TY - JOUR

T1 - The Potential of Modular Product Design on Repair Behavior and User Experience - Evidence from the Smartphone Industry

AU - Amend, Clara

AU - Revellio, Ferdinand

AU - Tenner, Isabell

AU - Schaltegger, Stefan

N1 - Funding Information: This work was conducted in the research project Product Circularity Through Modular Design – Strategies for Long-Lasting Smartphones (MoDeSt), which is part of the consortium project Resource-efficient Circular Economy – Innovative Product Cycles (ReziProk). The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) . Open access funding is kindly provided by Johannes Kepler University Linz . Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors

PY - 2022/9/20

Y1 - 2022/9/20

N2 - Innovation through modular product design is a promising strategy for product lifetime extension and material recyclability. Yet, sustainability benefits of the design do not automatically come into effect, but require additional process innovation through service activities that have to be attractive and made use of by users. This study investigates to what extent sustainability-focused modular product design in the smartphone sector promotes (1) self-repair versus use of repair service and (2) a positive user experience with repair instructions and services. It further analyzes how circular economy attitudes and perceived self-repairability moderate these effects. The quantitative analysis finds that, strengthened by higher perceived self-repairability, users of modular smartphones are more likely to use repair instructions. Also, modular smartphone design increases positive experience with repair instructions. Consequently, successful implementation and management of complementary product and service innovation are key to promoting product lifetime extension in the smartphone industry.

AB - Innovation through modular product design is a promising strategy for product lifetime extension and material recyclability. Yet, sustainability benefits of the design do not automatically come into effect, but require additional process innovation through service activities that have to be attractive and made use of by users. This study investigates to what extent sustainability-focused modular product design in the smartphone sector promotes (1) self-repair versus use of repair service and (2) a positive user experience with repair instructions and services. It further analyzes how circular economy attitudes and perceived self-repairability moderate these effects. The quantitative analysis finds that, strengthened by higher perceived self-repairability, users of modular smartphones are more likely to use repair instructions. Also, modular smartphone design increases positive experience with repair instructions. Consequently, successful implementation and management of complementary product and service innovation are key to promoting product lifetime extension in the smartphone industry.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

KW - Sustainable modular product design

KW - Sustainability-oriented innovation

KW - Repair service

KW - Circular economy

KW - Lifetime extension

KW - Smartphones

KW - Sustainable modular product design

KW - Repair service

KW - Circular economy

KW - Lifetime extension

KW - Smartphones

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/e683241f-c88a-3dc3-b8df-966772e3dd90/

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85133931458&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132770

DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132770

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 367

JO - Journal of Cleaner Production

JF - Journal of Cleaner Production

SN - 0959-6526

M1 - 132770

ER -