Gallery
Project overview
A circular service design project developed for a leading Swedish furniture brand, focused on designing and prototyping a furniture rental service aimed at extending product lifecycles and testing circular business model assumptions with selected customer segments.
The project combined strategic consultancy, user research and service prototyping to explore how a scalable circular system could function within the realities of an established mass-production model.
Strategic objectives
The project centred on conducting in-depth qualitative research with carefully selected customer segments to understand their behavioural patterns, motivations and barriers related to ownership, repair and circular consumption.
Through immersive research methodologies, I uncovered critical user insights that informed the design of a market-ready circular service concept capable of keeping furniture in circulation significantly longer.
My role encompassed the full service design cycle, including:
☀︎ Research strategy and fieldwork execution
☀︎ Systems mapping and service architecture
☀︎ Prototype development and testing
☀︎ Communication and storytelling strategy for the new service offering
The process applied systemic analysis to identify structural strengths and friction points, resulting in concrete recommendations for implementation and positioning.
Achieved results
The research generated comprehensive insights into user attitudes and decision-making mechanisms, forming the foundation for a functional prototype demonstrating the viability of the circular service model.
By leveraging established community networks, I facilitated access to key user groups, enabling the collection of high-value qualitative data that translated into actionable strategic recommendations for future rollout.
The project delivered:
☀︎ A validated circular service prototype
☀︎ User-driven operational insights
☀︎ Strategic guidance for communication and service positioning
Main reflection
This project offered a nuanced perspective on the complexities of implementing sustainability within large-scale corporate structures.
While the initiative was framed through an ecological lens, the underlying drivers included operational continuity, resource security and long-term business resilience. This revealed the inherent tension between circular ambitions and growth-based business models.
The process reinforced the importance of critical consultancy in sustainability transitions, ensuring that circular strategies are not merely symbolic but are grounded in systemic change, design integrity and long-term accountability.