Steward
Lifecycle Design
Designing for a product’s whole life: making it, using it, maintaining it and disposing of it.
What is Lifecycle Design?
Designing for a product’s whole life: making it, using it, maintaining it and disposing of it.
What you learn
Follow a product past the moment of use. Costs appear later.
When it helps
a product looks efficient only in use, or nobody designed its repair and disposal.
Use it at work
- Map the product’s life: materials, making, use, repair and disposal.
- Mark the costs and impacts at each stage.
- Find the stages your design can change.
- Redesign where the biggest hidden costs sit.
Your output
Follow one product or feature through its whole life: making, use, support and disposal. Mark the costs that appear after use.
Watch for
Judging a product only at the moment of use.
Related practices
Sources
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