Choreographing obsolescence - ecodesign: the pleasure/dissatisfaction cycle

ABSTRACT

The paper is an exploration of the concepts of pleasure and dissatisfaction over time, with regard to the design of products. The case is made for a greater understanding of their interrelationships on the part of designers and producers and for analysts and theorists to develop more informed and affective research models and design methods. Shortcomings in the way that products are time-proofed are identified and it is proposed that 'pleasure-over-time' should be extended to parallel and assist in extending the life of products, which should result in more affective design. The primary purpose being to reduce the environmentally destructive effect brought about by the short pleasure/dissatisfaction cycles associated with contemporary, unsustainable patterns of consumption.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  A. General Literature
  A.0 GENERAL
      Subjects: Conference proceedings

General Terms:
Design, Theory

Keywords:
design methods, life-cycle analysis, product design, sustainability, user centered design, user research