Emotionally Durable Design

Emotionally Durable Design

Design research and proposal for a senior capstone project

by Frank H. Huanghttp://frankdesigntheory.tumblr.com

Researching and developing long lasting products

Industrial Design Program http://www.id-uarts.org

© 2012School for Design

College of Art, Media, and Design

University of the Arts320 South Broad StreetPhiladelphia PA 19102

http://uarts.edu

A final deliverable for IDES 431 Design Theory + Capstone Prep - Fall 2012

coordinated by Jason Lempieri and Jonas Milder

Table of Contents

Project ContextPrimary Research

Secondary ResearchTertiary Research

Project StatementProject StategySWOT Analysis

TimelineBibliography

Project Context

Design should be sustainable.

What is Sustainable Design?

This is the question I started asking myself. Most designers aim towards making a sustainable product, but what does it mean that something is sustainable?

This is the compiled definition that I found after quickly searching through some internet sources.

Sustainable Design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of social, economic, and ecological sustainability.

http://fs-unep-centre.org/sites/default/files/styles/bg_image/public/media/bg-33.jpg

http://vcnva.org/anx/img/library/72/solarenergy.jpghttp://control.717studios.com/~noelker/uploads/daylighting_1.jpg

http://www.tibet.ca/_media/images/Dam%20Mekong.jpg

I started researching different areas of sustainable design in order to get understanding of what I was looking for.

Sustainable Design

Environmentally Sustainable DesignSocially Sustainable Design

Emotionally Durable Design

DaylightingBiodegradableSustainable/Local Urban FarmingEolic/Solar Energy SourcesBiomimicryPermaculture

I stumbled across the term “Emotionally Durable Design” which was coined in a book by Jonathan Chapman. He defines it as the following:

“emotionally durable design provides a useful language to describe the contemporary relevance of designing responsible, well made, tactile products which the user can get to know and assign value to in the long-term.”

Jonathan Chapman is the co-founder of the MA Sustainable Design programme at the University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts in the United Kingdom.

This is when I decided that I could design and create a sustainable product by developing an emotional attachment between the object and the user. Creating an emotional attachment between the user and their object results in that person being less likely to throw away their belongings.

Initial Project Statement: To design a product that creates an emotional attachment between the object and its owner.

Primary Research

Interviewing people to develop further understanding.I interviewed some people in order to collect information about why people keep certain objects.

The following questions were asked to the interviewee:

-What is an object that you own that you feel you have an emotional attachment towards?

-Why is it so special to you?

-When was this object obtained?

-How was this object obtained?

-What is it made of?

-What emotions does this object make you feel?

-Where do you keep it?

-Any other further important comments you would like to add about your object?

Nicola Dunlop20 years old

Glasgow, ScotlandIndustrial Design Student

“So this is my key - as I am sure many may recognize. It is a one of a kind piece, made by my uncle and inspired by an old jeweler box key. The fact my uncle made it with his own two hands brings much sentimental value to the piece and means a lot as I know there can never be another like it. The copy is not quite identical with slight alterations and my date of birth engraved on the back in my own handwritting (which I find pretty sweet). The pendant was my ” sweet 16th ” birthday gift from him and the chain it hangs from was from my parents. It is the only piece of real gold jewllery I own as I am not into the diamonds and bling facade. I rarely take it off as I feel bare without it... I actually took this photo in the fear that I would lose it one day and have no memory of what it looked like... it means alot! I see it as an extension of myself, many asking “is that the key to your heart?” ... (I usually reply with “no it’s the key to the city”). Many people do ask out of general interest and see it as a conversation starter. I see it as an extension of myself and therefore I guess my version of a tattoo or a body piercing as I have neither. I believe it is quite unusual in it’s look and character and for that I love it. Grown quite attached to it over the years... safe to say I would be lost without it.”

Jessica Souza24 years old

Jaragua do Sul, BrazilPhysical Education Teacher

“This doll was given to me by my mother. She gave it to me when I was 13 years old when I used to travel around Brazil competing basketball professionally. I take it with me everytime I travel far away from home because it reminds me of being with my mother. I can’t go to sleep without it. I once cried a lot because I had forgotten my doll while traveling to Los Angeles. I called the hotel and begged them to mail it to Philadelphia (city where I currently reside) because without it I felt lonely and empty. My doll is a worn out but I don’t care, It’s something I have to take with me everywhere I go.”

