The Influence of Introducing the Concept of Sustainable System Design Thinking on Consumer Cognition: A Designer’s Perspective

Abstract

Environmental problems represent one of the most intensive focuses in the world. At present, the rate of environmental damage caused by peoples’ consumption of products and services is still far faster than the rate of regeneration, processing, and recycling of natural ecosystems. In the face of increasingly severe environmental problems, consumers must change their consumption behavior toward a sustainable direction. Based on the ultimate goal of sustainable innovation and development, the introduction of sustainable system design thinking can enable the optimization of sustainable systems for production, manufacturing, consumption, or recycling. As with the concept of traditional system design thinking, sustainable system design thinking is not only a product form but also a creative systematic way to solve problems for the purpose of promoting innovation. It has been transformed from “giving form” to “design process”, “design strategy”, or “design system”. Therefore, this study attempts to explore the potential structure of consumers’ sustainable consumption cognition from the perspective of designers through the introduction of sustainable system design thinking. This study combined literature analysis and a questionnaire survey to propose a research model with seven constructs and eight hypotheses and then used a reliability test, validity test, and structural equation model to analyze and verify the data. The results show that the three constructs of design evaluation (aesthetics, innovation, and function) in system design thinking are feasible and effective in sustainable design. With the support of sustainability concept, the autonomy of consumers’ consumption attitude and intention will be improved. This study can provide reference to governments, enterprises, and designers when formulating, implementing, and practicing sustainable innovative strategies. The results of this study can further influence the continuous promotion and deepening of sustainable design thinking in the cultivation of design talents in colleges and universities, and thus provide multi-field and recyclable theoretical guidance for sustainable design facing future life.