Objective
This activity explores what dictates purchasing habits in order to understand how design can influence consumers to wear and love their clothing for longer. This activity is part of the ‘REUSE’ circular strategy, with a focus on designing for longevity.
What to prepare
Time
1 week
Tools
- a large piece of paper or sticky notes to map the customer journey
Activity brief
Prior to the activity kick-off, we suggest that your students review the topic ‘LONGEVITY’.
This activity invites students to reflect on their own purchasing habits. While putting themselves in the shoes of consumers, they will, as designers, be able to develop strategies to encourage consumers to care for their products better and wear them for longer. They will investigate the experience of how people buy clothes, and identify differences in behaviour in order to find solutions. In line with the ‘REUSE’ circular strategy, the focus is on designing for longevity.
Part 1 - Customer journey map
The task is to map out your own personal journey as a consumer, from your reason to look for a new clothing item, your browsing behaviour, purchasing decision, to your usage and disposal, with an analysis of each stage. The following steps are inspired by IDEO’s activity.
- Individually, write down the steps related to the entire process on a piece of paper or sticky notes. It is important to include even the smallest steps, as often overlooked experiences may play a key role when identifying new design or communication solutions. For example, extensive browsing online or on social media before you buy clothing can influence your choice of products and change your perception of a brand depending on what is written about it or who is wearing it.
- Organise the steps sequentially.
- Pair up with a classmate and share your mapping processes to make comparisons. Do you identify any similarities or patterns in your behaviours — anything that surprises you? Analyse each step in detail.
Part 2 - Creative solutions
Now that you have mapped your own personal consumer journey, the next step is to brainstorm potential solutions that could increase the longevity of a garment through consideration of consumer behaviour at each step. Think about how innovation might improve each step, or what steps could be added or removed from this journey.
Choose one solution and develop your idea further.
Outcome
The activity will result in:
- A customer journey map with potential solutions
- A 500–800 word report, including the following details:
- Which step of the customer journey did you focus on and why?
- The solution (it can be anything!)