Mareike Entzian19 years old

Braunschweig, GermanyAsian Studies Student

“Somethings that I would always keep even though they were broken/unusable would be one of these bracelets. I have had most of these for quite a while and they keep reminding me of places I have been, rough patches that I have overcome and also of very good memories and friends. I usually pick up new bracelets when I travel somewhere so sometimes the arrangement changes a bit but these ones are my favourites. I wear them most because of the emotional factor and because it makes me happy. When they are broken I pin them onto my pinboard so I can still see them everyday.“

Michael Abbonizio22 years old

West Chester, PAIndustrial Design Student

“This is my crucifix - given to me by my grandmother when I was sixteen. It means a lot to me because she bought it on one of her visits to Italy for my uncle when he was a teenager, but he passed away from cancer at 25 and so she kept it and gave it to me. It is one of the last gifts she gave me. It symbolizes the three most important parts of my life: religion, family, my families ethnicity. I have never taken it off since putting it on 7 years ago (with the exception of a hospital visit or two). I would feel completely out of place without it on, and i’m reminded of her every time I look at it.

Kaycie Chute21 years old

Florida, USAIndustrial Design Student

I picked up this nasty little number when I was fourteen at a circle jerks concert, who are still one of my favorite bands. I went through a whooper of a punk rock phase, and I still am having trouble digging myself out of it. My first boyfriend, Brad, bought it for me and though he’s a douche bag, it’s an artifact from a time in my life where I was part of a community that very much shaped my outlook on things. Sometimes in a good way and other times in a self destructive terrible kind of way. Ultimately, being a central Florida punk kid, (which was the a birthplace of a huge hardcore and crust scene during my teen years) is what took me from being a shy girl to a bit of a sassy bitch, which I throughly enjoy. I’m also thankful to these years because after spending a lot of time being reckless it made me do a tail whip from teenage alcoholic to someone who values self control and health. Maybe too much of a tail whip because now I basically major in consumerism... wtf! The shirt is pretty gross, there’s soy sauce stains all over it along with sweat stains and a few holes and I’m getting a wee bit fat for it.

Lidiane Santos25 years old

Tapera, BrazilAu Pair Exchange

I absolutely love my jewelry box. I got it about two years ago for $3 at Sears and I probably paid so cheap because it has a few imperfections. It’s a little crooked, for example, but I don’t care and honestly I don’t even notice. I can’t live without it, that’s all I know.

Victor Chen21 years old

São Paulo, BrazilElec. Engineering Student

This is my first guitar and I’ve had it since I was 8 years old. It has accompanied me through countless hours of practice and I wouldn’t exchange it for any other guitar in the world. I would say it is the only inanimate object that understands my feelings, and often times it understands me better than people.

Michael Tonkinson21 years old

Phoenixville, PAIndustrial Design Student

This is a shirt a friend of mine gave me awhile back. It means a lot to me, since I don’t see this friend to much. I ‘ve had the shirt for about 5 or 6 years. It has a few rips and tears. I’ve sewn a bunch of them up but its still pretty messed up. I don’t really wear it out of the house, but I still hold on to it.

Stephanie Mueller21 years old

São Paulo, BrazilInternational Relations

I’m madly in love with the pendant. It’s a beautiful green and purple stone which has been my personal favourite for a few years now. It soothes me when I wear it and feels like I’m at home some how. Sometimes I’ll take it off and switch it for another stone, but invariably I end up coming back to this one!

Erin Avery25 years old

Central New Jersey, USAArchitect

I’ve had this watch for 2 years now and it’s probably been broken for just as long. I got it at some store on south street...and I feel like it was second hand. Who knows who had it before me! It’s a strange little piece, and I love wearing it because it has a nostalgic presence - almost like a family heirloom.

I tried to selected individuals that were more diverse. I chose people from different disciplines and locations in order to get a large and diverse account of information. What I failed to do was to select individuals who were older than the age of thirty, which made my results a bit biased.

As a next step I interviewed my mother since I know she keeps a collection of objects that she would never throw away. Since I know her really well it helps me to understand more specific reasons of why she keeps certain things.

