Imperial College London

Dr Weston Baxter

Faculty of EngineeringDyson School of Design Engineering

Senior Lecturer
 
 
 
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Contact

 

weston.baxter Website

 
 
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Location

 

M202Royal College of ScienceSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@inbook{Baxter:2017,
author = {Baxter, WL and childs, PRN},
booktitle = {The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design},
editor = {Chapman},
title = {Designing Circular Possessions},
year = {2017}
}

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - CHAP
AB - The notion of possession is one of the most fundamental concepts that guide everyday behaviour. Paradoxically, it is often poorly understood. This is particularly true in a circular context where consumer interactions with possessions are being altered and in some cases redefined. Thus, an understanding of possession serves as a useful, if not necessary, prerequisite to designing circular products, services and systems. This chapter explores the idea of possession: what it is, how an object becomes one and why it is important for the circular economy. Possession is understood through a human-centred lens that considers the consumer’s state of mind towards and relationship with an object. A state of possessiveness can be attained for material or immaterial objects and for objects that may or may not legally belong to the person. The discussion is presented within a design framework that discusses the motives and routes that lead to the state of possession. This framework is substantiated by looking at affordance principles and paths associated with possession. Each section includes a theoretical discussion as well as practical examples and insights that can be incorporated into the product design process itself. This chapter aids in understanding interactions relevant to the circular economy such as the maintenance and care that comes with object attachment and adoption of access-based consumption models. Understanding and designing for these desired interactions should be the first priority of designers followed by an establishment of laws, regulations and policies to support them.
AU - Baxter,WL
AU - childs,PRN
PY - 2017///
TI - Designing Circular Possessions
T1 - The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Product Design
ER -