62
L. Veelaert et al.
support designers in choosing appropriate materials to create desirable products with
a prolonged life-time.
Keywords Material perception · Plastics · Personality · Product attachment ·
Product life time
5.1 Introduction
Within a circular economy, one way to extend the life-time of products is by
simply using a product for a longer time (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, McKinsey
& Company 2012). Creating product attachment is one strategy to attain such a
prolonged product use (Bakker and Schuit 2017; Mugge et al. 2005). Product attachment is defined as “the emotional bond a consumer experiences with a product”
(Mugge et al. 2005; Schifferstein and Zwartkruis-Pelgrim 2008) and can be positively affected by the congruity with a person’s personality. A successful product
needs to fulfil the user’s needs, create meaningful experiences and evoke emotions
in order to survive in the competitive market (Karana et al. 2014). In addition to a
product’s form or brand, the perception of the user is also influenced by the materials
that a product is made of and the resulting materials experience. Hence, a product’s
material that enhances an emotional bond and suits the user’s personality, can also
attribute to longer product use (Mugge et al. 2005; Norman 2004).
Today, materials are a substantial aspect of sustainable design in a circular
economy. However, materials can be regarded from both a technical engineering
(production, durability, waste, etc.) and a user-centred experiential perspective (Van
Kesteren 2010; Karana et al. 2010). From a material perspective, various experiential levels can attribute to a material’s expression, and the most well-known levels
are defined by Camere and Karana (2017) as sensorial attributes (e.g. gloss, texture,
colour), associative (e.g. cheap, male, nostalgic), emotional (e.g. surprising, boring),
and performative (e.g. stroking, folding). However, no one-to-one correspondence
can be found between these expressive values and a certain material, as a material’s
perception is influenced by product, user and context related factors, making this
subjective topic rather complex to study (Van Kesteren 2010; Karana et al. 2010;
Karana 2010).
From a consumer perspective, people tend to identify themselves with the products
they (want to) own and use (Zuo 2010; Choi 2017), they reflect their identities, who
they are and how they see themselves (Govers 2004; Belk 1988). The preference of a
consumer for a particular product, and the materials it is made of, is influenced by the
fit or consistency with the self of the consumer (Sirgy 2015; Hosany and Martin 2012).
This expression of the self can be described by attitudes, beliefs, norms, values or
traits. Regarding the latter, personality traits are considered universally across diverse
cultural and age groups and “describe what people are like, rather than what people
consider important” (Schwartz 2012) (i.e. thoughts, feelings, actions). Throughout
one’s lifetime, these traits can occur in varying frequency and intensity. The most
L. Veelaert et al.
support designers in choosing appropriate materials to create desirable products with
a prolonged life-time.
Keywords Material perception · Plastics · Personality · Product attachment ·
Product life time
5.1 Introduction
Within a circular economy, one way to extend the life-time of products is by
simply using a product for a longer time (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, McKinsey
& Company 2012). Creating product attachment is one strategy to attain such a
prolonged product use (Bakker and Schuit 2017; Mugge et al. 2005). Product attachment is defined as “the emotional bond a consumer experiences with a product”
(Mugge et al. 2005; Schifferstein and Zwartkruis-Pelgrim 2008) and can be positively affected by the congruity with a person’s personality. A successful product
needs to fulfil the user’s needs, create meaningful experiences and evoke emotions
in order to survive in the competitive market (Karana et al. 2014). In addition to a
product’s form or brand, the perception of the user is also influenced by the materials
that a product is made of and the resulting materials experience. Hence, a product’s
material that enhances an emotional bond and suits the user’s personality, can also
attribute to longer product use (Mugge et al. 2005; Norman 2004).
Today, materials are a substantial aspect of sustainable design in a circular
economy. However, materials can be regarded from both a technical engineering
(production, durability, waste, etc.) and a user-centred experiential perspective (Van
Kesteren 2010; Karana et al. 2010). From a material perspective, various experiential levels can attribute to a material’s expression, and the most well-known levels
are defined by Camere and Karana (2017) as sensorial attributes (e.g. gloss, texture,
colour), associative (e.g. cheap, male, nostalgic), emotional (e.g. surprising, boring),
and performative (e.g. stroking, folding). However, no one-to-one correspondence
can be found between these expressive values and a certain material, as a material’s
perception is influenced by product, user and context related factors, making this
subjective topic rather complex to study (Van Kesteren 2010; Karana et al. 2010;
Karana 2010).
From a consumer perspective, people tend to identify themselves with the products
they (want to) own and use (Zuo 2010; Choi 2017), they reflect their identities, who
they are and how they see themselves (Govers 2004; Belk 1988). The preference of a
consumer for a particular product, and the materials it is made of, is influenced by the
fit or consistency with the self of the consumer (Sirgy 2015; Hosany and Martin 2012).
This expression of the self can be described by attitudes, beliefs, norms, values or
traits. Regarding the latter, personality traits are considered universally across diverse
cultural and age groups and “describe what people are like, rather than what people
consider important” (Schwartz 2012) (i.e. thoughts, feelings, actions). Throughout
one’s lifetime, these traits can occur in varying frequency and intensity. The most