solve the issue of our waste culture. However, it is possible that with the understanding of indeterminate product lifespans, comes a deeper connection with such product, due to its momentary nature.

In reflection, a strong aspect of the emotional reflective approach to objects is based on personal judgment, this is dependent on how people’s identities, beliefs, cultures and ideals are reflected in the object or how the object fits within those elements of life. This emotion is not solemnly based on the actual object but also on the companies branding etiquette, materials, and the production of the product as a whole. In essence, a large part of the product experience is still controlled and determined by the designer. In his book Emotional Design: Why we Love (or Hate) Everyday things, author Donald Norman said, “The emotional side of design may be more crucial to a products success than it’s practical elements” (2004, pg.5).
In contrast, Design History professor Victor Margolin states in Design for a Sustainable World, “Design must disengage itself from consumer culture and participate in projects for the welfare of humankind both inside and outside the market economy” (1998, pg.89). However, it could be argued that by doing so, the designer is disengaging from the product experience which it has been discussed has an overwhelming baring on the owner-product relationship, and consequently the emotional tie.

In the Critical book Sustainable Fashion, it is argued that, ‘The universal definition of sustainability refers to an ecological system that is designed to maintain balance, meaning that no more should be taken from the environment than can be renewed’(J. Farley, G.K Farley, Hill 2015, pg. 2). Despite this, it has never been more clear that the problem goes way beyond solely environmental and physical factors now. Despite this, the factors which contribute to our culture of waste are very closely linked. Chapman (2015) succinctly states, “waste is symptomatic of failed relationships”. During the design process, it must be understood that physical waste is heavily contributed to through emotional waste. This knowledge must be used on a larger scale to design products which are capable of forming connections with the user. Likewise, it is our responsibility as consumers to continuously re-evaluate our retail habits and reflect on our emotional needs to make considered decisions regarding products.

Moving forward in my personal practise, I will continue to use the information from this essay to inform my work and most importantly become more sustainable as a forthcoming designer.

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