Influencing product lifetime through product design

This article investigates the possibility of influencing product lifetime through product design. First, the results of a literature study on consumer behavior are presented. These show that surprisingly few researchers have focused specifically on the arousal of the need to replace a product. There...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business strategy and the environment 2005-09, Vol.14 (5), p.286-299
Main Authors: van Nes, Nicole, Cramer, Jacqueline
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business strategies
Consumerism
design for environment
design for longevity
durability of products
Environment
Environmental management
Environmental policy
Length of life
Product design
Product life cycle
product lifetime optimization
Product quality
Purchasing
replacement motives
replacement purchasing
Research and development
Studies
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Summary:This article investigates the possibility of influencing product lifetime through product design. First, the results of a literature study on consumer behavior are presented. These show that surprisingly few researchers have focused specifically on the arousal of the need to replace a product. Therefore, empirical data about motives for product replacement were acquired through a combination of qualitative investigation and a quantitative survey. This resulted in a model of factors influencing the replacement decision and in a replacement typology. Finally, possible design directions for longer lasting products were explored. It was concluded that despite the variety of replacement motivations people basically want a well functioning and up to date product that meets their altering needs. This requires the development of dynamic and flexible products, which implies designing for variability and product attachment and preparing the product for future repair or upgrading. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
ISSN:0964-4733
1099-0836
DOI:10.1002/bse.491