Short answer
To successfully introduce product-service systems, designers must move beyond functional benefits and consider how the system can support or align with consumers' existing identities and desires for self-expression, rather than solely focusing on the environmental advantages.
- Field
- Innovation & Design
- Source
- Journal of Industrial Ecology (2016)
- Method
- Ethnographic analysis and comparative case study
- Evidence
- Strong effect
The deep emotional and symbolic connection consumers have with product ownership, particularly with iconic brands, can be a significant barrier to the adoption of product-service systems (PSSs) that emphasize access over ownership. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2016 study published in Journal of Industrial Ecology. Using Ethnographic analysis and comparative case study, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: To successfully introduce product-service systems, designers must move beyond functional benefits and consider how the system can support or align with consumers' existing identities and desires for self-expression, rather than solely focusing on the environmental advantages.
Consumer identity significantly impacts adoption of sustainable product-service systems
The deep emotional and symbolic connection consumers have with product ownership, particularly with iconic brands, can be a significant barrier to the adoption of product-service systems (PSSs) that emphasize access over ownership.
Journal of Industrial Ecology · 2016
Key Findings
- 01Iconic product ownership, like Harley Davidson motorcycles, fosters strong emotional attachment, brand community identification, and self-definition through customization.
- 02Users of access-based PSSs, such as Zipcar, often view them as temporary solutions and may resist brand community involvement, sometimes expressing negative sentiments towards shared use.
Application
Design takeaway
To successfully introduce product-service systems, designers must move beyond functional benefits and consider how the system can support or align with consumers' existing identities and desires for self-expression, rather than solely focusing on the environmental advantages.
How to apply
When designing a new product-service system, conduct research into the target audience's existing relationships with products and brands to understand how ownership contributes to their identity. Then, develop PSS offerings that either leverage these existing connections or provide compelling new avenues for self-expression and community.
Project actions
- 01When researching a new product or service, ask users not just what they need, but how owning certain items makes them feel and who they feel they are when they own them.
- 02Consider if your design project could offer a service that still allows for personalization or a sense of belonging, even if it's not traditional ownership.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a nuanced understanding of user motivation beyond rational choice.
- +Uses rich qualitative data from ethnographic studies.
Limitations
The specific brands and services studied might not be representative of all consumer preferences or all types of PSSs.
Reliability & validity
The ethnographic approach provides rich qualitative data but may have limited generalizability. The findings are specific to the case studies presented.
Think critically
To what extent can product-service systems be designed to fulfill the identity-related needs that consumers currently satisfy through product ownership?
Design Principles
"Design sustainable product-service systems that acknowledge and integrate consumer identity and emotional attachment to products, rather than solely promoting access over ownership."
Understanding the role of consumer identity is crucial for designing and marketing sustainable solutions. Designers must consider how PSSs can accommodate or reframe existing identity affiliations to encourage uptake, rather than assuming a purely rational or environmental motivation.
What This Means for Your Design
People really like owning things, especially cool stuff like Harley bikes, because it helps them feel like themselves and be part of a group. This makes it hard to get them to use services where they just borrow things, even if it's better for the planet.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing the challenges of introducing new consumption models, particularly those that shift from ownership to access, and how user identity can be a barrier or facilitator.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
Research indicates that consumer identity, deeply intertwined with product ownership and brand affiliation, presents a significant challenge for the widespread adoption of product-service systems (PSSs). Studies comparing ownership models (e.g., iconic brands) with access-based PSSs reveal that strong emotional attachments and the ability to express individuality through customization can create resistance to services that prioritize access over ownership. Therefore, successful PSS design requires addressing these psychological and symbolic dimensions to align with or reframe consumer identities.
Source
Journal of Industrial Ecology
Product Service Systems Users and Harley Davidson Riders: The Importance of Consumer Identity in the Diffusion of Sustainable Consumption Solutions
journal · 2016
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about consumer identity significantly impacts adoption of sustainable product-service systems?
- To successfully introduce product-service systems, designers must move beyond functional benefits and consider how the system can support or align with consumers' existing identities and desires for self-expression, rather than solely focusing on the environmental advantages. Evidence: Journal of Industrial Ecology (2016).
- Why does "Consumer identity significantly impacts adoption of sustainable product-service systems" matter for design?
- Understanding the role of consumer identity is crucial for designing and marketing sustainable solutions. Designers must consider how PSSs can accommodate or reframe existing identity affiliations to encourage uptake, rather than assuming a purely rational or environmental motivation.
- How can designers apply this research?
- To successfully introduce product-service systems, designers must move beyond functional benefits and consider how the system can support or align with consumers' existing identities and desires for self-expression, rather than solely focusing on the environmental advantages.
- What were the main findings?
- Iconic product ownership, like Harley Davidson motorcycles, fosters strong emotional attachment, brand community identification, and self-definition through customization.. Users of access-based PSSs, such as Zipcar, often view them as temporary solutions and may resist brand community involvement, sometimes expressing negative sentiments towards shared use.
- What research method was used?
- Ethnographic analysis and comparative case study.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2016 journal from Journal of Industrial Ecology.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a new product-service system, conduct research into the target audience's existing relationships with products and brands to understand how ownership contributes to their identity. Then, develop PSS offerings that either leverage these existing connections or provide compelling new avenues for self-expression and community.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focuses on specific, potentially extreme, examples of ownership (iconic brands) and PSS use, which may not represent all consumer segments or product categories.