Is Product Longevity Caused by Emotional Attachments to Products?

Product Longevity: Is it associated to our emotional attachments to a product?

1. INTRODUCTION

Emotional attachment or emotional design have grew to become phrases potent inside the world of design. Feelings play an enormous function in the way in which people react to and expertise merchandise and play an vital function in influencing how we relate to objects. Creating constructive feelings in the direction of merchandise might have constructive results on the design course of. HIGHLIGHTED QUOTE IN BOOK The longevity of a product varies relying on the product. Some merchandise have single use and a few might final by means of a few years and generations, however the longevity of a product is an important facet that should be thought of when designing the product whether or not the product is disposable or created to final a lifetime. These concepts are drawn from the theories of the authors Donald Norman and Jonathan Chapman who focus their theories on the person.

2. STATEMENT OF INTENT

This dissertation goals to establish and analyse the hyperlink between the customers emotional attachment and the sturdiness of a product, taking into consideration the viewpoints of influential thinkers such a Donald Norman and Jonathan Chapman critically analysing merchandise equivalent to ‘The Sims’, ‘The Philippe Starck Juicer’ and ‘The Cup and Saucer’. It appears to be like at the way it’s attainable to create constructive or adverse attachments with a product by means of the way in which it’s designed from totally different views equivalent to perform, color, aesthetics, type and emotion and is break up into three sections: the primary part justifies the necessity for elevated product longevity adopted by part two which reveals how and why emotional attachments are developed; from the elevated attachment by means of to the lack of attachment. Some approached to these points are eco-design, emotional design that are instruments that designers use to improve the life-cycle of a product. We dwell in a world that quickly adjustments in style and traits and our function as designers is to create objects and experiences that create lasting relationships between customers. Even from the standpoint of sustainability as designers, it’s vital to create merchandise in order that customers are psychologically conscious of which is able to Help construct product attachment for the customers. This essay questions why feelings performs an enormous half in how lengthy customers select to use a product by together with the concepts of the designers talked about above.

3. DESIGNING AND SUSTAINABILITY

On the earth in the present day, there’s fixed environmental issues rising round sustainability which has turn out to be a scorching subject amongst designers and customers. With the environmental consciousness rise these days, the impacts that merchandise have on the surroundings can’t be ignored. The longevity of a product, or its lifespan is the primary facet of the sustainability technique nevertheless it’s simple for designers to assume that designing a product with an extended bodily lifespan would immediately have an effect on the sustainable credentials of the product nevertheless it goes past that. It could possibly be argued that though merchandise have designed to last more from a cloth standpoint, it might be pointless if the person isn’t ready to preserve it at some point of its life.

‘We’re a era born to eat. We’ve rowing machines we by no means train on eating tables we don’t eat at and ovens we don’t prepare dinner in’ (Deyan Sudjic, The Language of Issues, 2009). This ebook brings throughout the concept that we’re a era which have decided our personal wants and cultures of buying issues for the sake of it with out really having a necessity for it. In different phrases, the 21^st Century era are a era hungry for brand spanking new merchandise in the marketplace, persevering with the tradition of mass consumption. “If we’re actually trustworthy with ourselves most of that we design leads to a landfill” (Tim Brown, IDEO, 2005). Tim Brown, like Deyan Sudjik refers to consumerism and the extent of the throw-away tradition.

The eco design of a product has a big effect on the surroundings as in merchandise with brief lifespans equivalent to telephones are produced of their thousands and thousands and customarily talking, they’re disposed of after a mean of two years. Not as a result of the cellphone turns into unusable however as a result of a more recent one will come out and the older cellphone appears ‘outdated’. This cycle could cause a worse influence on the surroundings than merchandise produced in decrease numbers with longer lifespans and disposed of much less usually. The attachment developed with a cellphone is solely to the service that it supplies and the wide selection of issues that may be carried out with it, so when the possibility for an improve is obtainable, the person will soar on the alternative. This being the case, it implies that designing merchandise produced in decrease numbers which lasts longer on an emotional stage is a extra beneficial means to cut back the quantity of waste. And even higher, having the ability to design a product which may by no means be disposed of by the throw away era.

So, an elevated attachment between product and person has a constructive impact on the longevity of a product  and would profit it’s sustainability, this facet could possibly be reconsidered by designers in the present day.

4. ATTACHMENT

This part is taking a look at how attachment is created and explores emotions skilled earlier than buying a product by means of to the emotions felt after the discarding of it. Folks develop totally different attachments with totally different merchandise by means of time relying on their style. It could possibly be argued that many merchandise which final by means of years are ones which are given as items, have vital household significance or are souvenirs from holidays and customarily have a reminiscence or a nostalgia hooked up to it. For instance, associations with household are influential in longer lasting merchandise such a handed down watch by a grandfather can be beneficial because it could possibly be a reminder of the person, or a grandmothers vintage field or furnishings piece. These usually elicit a reminiscence that persons are hooked up to.

four.1  INITIAL STAGES

Jonathan Chapman’s idea of the “Honeymoon Interval” could be very helpful in discussing the forms of attachment between individuals and merchandise. On this part, the primary phases of product-emotion is explored by means of to maybe among the final feelings earlier than discarding a product. The “Honeymoon Interval” idea by Chapman (2005) as “the passionate early phases of a subject-object relationship” can be utilized as a means of describing the primary phases of a merchandise lifespan as brief and intense, climaxing in an “awakening jolt” not like a profitable marriage. In his writing, he compares the event in product longevity to social traits away from a long run relationship and extra in the direction of one-night stands. Designers have to present one thing new and thrilling for the customers of in the present day’s society so they continue to be enthusiastic about that product for so long as attainable as when the attachment to the product begins to fade, it might be discarded or changed. Compared, Hendrik N. J. Schifferstein * and Elly P. H. Zwartkruis-Pelgrim (2008) have a unique view which is that the strongest attachment to a product is shaped after 20 years. By way of their findings, it’s evident that the attachment is strongest in merchandise youthful than a 12 months and older than 20 years as a result of early on, enjoyment often is the main essence of attachment whereas, for outdated merchandise recollections could also be stronger.