Steering sustainability transitions in complex organizations, such as hospitals,
may benefit from iterative, situated, and participatory experimentation. Co-creation
holds particular promise in this regard, acting as a “pebble” in the system that
generates ripple effects towards sustainable change. However, its implications and
methodologies within hospital systems, especially those grounded in design practice, remain underexplored. This paper investigates designerly co-creation through seven medical device design projects conducted by master’s students in collaboration with healthcare professionals. Drawing on observations of co-creation processes and 14 interviews, the study identifies designerly co-creation as both an “incubation space” for sustainability innovations and a potential “catalyst for change” in staff behaviors, mindsets, competencies, and hospital procedures. The paper contributes to the growing body of knowledge on design for sustainability transitions by highlighting the evolving role of co-creation in steering change and generating impact within hospital contexts. ... Read more

Given the urgent need for transitions towards sustainability in the design and manufacturing sectors that adhere to environmental limits, this study focuses on how to create targeted interventions within existing socio technical regimes that catalyse these transitions in the area of connected (smart) products. This category, which depends on both the hardware and software industries, introduces unique sustainability challenges and opportunities. Designing and manufacturing durable products requires a collaborative approach, given that the production of hardware and software is intricately linked to a global supply chain deeply embedded within the current production ecosystem and mass production values. To improve understanding and disseminate knowledge about product lifecycle extension, this work presents a co-investigation tool. This tool is based on insights from previous interviews and literature reviews, and it aims to promote collaboration among industry experts, such as designers and engineers, in how to implement product life extension strategies. A key aspect of our methodology is incorporating the perspectives of these industry players and acknowledging their pivotal role in realising sustainable solutions. Employing this conversation tool, we facilitated five focus groups with industry professionals to identify and formulate strategies for extending the lifespan of products. This paper details the design of the tool and the insights derived from the focus groups. The results of this study provide insightful pathways for firms engaged in sustainable product design and manufacturing, steering them towards a more sustainable future.
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Designing longer-lasting connected products is a complex problem, as they include multiple components such as connectivity chipsets, batteries etc. Discussing longevity concepts with industry experts can therefore be challenging due to a lack of framework and ambiguous terminology. In this paper, we are proposing a tangible token kit called Connected Product Lifetime Extension Tokens (CPLET) that allows us to elicit data in interviews. CPLET includes longevity concepts derived from Design for sustainability and Sustainable ICT literature. We utilized CPLET as conversation enablers during semi-structured interviews with 16 participants from nine different companies in the audio industry. This paper introduces CPLET, and an overview of the longevity concepts currently applied to improve the longevity of connected sound products. Utilising such a complementary method contributed to richness of the data, simulated further reflections. guided and broadened the discussions and mitigated terminology confusion. ... Read more

Repair activities have been in a long-term decline in the industrialized world; however, for the circular economy and a more sustainable future, repair is essential. To support repair activities through design, we adopt a practice theory lens to examine the user's computer self-repair dimension. Based on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and think-aloud sessions with participants with different levels of repair experience, we present a model that can help designers understand and identify the typical factors of computer self-repair practice. This model can aid designers in holistic design solutions that enable, recreate, and continue computer self-repair practice and design systems and solutions accordingly. ... Read more

This paper presents the development of a new interview tools to conduct interviews by incorporating physical tokens embedded with concepts related to product longevity. The objective is to augment the depth and quality of qualitative interview data in the field of longevity and sustainability studies. ... Read more

Extending the lifetime of the product, as one of the strategies for design for sustainability, may increase the value of the product in use, repair, recycle and disposal phases for a longer lifetime thereby decreasing demand for new manufacturing. However, employing these perspectives may be challenging and requires long development processes. In the current structure, small scale companies have a potential to be a significant actor in transition for sustainable manufacturing and design due to their agile development skills. We will present empirical data collected from eight participants regarding five small scale companies who design and manufacture long-lasting connected smart speakers. Key findings and implications highlight that small scale smart product producers strive to maintain control over design decisions in order to enhance the potential for long-lasting products; such companies thus need to be empowered towards distribution and decentralisation of design and manufacturing. To do so, (1) local manufacturing of the hardware is needed; (2) distributed and decentralised repair services need to be available to distribute the responsibility and increase the resilience of the product; (3) new types of intermediary relationships such as collaborating with local incubation centres and local initiatives should be encouraged; and (4) future designers may also need to practise their production skills and include open-source hardware and software development in their projects. ... Read more

Starting with the earlier work of Don Ihde, postphenomenological studies in philosophy of technology have been documenting the many ways in which technologies shape human beings’ relationship to the world. More recently, Material Engagement Theory (MET), originating from cognitive archaeology, ofers descriptions of how human thinking and capacities have been shaped through creative material engagements with the world. Based on a recent collaboration by Ihde and Malafouris (2018), this study applies the joint framework of postphenomenology and MET to design research in light of the rising interest in design literature into relational ontologies and embodied practices. The study is built on data from seven case studies of practices in creative engagement with materials and tools, three out of which are reviewed in depth, namely: felt making, make-up, studio camera operation. The cases are analyzed through the joint theoretical lens to identify and describe the human-thing relations as observed in design. We describe such relations as creative and exploratory, materially and socially relational, reciprocally mediated, situated, embodied, and skilled. Our emphasis is on the first three of these six characteristics, emphasizing relationality, reciprocal mediation, and creativity in engagement, as signifcant contributions of the joint framework to understanding design, making and use in design research. Our conclusion includes a discussion of future research opportunities for studies based on the joint framework. ... Read more

