Short answer
Designers must move beyond purely functional considerations to address the emotional and convenience-driven aspects of device ownership and disposal to foster greater circularity.
- Field
- Sustainability
- Source
- ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies (2024)
- Method
- Qualitative study involving user interviews.
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Users often retain disused connected devices due to a combination of functional, sentimental, and perceived convenience values, creating significant barriers to adopting circular economy practices like repair or recycling. This sustainability research insight is drawn from a 2024 study published in ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies. Using Qualitative study involving user interviews., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers must move beyond purely functional considerations to address the emotional and convenience-driven aspects of device ownership and disposal to foster greater circularity.
Sentimental Value and Perceived Inconvenience Hinder Circularity in Disused Connected Devices
Users often retain disused connected devices due to a combination of functional, sentimental, and perceived convenience values, creating significant barriers to adopting circular economy practices like repair or recycling.
ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies · 2024
Key Findings
- 01Users 'hold on' to disused connected devices due to functional, sentimental, and other values.
- 02Perceptions of convenience, ownership, and wastefulness mediate users' end-of-life decisions for devices.
- 03Newer categories of smart home devices and IoT devices present unique barriers to circularity compared to traditional devices.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers must move beyond purely functional considerations to address the emotional and convenience-driven aspects of device ownership and disposal to foster greater circularity.
How to apply
When designing new connected devices, conduct user research to understand potential sentimental attachments and perceived barriers to repair or recycling. Develop integrated services or design features that make circular actions more convenient and appealing than simply storing or discarding the device.
Project actions
- 01When researching user behaviour for a design project, consider exploring the emotional and sentimental connections users have with products.
- 02Investigate the perceived effort and convenience associated with different product end-of-life options (e.g., repair, recycling, disposal) as a key design constraint.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Explores a range of connected devices beyond traditional electronics.
- +Investigates the nuanced reasons behind device disuse and retention.
Limitations
The number of people interviewed might be small, and their opinions might not represent everyone. The study focused on specific types of electronics, so other items might have different reasons for being kept.
Reliability & validity
The study's validity is strengthened by exploring a range of device types and delving into the qualitative reasons for user behaviour. Reliability could be enhanced by using a larger, more diverse sample size and employing standardized interview protocols.
Think critically
To what extent can design alone overcome deeply ingrained user habits and emotional attachments related to electronic devices, or are systemic changes in infrastructure and policy more critical?
Design Principles
"Design for End-of-Life: Proactively integrate considerations for repair, reuse, and responsible disposal into the product lifecycle, addressing user values and perceived barriers."
Understanding the emotional and practical reasons behind device hoarding is crucial for designing products and systems that encourage more sustainable end-of-life management. This insight informs strategies to overcome user inertia and promote repair, reuse, and responsible recycling.
What This Means for Your Design
People keep old gadgets like phones and smart home devices because they feel attached to them or it's just easier than dealing with them. This makes it hard to recycle or reuse them, so designers need to make it simpler and more appealing for people to do the right thing with their old electronics.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the importance of considering user psychology and end-of-life scenarios in your design process.
- 2.Cite this study when discussing the challenges of achieving circularity in the electronics sector and how design can address these.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
Research indicates that users often retain disused connected devices due to a complex interplay of functional, sentimental, and perceived convenience values, presenting significant barriers to circular economy practices. For instance, Lechelt et al. (2024) highlight that emotional attachments and the perceived effort involved in repair or recycling often lead individuals to 'hold on' to devices, particularly newer IoT products, rather than engaging in more sustainable end-of-life options. This underscores the need for design interventions that not only address product functionality but also the psychological and practical hurdles users face in adopting circular behaviours.
Source
ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies
On Disused Connected Devices: Understanding Disuse, “Holding On,” and Barriers to Circularity
journal · 2024
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about sentimental value and perceived inconvenience hinder circularity in disused connected devices?
- Designers must move beyond purely functional considerations to address the emotional and convenience-driven aspects of device ownership and disposal to foster greater circularity. Evidence: ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies (2024).
- Why does "Sentimental Value and Perceived Inconvenience Hinder Circularity in Disused Connected Devices" matter for design?
- Understanding the emotional and practical reasons behind device hoarding is crucial for designing products and systems that encourage more sustainable end-of-life management. This insight informs strategies to overcome user inertia and promote repair, reuse, and responsible recycling.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers must move beyond purely functional considerations to address the emotional and convenience-driven aspects of device ownership and disposal to foster greater circularity.
- What were the main findings?
- Users 'hold on' to disused connected devices due to functional, sentimental, and other values.. Perceptions of convenience, ownership, and wastefulness mediate users' end-of-life decisions for devices.. Newer categories of smart home devices and IoT devices present unique barriers to circularity compared to traditional devices.
- What research method was used?
- Qualitative study involving user interviews..
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2024 journal from ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing new connected devices, conduct user research to understand potential sentimental attachments and perceived barriers to repair or recycling. Develop integrated services or design features that make circular actions more convenient and appealing than simply storing or discarding the device.
- What are the limitations?
- The study's findings may be specific to the cultural context of the participants and the types of devices examined. The perceived barriers might also evolve with technological advancements and increased availability of circular services.