SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS HIGHER PRODUCT DESIGN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES SUSTAINABLE DESIGN CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS

Social Responsibilities Today’s Product Designers are faced with the challenge of designing products to meet the consumers needs and wants while still being socially responsible. Every designer has a responsibility to respond to changes in fashion, styles and fads in order to bring profit and popularity to their employers. However, designers also have the wider responsibility to the consumers of their products as well as the environment.

Social Responsibilities Waste, pollution, dwindling natural resources and unwanted by-products are all caused by manufacturing. It is the responsibility of the designer to minimise the environmental impact of their work. Priority should be given to designing products that; use less energy last longer can be recycled The designer must produce these type of products if there is a market demand.

Social Responsibilities There are many opportunities to design products for the benefit of society that can be explored by examining life around us. disabled people medical equipment old people survival equipment research and lab equipment animal welfare

Social Responsibility There is a need for designers to consider risks arising from products being used incorrectly, or by people who are not trained, eg, power tools, cars, electrical goods. Design should be about improving quality of life. It should be a problem-solving activity, not a problem-creating one.

Social Responsibility Many social and moral issues influence which products consumers decide to buy, for example: People concerned about animal welfare may only buy products that are not tested on animals. People who protest against exploitation in developing countries. These people may only buy Fair-trade products. Consumers may only want to buy products that can be recycled. Consumers may not buy a product if it has been made in a material that is not sustainable.

Social Responsibility REVISION QUESTIONS Give two examples of how both the designer and the consumer could act on a more socially responsible way. How can product designers influence clients and consumers to be more socially responsible?

Sustainable Design There is now a much greater trend towards producing ‘environmentally-friendly’ products or ‘green’ products. As a country we throw away millions of household product every year. Many of these still work! People throw out these product in an attempt to keep up-to-date with both fashion and technology. People are becoming more and more aware that these actions are harming the environment and are now taking action by recycling and reusing products. Many people are using environmental criteria in their purchasing decisions.

Sustainable Design Questions for the designer: Should designers continue to design using built in obsolescence and redundancy? Should the designer concentrate on designing for the consumer’s needs rather than their wants? The designer should also try to: use recycled materials or materials from a sustainable resource design products that can be recycled or re-used. Choose materials carefully extend the product’s life use the minimum amount of material possible

Sustainable Design REVISION QUESTIONS List five products that have been designed to reduce the amount of energy that they use compared to similar products. Write down four ways that a designer could attempt to make a product more ‘green’.

Consumer Expectations Consumers are now much more aware of ‘good design’ than ever before. They expect products to function well and look good. They have high expectations and demands of the goods they buy. Reliability, durability and user-friendliness must all be delivered at competitive prices. The consumer may also look for environmentally friendly products too. The designer has to ask themselves three main questions; What basic features are expected? What new features will be expected to allow it to compete with other products? How many unexpected features can be introduced to this new product to give it the ‘wow’ factor?

Consumer Expectations REVISION QUESTIONS Explain how unexpected features in new products will become expected features over time. Use products to illustrate your answer. Describe the factors that now influence consumer choice when buying products.