User Experience in Product Design – Building Object Attachment as a Foundation for Sustainability-Oriented Design Using the Example of a Headphone System
In our fast-paced society, electronic products are often designed primarily to maximize economic profit. This is typically achieved by encouraging the purchase of new devices, leading to the disposal of older, sometimes even still functioning, products.
This raises the question of how user-centered industrial design can become more economically and ecologically sustainable. Does this require traditional personalization, as seen in the jewelry industry, or can we develop user-centered designs that are widely applicable?
I chose the classic headphone as an exemplary product, as it is not only a technical device within the consumer electronics sector but has also become a fashion statement. This product allows us to listen to music while also expressing our personal desire for social belonging—it has become a fashion accessory and a statement.
The sense of touch is one of our most powerful and reliable senses. We humans rely on no other sense as much as we do on our tactile sense. Smells and visuals can be deceptive. No other sense is as strongly linked to our development as touch. It provides us with security and a sense of closeness to what we are feeling, helping us make important decisions and trusting it completely. It’s possible to mishear or misinterpret something visually, but it’s nearly impossible to „mistouch.“
This is why we often have a stronger connection to physical objects than to digital products. We hold onto souvenirs like shells from our last vacation, grandma’s bottle opener, or as children, our favorite stuffed animal. The object becomes a collection of our emotions, which stem from memories, investments, or usage experiences that can also be triggered digitally.
The „D5“ headphones are an object of attachment. They are designed to allow the user to create new memories with them, spend time with them, and personalize them. By using carefully selected materials such as genuine leather, spring steel, and high-quality plastic, they feel premium and trustworthy.
To facilitate the development of a bond between the user and the end product, offering personalization of functions and interfaces can be helpful.
This allows the user to perfectly tailor the device to their needs. With the app developed alongside potential users, it is possible to configure the „D5“ headphones according to personal preferences. The features identified as necessary during the design sprint were almost entirely implemented, and additional requests and questions that arose during discussions were also considered.
The primary goal of this app is to provide the user with the best possible experience in using their headphones. They can personalize everything from the operation of the headphones to the sound and even the output language. To minimize digital fragmentation, it’s possible to integrate other apps, such as streaming services or smart home controls, into a single app, consolidating everything in one place. This combination of various services in one location increases the frequency of use, which can lead to a routine.
The focus of my master’s thesis is to determine whether a bond between the user and their product, triggered by specific features and approaches from the manufacturer, can lead to a longer product lifespan. This idea is driven by the observation of our fast-paced, consumer-oriented society. Products, particularly in the field of consumer electronics, are often considered defective or outdated even when they are not. We are led to believe that our device is no longer up to date, encouraging us to purchase a new one. The resulting accumulation of unused items grows each year, burdening our environment. The term „sustainability“ has become overused in this context, often focusing on renewable materials, but these products also become obsolete within the same timeframe as others, ultimately contributing to waste that we must manage. While there is generally a focus on better, more ecologically sustainable material choices, these materials must also be reintroduced into the production cycle.
My approach is to rethink the concept of sustainability and, through the creation of bonds, to keep products in use for as long as possible. The headphone serves as my example product.
Is it possible for a manufacturer to plan ahead and create a bond between the user and their product, thereby extending the product’s lifespan? I believe that, under certain circumstances and despite our fast-paced consumer habits, this is possible.
Such a bond is conceivable when both parties, the user and the manufacturer, share a common goal: Both sides should aim to produce and consume less quantitatively but better qualitatively, considering dwindling resources and the pollution of our planet. Manufacturers should abandon the yearly cycle of releasing new devices to counteract rapid detachment. Instead, they could improve, expand, or modify the ecosystem in which the device exists, making it easier for the consumer and user to build a connection.
Rather than presenting a new device every year, the manufacturer should plan for a partial renewal of the product in advance to support upgradability. This upgrade should be in the form of individual components that are easy to assemble so that the customer can handle it themselves or have it easily replaced by a professional. This modular design supports the circular economy.
A device surrounded by an ecosystem is more attractive to the user and may encourage a faster and stronger emotional connection. The increased attractiveness provided by this ecosystem is more likely to make the „hunter“ choose the product over a standalone one.