Use the I Like / I Wish / I Wonder protocol.
Last week you designed an opening experience. This week: can you design something that lasts?
Most things we throw away still work.
We discard them because we stop caring about them. Chapman: objects fail emotionally before they fail physically.
In 1892, Daniel Swarovski moved to Wattens, Austria, because the Inn River could power his crystal-cutting machine. The precision required by the machine's limitations meant every facet had to be mathematically exact — and that constraint became the aesthetic that defines Swarovski 130 years later.
In 2011, on Black Friday, Patagonia ran a full-page NYT ad: "Don't Buy This Jacket." Sales went up 30%. Worn Wear turned used jackets into stories — wear is proof of a life lived.
Durability IS the desirability. Your redesign should be MORE desirable because of its longevity, not despite it.
Started by Martine Postma in Amsterdam in 2009. Now 3,000+ cafes in 40 countries. The insight: the moment you fix something, you understand how it was made.
Kintsugi: broken pottery repaired with gold. The repair IS the beauty. Cast iron seasoning — gets better with every use. Leather patina. Denim fading — your jeans become yours.
Scratched plastic. Peeling paint. Cracked screens. Yellowed silicone cases.
Without constraints, you default to what's familiar.
Constraints force you into territory you wouldn't explore voluntarily. The question isn't "how do I work around this?" but "what can I make BECAUSE of this?"
— Stokes
Making and fixing things develops knowledge that thinking alone cannot produce.
The craftsman converses with materials — they resist, surprise, and teach.
If a user can fix it, they understand it. If they understand it, they care about it.
— Sennett, The Craftsman
Don't have a family heirloom on campus? A secondhand store find, a well-worn object from a friend, or a thrift store item that has clearly been loved all count.
Your dyad partner is your feedback partner this week — you analyze each other's heirlooms and critique each other's redesigns.
Show It In Your Design
[ Groups will be assigned in class. Each student reads one. ] + Patagonia “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ad
New feedback partners assigned.
Each group: share the key idea from your reading. Then connect it to what you're making.
Work on heirloom analysis and redesign model. Instructor circulates.
"What is the original item missing that would make someone keep it for 100 years?"