Improving Collection by Designing Valuable Consumer Experiences: First Lessons from Practice Theory

Despite the importance of consumer behavior in determining the fate of electronics after use, this separation process - called divestment - remains underexplored. Traditional approaches to behavior change have not yet been effective in addressing this issue, highlighting the need for alternative methodologies. The paper aims to explore whether practice theory can enhance consumer experiences of collection programs. By applying the practices-oriented design approach, this study seeks to identify opportunities for design interventions that can lead to desirable changes in consumer collection behavior. As a result, recommendations are extracted from the analysis of consumption indicators, the historic career of waste management, and similar practices in Kamikatsu in Japan, by informal waste pickers in the Global South and surrounding death. Stable elements and tensions in the practice are also studied. This exploratory study suggests that by incorporating practice theory, it is possible to reimagine collection experiences to increase the formal collection of retired products, extend product lifespans, and stimulate sufficiency.