Embodying meaningful digital media: A strategy to design for product attachment in the digital age

Technological products have become central to the ways in which many people communicate with others, conduct business and spend their leisure time. Despite their prevalence and significance in people's lives, these devices are often perceived to be highly replaceable. From a sustainability perspective, there is value in creating technological products with meaning directly associated with their materiality to reduce the rate of product consumption. We set out to explore the potential for design to promote the formation of product attachment by creating technological devices with meaningful materiality, closely integrating the physical form with the significance of its digital contents. We used the life stories and ongoing input of our intended user as inspiration for the creation of Melo, a bespoke music player. The evaluation and critical reflection of our design process and resulting artefact are used to propose a design strategy for promoting product attachment within the growing sector of technological devices.