Research pick: 16 ways to weave in wellness - "Objects with symbolic meaning: 16 directions to inspire design for well-being"

The symbolism inherent in product design can have an impact not only on how the product is used but how it makes the user feel. For instance, a proud parent might cherish their offspring’s school medals, an erstwhile traveller might have warm nostalgia for their battered old rucksack, an heirloom might encapsulate one’s family history and so on. Symbolism can represent memories, shared experience, aspirations, attachment, love, grief and much more.

Indeed, writing in the Journal of Design Research, a team from The Netherlands suggests that there are sixteen design directions that might build on this and inspire deliberate design for personal wellbeing. Their concept is supported by earlier research from others that talks of six enhancing characteristics of products; positive relations with others, personal growth, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.

The team explains their motivation: “While previous research has shown that symbolic meaning can contribute to a person’s well-being and elicit attachment to products, it is not yet known if (and if so, how) products can be designed with the deliberate intention to support consumers in attributing such symbolic meanings, particularly with the aim of having a well-being effect,” they write.

Of course, symbolic meaning is entirely subjective. One person’s cherish heirloom is another’s dusty old junk while a single red paperclip underpinned an impressive chain of bartering by one young man that achieved so level of fame and fortune. Of course, at the heart of any symbolism is authenticity. If one is to endow a product with particular design characteristics with a view to boosting well-being in the user of that product though those characteristics, then it has to be genuine. Kitsch inspirational aphorisms against a scenic sunset or another clichéd backdrop will look obviously fake to everyone but the least cynical and naïve.

The present work, however, investigates symbolism in durable consumer goods, such as household items. The team explains that they focused on consumer durables because people often interact with these products, often on a daily basis. Nevertheless, the same findings regarding symbolism can be applied to other products, even intangible goods or services.

Casais, M., Mugge, R. and Desmet, P. (2018) ‘Objects with symbolic meaning: 16 directions to inspire design for well-being’, J. Design Research, Vol. 16, Nos. 3/4, pp.247–281.