Date of Award

Spring 5-30-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Industrial Design

Department

Industrial Design

First Advisor

Benjamin Jurgensen

Second Advisor

Sandra Potter

Third Advisor

Andreas Mershin

Abstract

Why?

Technology is accelerating; so is the amount of e-waste. Proliferating new purchases is a shortcut to economic gain, yet proliferation sacrifices social and ecological well being. Activating repair benefits systems— by decelerating the waste stream, and serving as a regenerative module for ethical material collection. Repair literacy encourages an individual’s engagement with materials while challenging corporations to acknowledge repair in the design process. Therefore, electronics users should have the opportunity to learn about repair before the need arises. A sustainable product ecosystem asks for the collaborative effort of public and private sectors and most importantly, the repair practices of individuals can lead this trajectory.

How?

Repairer's Recipe is a repository that gathers research and proposals of the dynamic capabilities of repair and its role in the product ecosystem. You will find Aether, a Chrome plugin that assists consumers to factor in repair considerations during purchase. You will also find Learn Tech the Food Way, a visual series that brings much needed visibility to repair practices. By playfully analogizing the sophistication of a mobile phone structure to food preparation, thereby encouraging all electronics users to become repairers themselves.

This book presents my research, interviews, testing, design, and proposals, in the forms of images, writings, diagrams, websites, and videos. You will follow me on the journey that investigates how products become waste through the lens of policies and business practices, with the continuous reintroduction of why repair should be an essential practice. This document is time-stamped in May 2020. If you wish to find updated information about this project, please visit repairersrecipe.com.

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