Designing longer lasting smart products need a longevity understanding that is informed by both Sustainable ICT and design for sustainability. By conducting a literature review in both areas, we are able to identify longevity related concepts. We briefly outline these ideas in the two fields before discussing their relationships to reveal how they can contribute to one another. By nourishing the viewpoint from both sides, we broaden our understanding of longevity. We conclude our research by highlighting the gaps that (1) there is a need for applicable coping strategies for smart products, (2) a fair division of responsibilities between the multiple actors, and (3) the need for more interdisciplinary research to clarify longevity considerations. ... Read more

This study focuses on the interaction between user and product that is characteristic of the amateur computer repair practice, including maintenance, upgrade, part replacement, customization, and repair. Our discussion is based on data provided by semi-structured interviews and think-aloud sessions with participants with diverse levels of repair experience with computers. The data indicates key findings for sustainability studies that aim to contribute to current discussions on design for sustainable behaviour by providing a snapshot of the amateur repair behaviour. The study revealed three important findings. First, since repair is a practice that features particular elements such as skills, settings, implicit and explicit rules, amateur repairers are users who sustain and develop the practice. They have particular identities and a perspective that is characteristic to amateur computer repair practice. Second, repair practice helps to transform product characteristics, both materially and from the point of view of the practitioners, as largely independent from how the product is designed. Third, the implicit and explicit rules are distributed via online and offline networks. Through these networks, knowledge and tools are shared among the practitioners. In conclusion, a comprehensive understanding of amateur computer repair practice might contribute to the Design for Sustainable Behaviour (DfSB) studies and sustainable system design ... Read more

In today's needs, it is not enough to imagine products who have only one owner in their entire lives. To create more sustainable futures, designers might increase their ability to imagine multiple lives for things. To enable it, scale is the matter of concern. By increasing the usage scale, and examining the exchange of second-hand products informs designers by imagining multiple scenarios related to things lifes. In this paper we focus on local freecycle groups on Facebook in the context of the second-hand product’s circulation. In the field research, we identify significant usage cases of second-hand products that have multiple owners. We classify them under four sections, which are student house, permanent house, families with a baby, and repurposers according to their concerns, criteria and behaviors related to handed-over products. Finally, we present insights about users’ expectations and concerns that has decisive role in determining the life cycle of the product. We propose thinking for larger usage scales through examples that we provide, guide designers and companies in terms of products' journeys in circulation ... Read more

Nesnelerin iç yüzüyle etkileşim, nesneyi kullanıcı olarak bilmenin ötesini bilmeye yol açar. Tamir sayesinde kullanıcı için nesnenin sahip olduğu “kara kutu” karakteri bozulabilir. Bu araştırmanın amacı; kullanıcının nesnenin altyapısıyla karşılaşması ve bu karşılaşma deneyimi sırasında yaşadığı perspektif değişimini ortaya koymaktır. Çalışma kapsamında masaüstü veya dizüstü bilgisayarların amatör tamiriyle uğraşan katılımcılarla yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler ve tamir esnasında sesli düşünme protokolü kullanılarak gözlemler yapıldı. Araştırma sonunda amatör bilgisayar tamircisi kimliğine, tamir ekosistemine ve bilgisayar tamiri pratiğinin diğer bileşenlerine dair bulgular edinildi. Teknolojik nesneleri kullanıcı için birer kara kutuya dönüştüren veya tamir ile karakutunun açılmasını kolaylaştıran etkenler, tamir pratiğinin bileşenleri olarak tespit edildi. ... Read more

Günümüzde kullanıcılar tasarımla aktif bir etkileşime girerek çeşitli kullanıcı rollerini benimsemişlerdir (Kohtala vd., 2020). Bu rollerden biri de türetici rolüdür (Campbell, 2005). Türetici
rolünün sürdürülebilirlik alanına önemli katkıları bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın saha araştırmasına konu olan lindy hop, jonglörlük ve parmak kaykayı (fingerboard) gibi hobilerle ilgilenen
ve hobilerine özgü ihtiyaçlar doğrultusunda üretim yapan kişiler türetici olarak karşımıza çıkar.
Fakat bu tür niş hobi grubuna ait türeticilerin sürdürülebilirlik alanına bulundukları katkılara dair yeterli akademik çalışma bulunmamaktadır. Bu çalışma hobilerine özgü üretim yapan
kişilerin, kullanıcı rolünden türetici rolüne geçiş motivasyonlarını sunarak, tasarım ve üretim
süreçleri üzerinden sürdürülebilirlik alanına katkı sunmayı amaçlar. Çalışmanın saha araştırması kapsamında türeticiler ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Çalışma sonunda üç
bulgu elde edilmiştir. Birincisi, kullanıcıların türetici rolüne geçmesi ve içsel bilgisini (insider
knowledge) kullanarak topluluk üyelerine özelleşmiş üretim yapmasıdır. İkincisi, üretim sürecinin küçük ölçekte yapılması, yerel malzeme ve becerilerin kullanılmasıdır. Üçüncüsü, hobi
grubunun değerlerine uygun ürünlerin ürün-kullanıcı arasındaki bağı kuvvetlendirerek ürünün
yaşam süresini uzatma potansiyeline sahip olmasıdır. Bu çalışma ürün kullanıcı arasındaki kişisel anlam yaratımını değişen kullanıcı rolü üzerinden açıklayarak sürdürülebilirlik çalışmalarına katkı sunmaktadır ... Read more