TOUCHSTONES
Conceptual Products for Sustainable Futures
Stuart Walker

A crea>ve research lab
for design and innova>on

• People
• Products
• Places
• Systems

Masters Degrees
Design: Management and Policy
Sustainability, Innova>on & Design
PhD Degrees

Design for Sustainability
Design Futures
Design Management
Democra>sing Innova>on
Digital Economy
Service Design
Social Technologies
Design for Wellbeing

Imagina>onLancaster facility– to be completed 2010

Innova>on in the Digital Economy
A new kind of PhD
Convergence of:
Management, Compu>ng and Design

Touchstones
Conceptual Products for Sustainable Futures
Stuart Walker

Sustainability
Economic Viability
Environmental Care
Social Responsibility

Profound Poli>cal &
Economic Change
(Wood, 2008)
Radical Social & Significant Structural
Technical Change Change
(Ryan, 2008) (Thackara, 2005)
Technology Reform
New Inclusivity,
sustainability, equity
(Borgmann, 2003) Direc>ons (Young, 2008)
Sustainable Everyday
Post‐materialism Localised service systems
(Ma_hews, 2008) (Manzini & Jegou, 2002)
Radical Responses
(Singleton & Ardern, 2008)

consuming the planet

Sustainable Future ?
Pre‐industrial Industrial Sustainable

Design Research
theory development
fundamental ‘academic’ design inquiry
research discussions papers
conceptual objects
cri>cal design reflec>on
applied
commercial design prac>ce
research

Sustainability’s Triple Bo_om Line
• Economic viability
• Environmental care
• Social responsibility

Sustainability’s Quadruple Bo_om Line
• Economic viability
• Environmental care
• Social responsibility
• Culture ?

Sustainability’s Quadruple Bo_om Line
• Economic viability
• Environmental care
• Social responsibility
• Governance ?

Sustainability’s Quadruple Bo_om Line
• Economic viability
• Environmental care
• Social responsibility
• Culture/Ethics ?

Sustainability’s Quadruple Bo_om Line
• Economic viability
• Environmental care
• Social responsibility
• Spirituality ?

Sustainability’s Quadruple Bo_om Line
• Economic viability
• Environmental care
• Social responsibility
• Personal meaning

Mul>tasking

Mul>tasking
we are not
fully engaged with:
the person
we are talking to
the informa;on
we are looking at
the place
we are walking through

Mul>tasking
un‐engaged
un‐reflec>ve
prac>ces

Informa>on Overload and Mul>tasking
ct:
adversely affe decline
in:
• empathy ness
• ethic al responsive • a_en>
on
• intelle
• compassion ct
• produ ual ability
• tolerance c>vity
ability
• emo>onal st
linked to:
• anxiety
• depression
• compulsive b
ehaviour

Informa>on Overload and Mul>tasking
adds to our
“blindness”
Thackara, 20
09

Informa>on Overload and Mul>tasking
contemporary products
and
their modes of use
ethical concerns
social responsibility
concern for the world
& natural environment
SUSTAINABILITY

Mass‐Produc;on +
Localisa;on
(Walker + Dogan)
Product Lifecycle Func;onal Clarity
(McDonough, Pre) (Van Hinte)
Evolving Permanence
Slow Design
(Fuad‐Luke) DESIGN Upgrading, repair,
? maintenance
(Veerbeck; Daly)
Enduring Meaning
Engagement, ‘presence’ (Chapman; Walker;
Product comprehension Walker & Chaplin )
(Borgmann)
Products + Services
(Manzini)

New Design Values
for the quadruple bo_om line
• con;nuously evolving products
as needs and aesthe>c preferences change

New Design Values
for the quadruple bo_om line
• con;nuously evolving products
as needs and aesthe>c preferences change
• products that accommodate change
as technologies advance

New Design Values
for the quadruple bo_om line
• con;nuously evolving products
as needs and aesthe>c preferences change
• products that accommodate change
as technologies advance
• localisa;on
produc>on (in part); maintenance; repair; upgrading

New Design Values
for the quadruple bo_om line
• con;nuously evolving products
as needs and aesthe>c preferences change
• products that accommodate change
as technologies advance
• localisa;on
produc>on (in part); maintenance; repair; upgrading
• considered use
related to substan>ve values & personal meaning
choices that offer less “distrac>on”

New Design Values
for the quadruple bo_om line
• con;nuously evolving products
as needs and aesthe>c preferences change
• products that accommodate change
as technologies advance
• localisa;on
produc>on (in part); maintenance; repair; upgrading
• considered use
related to substan>ve values & personal meaning
choices that offer less “distrac>on”
• in line with emerging enterprises
where sustainability is internalised

