Refurbishment presents opportunities for designers to improve the sustainability of new and old products via an experiment and post hoc interviews, this research investigates and explores how information about prior use – offered in a visual (signs of wear and tear) or verbal (textual description) form – influences consumers’ evaluations of refurbished products. The findings show that visual information about prior use has a negative effect on consumers’ evaluations of refurbished electronics. Furthermore, presenting consumers with verbal information on prior use can negatively affect consumers’ evaluations of a refurbished product if no signs of wear and tear are present because it confuses consumers. If signs of wear and tear are present, verbal information about prior use will not influence consumers’ evaluations.

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Refurbishment – the process of collecting used products, assessing their condition, and replacing and/or upgrading parts in order to resell them to other consumers – is increasingly seen as both economically and environmentally advantageous. The present research investigates in an experimental study and with qualitative post-hoc interviews how information about prior use – offered in either a visual (signs of wear and tear) or verbal (textual description) form – influences consumers' evaluations of refurbished products. The findings show that providing consumers with information about the prior use of refurbished electronics does not have a univocal effect on consumers' evaluations of such products. Visual information about prior use, in terms of signs of wear and tear, has a negative effect on consumers' evaluations of refurbished electronics. Furthermore, presenting consumers with verbal information on prior use can negatively affect consumers' evaluations of a refurbished if no signs of wear and tear are present because it confuses consumers. If signs of wear and tear are present, verbal information about prior use will not influence consumers' evaluations.@en

In this paper, we study the design activity of styling and its performance assessment within style-sensitive manufacturing companies. Based on interviews with industry professionals at such companies, we analyze how the contribution of styling and expressive products is perceived and assessed. We delineate how these companies stimulate sales and profits, enhance their brand visibility and promote the wider acknowledgment of their capabilities in the market through styling. We also describe how press coverage and design awards function as performance measures for styling activities alongside product sales. In addition, we describe how the perceived contribution of styling activities and its assessment are codependent on how the companies and their designers operate and make decisions on the expressiveness of products.

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