Design in Context

Steam engine was developed by James Watts, 1765 - This started the industrial revolution. The population grown in  cities and towns as the new urban way of living way introduced.
As there were more people, more product had to be made. Mass production solved this. Craft  work was replaced by machine work, therefore products could be made  at a reasonable price for working people.
Mass consumerism developed during 1930s through popular culture, lifestyle and fashion. 
This meant there was room for product  design like luxury ships, aeroplanes, hotels, theatres and stores were designed in the Art Deco  theme.
As people's living improved they wanted more product so radios, refrigerators and washing machine were all brought in.

What does this term mean?
A method of stimulating consumer demand by designing products that wear out or become outmoded  after limited use.

For example: 
In 1930 a engineer working for general electric proposed increasing sales of flashlight lamps by increasing their efficiency and shortening their lifespan. He suggested that the lamps should have one battery not 3.

Technological
- Known mainly in the computer and electronics industries, where there is a force to bring new products in with better features to keep up with the high standards of competition.
- Example: Mobile phones with just an image capture are out of date compared to phones with moving image capture

Postponed
- Is seen mainly in companies which launch a new product even though there is the  technology to make a better product at the time.
- Example: Where Sony released the PS3 they knew that the next one would look like the PS4.

Physical
- Occurs when the very design of a product determines its lifespan.
- Example: Disposable or consumable item such as light bulds and ink cartridges for printers.

Style
- Occurs due to change in fashion and trends where products seem out of date and force the customer to replace them with current 'trendy' goods.
- Example: High street shops bring out different trends during the different seasons summer/winter.
- Premiership clubs update their new kit every season so the fan always buy the new range.