Making It Right to Repair : How Might We Turn Repair Into a More Appealing Option For Citizens Who Want to Use Their Electrical and Electronic Products Longer?

Abstract: This thesis builds on the fields of Participatory Design and Service Design to develop an inquiry into future repair practices: what they could be, how they might be encouraged and what would be their relations with public policies. It presents the concept of a municipal scheme promoting a better use of old electrical and electronic items through the creation of dedicated spaces where items can be repaired, sold or recycled and the granting of credit to be spent on repair services. Through this concept, this thesis presents a reflection on how technological infrastructures, policy instruments and local actors could be combined to encourage new practices. It therefore contributes to the research on Interaction Design and sustainability by arguing that the field can embrace a transdisciplinary perspective to design both infrastructure changes and their technological mediations.