So, this is my first ever blog, I find myself somewhat nervous at the thought of broadcasting my thoughts to anyone who decides to take an interest, but what the hell, here goes….
As part of an ongoing project, I have been asked to explore the term ‘unproduct‘. To start with I have been reading a blog by Russell Davies where he appears to have been one of the instigators in considering this term originally coined by Matt Jones, with a view to changing the way we design and consume products.
This is the link to his post
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/unproduct/ 
So, what is ’unproduct‘?
We live in a day an age, in which technology develops at a phenomenal pace. This is possible thanks to our desire as human beings, to progress. Some may say this is driven by greed…. I like to hold on to the thought that we just do it because it is our nature. Whilst progression, in the technological sense, is fantastic when it improves our lives, wellbeing and fortunes….does it always enrich us with consumer satisfaction when packaged as a product?
As a nation, we all consume products by the bucket load, and Product Designers are responsible for supplying the demand. In today’s world, due to the rapid development of technology, new products are constantly being created to assist with our desire for progression and enjoyment. As a designer of products, the aim is to wrap together technology, desirability, usefulness, innovation and necessity into an object for people to use. More often than not, these objects are quickly bettered by a new design, sometimes simply because it is a sleeker and more fashionable object, other times it will be due to newly available technology. Here is where the term ‘unproduct’ steps in. Are we ensuring that our products contain the ‘maximum idea’ while using the ‘minimum stuff’? What I mean to say is, do the products we create have a future retaining their usefulness for evermore. Or do we design products with the intention of replacing them two years down the line, with minor unnecessary modifications and a revamp using sexier materials and designs? Equally, does the consumer purchase with the same intentions?
I would refer to our past generations who bought quality goods made my quality craftsmen that were built to last forever, there to pass on their kids and in turn theirs and so on. Can you imagine buying a sofa from Ikea, and you grandson/daughter still using it fifty years down the line….I thought not! I really like the idea that a company called Howies are pioneering called Hand-Me-Down, check their website out http://www.howies.co.uk/ Russell Davies referred to this company in his blog. I aim to discover more examples of ‘unproduct’ to demonstrate to you in future posts so that yours and my understanding of the term can continue to become clearer.
So my initial understanding in summary, lets design products that are planned better, designed with more thought and built to last, ensuring ‘maximum customer satisfaction’ while using ‘less stuff’. This in turn ensures less use of materials and a more sustainable future…now to put it in to practice…easier said than done hey?!