-Born in Taiwan-Degree in Teaching-Taught in Kindergarden-Moved to Brazil in 1986-Married in 1987-Founded her own business-Has three children-Teaches Mandarin as a side project-Takes ballet classes-Speaks four different languages: Taiwanese, Mandarin, Portuguese and English

Huang Yu WeiBorn: 1962

Chia-Yi, TaiwanBusinesswoman/Teacher

Hair Brush

-Purchased when she was eighteen years old-Bought it at an imported goods store-Her first independent purchase using her salary-Keeps it in her bathroom beside her new hair brushes that she uses-30+ years

Clay Bird Whistle

-Made by her son when he was 8 years old.-No functional value-A lot of imperfection-13+ years

“Totoro” Music Box

-Given to her as a gift from her oldest daughter-Reminds her of raising her kids-3+ years-13+ years

Glass Container

-Made by and given to by a close friend-Keeps her daily ornaments-Never replaced the container-25+ years

Incense Set

-Made by and given to by a close friend-Never been used-Object so dear that it has no functional value-20+ years

Porcelain Plate

-First time in the African continent-Porcelain Plate was given to by a close friend-Cracked but still in use-25+ years

These are the following groups that I categorised each product the interviewees had.

Antique

Crafted

Valueable

ConversationStarters

Made to beRemembered

Given bySomeoneImportant

Out of theirCulture

Hobby

Imperfection

EmotionalAttachment

Because

Secondary Research

Emotionally Durable DesignObjects, Experiences & Empathy

“Emotionally Durable Design” by Jonathan Chapman is my main secondary source so far. In the book Chapman outlines methods of creating durable designs. The book is divided into seven chapters, each covering a different area creating an emotional attachment.

“Over 90 per cent of the resources taken out of the ground today become waste within only three months: waste consisting of plastics, metals, and other synthetic compounds...”

“Over the last 50 years the world’s population has increased by 50 per cent; but our resource utilization has increased by 1000 per cent for the same period”

Chapter One

-Human awareness of impact on biosphere dates back to the 13th century.

-”Rampant consumption and waste of natural resources so prevalent in the developed world is a legacy of modern times, born largely from the inappropriate marriage of excessive material durability with fleeting product-use carriers.”

-Sustainable Design methodologies lack philosophical depth.

-Today’s consumers continue to be wasteful, but now instead virgin materials they are wasteful with recycleable materials.

-Recycling provides an ethical “get out of jail free” card, liberating consumer conscience and generating even more waste.

-Material possessions are deployed as signifiers of status, casting us within socially desirable roles, stimulating edgy cultures of habitual comparing.

-Emotional experiences delivered by products born of a technocentric mindset are incredibly limited and offer very little to users.

Chapter Two

-People will always want something new.

-Consumers are miners of meaningful content. Designers have to take advantage of the meaningful content they mine.

-New needs emerge as old needs are met.

-Context is important - compare a rat in the petshop versus a rat in the kitchen.

-Durable materials outlives the desire of a consumer to the object.

-Modern products lack character; they are too smart and precise... consumers always want surprises.

-The uptake of products is partially motivated by the notion of deflowering.

-The ego exists as an accumulation of aspirations and dreams, maintaining false appearances and portraying an aggregate self-image of coherence, completeness and success.

-Most products are capable of creating a small amount of empathy, product lifespans depend upon the sustainability of that empathy. Waste is a sympton of expired empathy.

Chapter Three

-Disappointment may be characterised by a real-time inbalance between expectation and reality.

-Honeymoon Period - passionate early stages of a subject-object relationship.

-Raising expectations increases the likelihood of disappointment.

-Everyday objects that engage the senses invade our lives and literally depend upon our care in order to survive.

-Designers must aim to increase the intensity and perceptibility of subject-object dependency, enabling products achieve deeper user engagement.

-The more an object is autonomous = the less level of dependency

-Roller Coasters - long lines create better experiences.

Chapter Four

-Most user experiences are never consciously realised, they are preceived only within deeper levels of processing.

-People notice objects when it “misbehaves”.

-A little misbehaviour here and there is a healthy thing.

-Swiss Army Knifes tend to sacrifice meaning with extra unecessary function.

-Emotional responses provide the foundations of individuality.

Chapter Five

-Objects that evolve slowly over time build layers of narrative by reflecting traces of the user’s invested care.

-Spontinuity and magic should be catalysed rather than planned through.

-Products are designed to both accomodate and embrace their inevitable future.

Chapter Six

-Objects should remind/create fictional utopias.

