Understanding ‘product hibernation’ and the factors that influence a user’s attachment to objects will be key to unlocking the circular economy in children’s products, an illuminating new piece of design research has revealed.
An exciting new paper, written by the design researcher and university lecturer, Yoon Choi, has identified the five emotional factors that lead to ‘product hibernation’ among users and the 14 pragmatic ones that influence their ‘reuse behaviour’.
Product hibernation is the term given to the period where end-of-life products are kept but no longer used. When it comes to children’s products like toys and games, this hibernation phase is usually driven by emotional attachment to objects.
However, depending on the nature of that emotional attachment, this can lead to ‘wasteful behaviour’.
Understanding these factors and taking them into account when designing children’s products could be the key to unlocking the circular economy in the family market, the research suggests.
Titled ‘Understanding product hibernation periods with children’s products and exploring motivations and barriers for product care to encourage their reuse’, the paper presents the survey findings of 157 hibernating children’s products, and interviews with five UK families to explore their reasons for such behaviour.
Previous research has found that 28% of parents discard toys that remain in perfect condition, while 47% admit their children quickly lose interest in new toys, leaving them forgotten in drawers.
“Recognising the need to maximise the loss of resources and value within the material loop is crucial to return end-of-life products and their valuable materials into this loop rather than wasting them in landfills, incineration, or other avenues,” writes Yoon Choi.
“Yet currently, objects and systems are not designed to help users overcome obsolescence and the hibernation period for end-of-life objects. Therefore, transformation of the children’s product industry is urgently necessary.”
The paper identifies that while reusing products is one of the most environmentally friendly practices – as it avoids new material extraction and energy or water use in product manufacturing – much of the power over what products get reused or re-enter the economic system rests with the user at home.
A deeper understanding of the user psychology and integration of that into product design is therefore required to unlock a working circular economy in the children’s products industry.
“Existing literature on product reuse predominantly centres on take-back schemes, often within the context of remanufacturing processes, or specific design disciplines such as fashion, packaging, or electronic products,” writes Yoon Choi.
“In the context of children’s products, items ranging from toys to clothing and furniture often end up in landfills despite remaining in excellent condition. This wasteful disposal primarily results in children quickly outgrowing these items, a pattern that designers have largely overlooked.”
The new paper, which provides a framework for understanding reuse motivations and barriers ‘through a lens of care’ can be accessed here.