New Design Values
for the quadruple bo_om line
• con;nuously evolving products
as needs and aesthe>c preferences change
• products that accommodate change
as technologies advance
• localisa;on
produc>on (in part); maintenance; repair; upgrading
• considered use
related to substan>ve values & personal meaning
choices that offer less “distrac>on”
• in line with emerging enterprises
where sustainability is internalised

research study (2009), Williams et al)
Priori;es Iden;fied by 4 Consulta;ve Panels
Futures Designers Clients Policymakers
Panel Panel Panel Panel
• sustainability & ecological design
• design with responsibility
• personalised design (products that evolve/adapt with you)
• more meaningful products and services
+ self‐actualisa;on design (personal meaning)
• localisa;on of design and manufacture

lumiere floor lamp
localisa>on

mass‐produc>on local‐produc>on
virgin materials ‐ ‐ off‐the‐shelf materials
complex process ‐ ‐ natural materials
interna>onal shipping ‐ ‐ simple processes
packaging ‐ ‐ local shipping
single‐use components ‐ ‐ minimal packages
unrepairable ‐ ‐ mul>‐use components
‐ repairable

arc lite
localisa>on

wirelight
localisa>on

localisa>on
hanging lamps

flashlight
aesthe>cs ?

doorbell
aesthe>cs ?

MP3 speaker unit
aesthe>cs ?

music player
aesthe>cs ?

aesthe>cs ?
music player

ephemeral objects

ephemeral objects

ephemeral objects
digital clock

stabilising form
electronic products
enclosure
circuitry

stabilising form
electronic products
facade
circuitry

stabilising form
electronic products
chassis circuitry

stabilising form
analog ‐ ba_ery digital ‐ ba_ery digital /organic ba_ery

stabilising form
lime tomato orange

stabilising form
radio

localisa>on and taste
wall sconce

localisa>on and taste
wall sconce

localisa>on and taste
MP3 speaker unit

localisa>on and taste
iPod speaker unit

re‐seeing

re‐seeing

evolving objects
mobile phone

evolving objects
from: fixed commodity
to: provisional, continuously upgradable artefact
mobile phone

evolving objects
from: fixed commodity
to: provisional, continuously upgradable artefact
from: convenience and impulsive use
to: focal practices and considered use
mobile phone

evolving objects
mobile phone

evolving objects
mobile phone

considered use

evolving objects
“product” as fixed en>ty
past present future
products product products

evolving objects
“product” as fixed en>ty
past present future
products product products
new resources, energy,
packaging, transporta>on
to replace discarded products
landfill

evolving objects
“product” as evolving en>ty
con>nually present
product

evolving objects
“product” as evolving en>ty
con>nually present
product
replace only
those parts
needed to upgrade
individual parts
for recycling

evolving objects
“product” as evolving en>ty
con>nually present
product
replace only
those parts
needed to upgrade
individual parts
for recycling

evolving objects
“product” as evolving en>ty
con>nually present
product
replace only
those parts
needed to upgrade
individual parts
for recycling

evolving objects
“product” as evolving en>ty
con>nually present
product
replace only
those parts
needed to upgrade
individual parts
for recycling

evolving objects
“product” as evolving en>ty
con>nually present
product
replace only
those parts
needed to upgrade
reduced use of
resources, energy
individual parts transport, packaging
for recycling
reduced waste

evolving objects
pouch phone

evolving objects
wallet phone

evolving objects
pocket phone

meaningful choice evolving objects
1. Wrap Concept 2. Wallet Concept 3. Pocket Concept Standard Phone
‐ most upgradable ‐ upgradable ‐ upgradable ‐ not upgradable
‐ considered use ‐ more convenient ‐ allows impulsive use ‐ allows impulsive use

product + service evolving objects
1. Wrap Concept 2. Wallet Concept 3. Pocket Concept Standard Phone
‐ most upgradable ‐ upgradable ‐ upgradable ‐ not upgradable
‐ considered use ‐ more convenient ‐ allows impulsive use ‐ allows impulsive use

environmental gains evolving objects
1. Wrap Concept 2. Wallet Concept 3. Pocket Concept Standard Phone
‐ most upgradable ‐ upgradable ‐ upgradable ‐ not upgradable
‐ considered use ‐ more convenient ‐ allows impulsive use ‐ allows impulsive use

environmental gains evolving objects
9 incremental component upgrades
transform phone A to phone J
A
J

evolving objects
Poten>al Savings: Resources / Waste Produc>on
over 9 incremental upgrades
9 mobile phones obsolete
discarded
phones
major reduc>ons
in electronic waste
components for recycling obsolete
equivalent to parts
ca. 1.5 – 2 mobile phones
400 Million mobile phones discarded each year
(Forum for the Future, 2006)

Touchstones
Conceptual Products for Sustainable Futures
Stuart Walker
Imagina>onLancaster
Lancaster University
UK
s.walker@lancaster.ac.uk