Improving electronics with use: design to wear

Abstract

Today's products are designed to exude high fashion and flawless beauty, which are inevitably susceptible to deterioration over time, making the aesthetic value disappear due to wear and tear. The purpose of this thesis is to design modern products not only to improve their aesthetic value and meaning but also their usability, while taking advantage of wear and tear in order to improve value. The majority of previous studies focused on preventing the deterioration of products, whereas, this thesis approaches the opposite view of allowing wear to boost the product's value, thereby improving functionality with desirable appearance by design.

The electronics industry, with its constant technological advances, encourages an increasingly rapid obsolescence of goods and, therefore, consumers yearn for new goods with updated technology and a more attractive appearance.

In this paper, I will discuss the marketing strategy known as planned obsolescence. I will look at the meaning of goods in a material culture to analyze the current situation and provide insight into the value of goods and human interaction during the use process. I will focus on wear and design factors to address new possibilities for a desirable experience and beauty from deterioration of the product. I will then conclude by proposing a prototype of a digital camera that accrues increasingly desirable beauty and functionality throughout its use. Quantitative research and qualitative research were used to identify problems and defined the way the problems are solved.