-Objects should continually portray a fictional gestalt, it must first possess an ability to conceal, holding a few cards up its sleeve in order to avoid total discovery.

Chapter Seven

-Environmental sensitivity is becoming an increasingly cost-effective practice for future-facing corporations, both in terms of avoiding legislation breach and generating capital via the creation of sustainable brand values.

-In allowing consumers to develop a degree of empathy with the products they own, you automatically nurture a visceral empathy with that particular brand.

-Sustainable Design must delve deeper still to the root of human consciousness, as this is where the solutions lie to what is a human-made environmental crisis.

Contextual

Build Layersof Narrative

Create an Imaginative

World

NotTechnocentric

OccasionalMisbehaviours

Surprises

Imperfection

EmotionalDurableDesign

These are the following main points that I have taken from my readings.

SubconsciouslyAffect the User

Create Empathy

Build Layersof Narrative

NotTechnocentric

OccasionalMisbehaviours

Surprises

EmotionalDurableDesign

Antique

Crafted

Given bySomeoneImportant

Out of theirCulture

Hobby

Therefore...

Contextual

Create an Imaginative

World

EmotionalDurableDesign

SubconsciouslyAffect the User

Create Empathy

Valueable

ConversationStarters

Made to beRemembered

Out of theirCulture

Hobby Imperfection

Tertiary Research

What is already out there.

The first things that came to mind after combining my interview findings with my reading source was videogames. Videogames usually contain a main character who is controled by the user/gamer. Depending on what actions the gamer chooses to do it will affect the outcome of what the character might achieve.

Look at the game “Age of Empires 2” by Microsoft for example. Launched in 1999, this game is one of the best selling games in the world.

http://www.hookedgamers.com/images/3142/age_of_empires_2_the_conquerors/screenshot_pc_age_of_empires_2_the_conquerors013.jpg

In this strategy game you get to pick a middle ages civilisation to play with. Civilisations ranges from the Britons, Franks, and Spanish to the Chinese, Japanese and even the Aztecs. This game relates to the reading because in the game you start with minimal resources, and as you explore the game your level and empire will grow. Chapman talks about the product needing to unlocking new levels creating a different experience for the user and new layers of narrative.

http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/17039-age-of-empires-ii-the-age-of-kings-windows-screenshot-the-technology.jpg

Another big product that is in the market is the Lego.The modern Legos are produced since 1958 and till this day they remain having the same dimensions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lego_dimensions.svg

Legos are simple building blocks and allows the user to create whatever the person can imagine. Legos are also commonly passed on to other people since they almost never break. They are perfect example of an emotionally durable product because they are a perform a different function depending on how the user decide to create them that day. Legos can either be a car, an airplane or even a mystical creature. Intentionally or not Legos are one of the best examples of an emotionally durable product.

Project Statement

I want to create a system, product, or service through the same methods of creating an emotional durable designed object. Whatever is created should develop a deep meaningful subject-object relationship.

Project Strategy

During the winter break I will further interview a bigger variety of people to gather more accurate information. There are also two books that I ordered that I would like to read, “Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things” by Donald A. Norman and “100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People” by Susan Weinschenk. I would also like to start making weekly quick prototypes of objects in order to learn more about what sort of things would people be more inclined to be attached with. Most likely I would be designing a product since what I design needs a physical engagement with the user.

My interest as a designer is to create socially or environmentally sustainable things. By discovering and researching “emotional durable design” I hope to achieve a product that will serve a function so vital to the user that the object will not be discarded after a short period of time.

S.W.O.T. Analysis

My strengths for this project was the amount of interviews I’ve managed to collect, but at the same time the interviews itself was my weakness. I failed to compile interviews with older people.I will need to develop better oral skills in order to collect better interviews and specially to obtain information from older users.

Week 1 Week 2

Week 1 Week 2

Week 1 Week 2

Week 1 Week 2

December

January

February

March

April

Reading

Prototyping

Timeline

Field Research

Field Research

Refining

Refining

Prototyping

Week 3 Week 4

Week 3 Week 4

Week 3 Week 4

Week 3 Week 4

Christmas/New Years Break

Reading Prototyping

Prototyping

Field Research

Field Research

Refining

Refining

Prototyping

BibliographyChapman, Jonathan. Emotionally Durable Design: Objects, Experiences, and Empathy. London: Earthscan, 2005. Print.