Pflege, Wartung und Reparatur als Designpraxis
Der Kurs Prozessgestaltung beschäftigt sich mit der Gestaltung von Abläufen und Produktsystemen, die den Gebrauch von Produkten und Dienstleistungen bestimmen.
Pflege, Wartung und Reparatur als Designpraxis
Der Projektkurs untersuchte den Prozess der Pflege, Wartung und Reparatur als zentrales Ziel im Kontext von Gestaltung für Nachhaltigkeit und Circular Economy. Im Fokus standen nicht einzelne Produkte, sondern Prozesse, Strategien und Systeme, die eine langfristige Nutzung ermöglichen und Ressourcen im Kreislauf halten. Aufbauend auf qualitativer Recherche, Human-Centered-Design-Methoden und systemischer Analyse entwickelten die Studierenden prozessorientierte Konzepte, die traditionelle Praktiken neu interpretieren, Gleichteile zur Ressourcenschonung einsetzen, Materialien aus bestehenden Kreisläufen weiterdenken und Nutzer:innen dazu befähigen, Produkte besser zu verstehen, zu warten und selbst zu reparieren. Die entstandenen Arbeiten zeigen Gestaltung als aktiven Beitrag zu langlebigen, zirkulären Nutzungssystemen.
Care, Maintenance, and Repair as a Design Practice
This project course explored the process of care, maintenance, and repair as key goals within the context of designing for sustainability and the circular economy. Rather than focusing on individual repairable products, the course addressed the processes, strategies, and systems that enable long-term use and keep resources in circulation. Through qualitative research, human-centered design methods, and systems thinking, students developed process-oriented concepts that reinterpret traditional practices, employ standardized components to reduce resource consumption, give new meaning and applications to materials from existing material cycles, and enable users to better understand, maintain, and repair products themselves. The resulting projects demonstrate design as an active contribution to long-lasting, circular systems of use
Flick Dich is a garment repair system for fashion retail, using COS as a case study to demonstrate how the concept could be implemented.
Customers who spend above the minimum order value receive a complimentary tin filled with garment-specific repair materials, including matching thread, yarn, and patches.
The system consists of three components: a physical repair kit, a website/app offering tutorials as well as repair tracking, and a supply chain that produces and delivers the kits through the retailer’s existing logistics network.
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The tin contains a paper envelope tailored to each garment. Each envelope includes the materials needed for future repairs, such as matching thread, darning yarn, spare buttons, or fabric patches. It is labeled with a simple illustration of the garment, making it easy to identify its contents at a glance. Over time, the tin becomes a personal archive of repair materials with every qualifying purchase.
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Kit for wool and knitwear, and the Patching Kit for cotton, linen, and denim. Each kit contains the tools needed for its specific repair technique and features an aluminum base with a recycled plastic lid. As the recycled plastic varies in color and pattern with every production batch, every kit is unique, making it both a functional tool and a collectible object
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Each tin contains a business card with a QR code linking to the Flick Dich website. There, customers can access repair tutorials tailored to their garments, log completed repairs in a personal diary, keep track of their repair kits, and discover local repair workshops. The platform transforms a one-time purchase into an ongoing repair journey, encouraging customers to return, build repair skills, and become part of the Flick Dich movement.
