Each year in the UK (United Kingdom) hundreds of millions of consumer products are sold, leading to many millions of tonnes of waste being buried or burned annually. While there are many large businesses that produce consumer products, in the UK small product design consultancies (SDCs) make up approximately half of all employed designers. This thesis outlines an investigation into the absence of an EcoDesign agenda in product design briefs and how this might be changed in the future. In order to best establish the theoretical basis of the research, a comprehensive literature review was conducted into the practice of product designers, their relationship to society and the wider environment. In addition, existing tools and resources purporting to support product designers, with the implementation of EcoDesign projects, were analysed to understand the challenges associated with their design. Following this review, and the development of relevant research questions, a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to understand SDCs better, how these organisations conduct their business, and how familiar they are with EcoDesign. A series of semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 participants from 22 different consultancies. As a result of these interviews, a greater understanding of the barriers and drivers SDCs face in the practice of EcoDesign was established. This led to the creation of d.eco a web-based resource, to facilitate the implementation of EcoDesign principles in SDCs. This resource was evaluated in the final stage of the research. The majority of product designers had an awareness of EcoDesign and considered that they would be able to use their skills to find the information necessary to create products with a reduced environmental footprint. A significant barrier was that EcoDesign principles could only be legitimately applied when the design brief required their use. However, briefs are not created solely by clients; they were found to be much more collaborative, thus offering designers an opportunity to influence their own briefs. So, the role of an EcoDesign resource is less about assisting the design process, like most existing tools, and more to do with the providing designers with a wellspring of inspiration. However, the resource stimulates more than just creativity. It also provides peer recommended examples of existing EcoDesign products, materials and processes, facilitating the long-term absorption of relevant information. By presenting relevant material, in an appropriate way, designers can be more confident when including EcoDesign criteria and associated principles within their briefs.

Environmental labels on products and services have been increasingly significant in influencing consumer purchasing and represent a crucial communication of the environmental credentials of products and companies. Yet their importance to industrial designers, who are recognised as having significant influence over the environmental impact of products, is less known. The overall aim of this research project is to investigate factors affecting the implementation of UK environmental labels by in-house industrial designers in UK Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). A review of the literature on industrial designers and environmental labels found that there was a gap in knowledge surrounding the factors affecting how and whether in-house industrial designers implement labels in their work, and what understanding they have. In response to the literature review a number of research questions were generated, which influenced the direction of this emergent, exploratory research. A Preliminary Study was set up to collect qualitative data from practicing industrial designers in UK SMEs on their recognition and use of environmental label schemes. A mock-up Resource was consequently developed that provided the information the Preliminary Study participants claimed to need. During the Main Study the Resource was used as an elicitation tool to further probe designers' understanding and use of labels. Subsequently, three Case Studies were conducted with UK SMEs who have implemented labels on their products, to identify elements of best practice. The in-house SME designers in the study appeared to have knowledge of environmental label types and schemes. Both this and designers' position within their companies especially in terms of their input on design briefs moderates their ability to implement labels. The cooperation and contribution of colleagues is also significant to the effective application including driving their use and being willing to include them in the product development process from early stages to impact on success or effectiveness. It is suggested that a whole company approach is needed. This thesis provides an original contribution to knowledge on in-house designers' capability to implement labels; understanding of designers' current knowledge and use of labels; and the role of designers in all SMEs, not just those engaged in ecodesign or using environmental labels.

La presente tesis aborda la temática del Diseño Industrial y los estímulos de tipo sensorial, perceptivo y emocional que las personas que utilizan los productos reciben en su experiencia de uso. Dichos estímulos, tales como el ajuste preciso en el funcionamiento de un mecanismo, la suavidad de una superficie, el ruido adecuado al cerrar una puerta, etc., se captan mediante los sentidos, se perciben y despiertan en el usuario emociones y reacciones, generando una relación con los objetos más allá del uso básico y práctico, llevando a preferirlos entre otros productos con prestaciones primarias similares, asociándolos a experiencias gratas, e incluso a evocar experiencias de vida a través de los productos que se utilizan. Este ámbito, enmarcado dentro de la disciplina del Diseño Industrial, pero también en la psicología, el marketing, la neurociencia y otras áreas, es enfocado actualmente de muy diversas formas. Así enfoques como la “Ingeniería Kansei”, el “Diseño Emocional”, el “Diseño para la Experiencia”, el “Análisis Sensorial”, son algunos modos y métodos de analizar y definir el tema, y se utilizan cada vez más en las grandes empresas. Esta tesis analiza diversos enfoques y metodologías de aplicación de este tipo de factores en el proceso de Diseño y desarrollo de productos y propone algunas herramientas adecuadas para su integración en las micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas (MiPyMEs). / Jacob Dazarola, RH. (2015). Percepción y Emoción en el Diseño de Productos. Análisis y Propuestas para su integración a las MIPYME [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/48551 / TESIS