A Circular Economy

The circular economy challenges UX designers to create digital products and services that reduce waste and maximize resource use. It shifts focus from linear “make-use-dispose” models to systems that prioritize reuse, repair, and longevity. UX designers can lead by designing intuitive user journeys that promote product repair, recycling, or second-hand use, such as encouraging users to buy refurbished devices or subscribe to sharing platforms.

This model aligns closely with sustainable design principles. For example, modular phone designs by Fairphone let users easily replace parts. Designers shaped that interaction to be user-friendly, empowering consumers to extend product life and reduce e-waste. Interestingly, the global e-waste generation is on track to reach 82 million metric tons by 2030, and UX decisions can directly influence that number.

Come on board the world of smarter, more efficient and ethical design with a circular design mindset.

Linear and circular design approaches differ in how they treat product lifecycles. Linear design follows a “take, make, dispose” model. It often leads UX designers to build short-lived digital products that demand frequent updates, frustrating users and wasting resources. Circular design, by contrast, aims for sustainability—focusing on durability, repairability, and reuse.

In UX, circular design promotes adaptable, long-lasting user experiences. For example, IBM’s Carbon Design System enables teams to reuse interface components, cutting down on repetitive development. Designers use this approach to reduce digital waste and build systems that grow with users over time.

To apply circular principles, UX designers should focus on modularity, longevity, and reuse. Designing with these goals in mind boosts sustainability and user trust. It also helps organizations reduce costs and environmental impact over the product’s life.

UX designers apply circular economy principles to digital products by designing experiences that minimize waste and extend usability. Instead of creating disposable apps or features, designers can build modular, reusable components that adapt to evolving needs—reducing the need for frequent rebuilds.

For instance, design systems like Google’s Material Design support reuse at scale, cutting down development time and digital clutter. Circular design also encourages seamless repair, such as interfaces that guide users through fixing errors or updating outdated tools instead of abandoning them.

Designers can also nudge users toward sustainable choices, such as promoting digital decluttering, favoring low-energy UI designs, or extending product lifecycles through backward-compatible updates. These strategies don’t just reduce environmental impact; they improve user loyalty and satisfaction, too.

Explore how sustainable design can help make a better world.

To include circular thinking in personas and journey maps, highlight sustainable behaviors and long-term interactions. Start by updating—or creating—personas to reflect values around reuse, repair, and environmental impact. Include traits like “values sustainability” or “prefers durable products” to shape relevant user goals.

In journey maps, extend the typical linear flow to cover a product’s full lifecycle—beyond use to reuse, repair, and end-of-life. Add touchpoints like “seeks second-hand options,” “initiates repair,” or “looks for recycling guidance.” These additions help teams spot moments to design for longevity and resource efficiency.

Find out why personas are far more than helpful to designers; they’re vital, as William Hudson: User Experience Strategist and Founder of Syntagm Ltd, explains.

To design for repair, reuse, or end-of-life, build systems that support longevity and responsible disposal. Start by making repair easy—design interfaces that guide users through troubleshooting or link them to repair services. Include feedback loops, like diagnostic tools or help widgets, to encourage fixing instead of replacing.

Prioritize modularity for reuse. Create design systems that support components being repurposed across products. Offer clear instructions for resetting, reconfiguring, or gifting used devices. For example, Fairphone’s modular smartphone design includes UX that teaches users how to swap parts independently.

Design for end-of-life by integrating options to delete personal data thoroughly and reliably, recycle components, or return products. This builds trust and reduces e-waste.

When UX design aligns with circular economy goals, users feel empowered, products last longer, and sustainability becomes a seamless part of the experience—a win-win for all concerned.

Get deeper insights from our article Sustainability Is Not Enough.

Several standout UX examples reflect circular design principles, prioritizing reuse, repair, and sustainability. Fairphone leads by enabling users to replace components like screens or batteries themselves. Its interface offers simple guides for DIY repairs, empowering users and reducing e-waste.

Patagonia’s Worn Wear program offers another model. The digital experience encourages users to trade in used gear and shop refurbished items. UX flows support this circular behavior with easy navigation, clear messaging, and minimal friction.

IKEA's Buy Back & Resell service also integrates circular thinking. The UX design makes it simple for users to return old furniture through a guided online assessment; this journey promotes reuse and effectively extends product life.

Each of these designs builds user trust and loyalty while minimizing environmental impact. They prove circular UX isn’t just nice and ethical—it’s good business, too.

Explore how How Designers Can Help Companies Design for the Circular Economy.

To design for the circular economy, UX designers need a blend of sustainability awareness, systems thinking, and user-centered design expertise. Start by understanding lifecycle impacts: learn how digital and physical products affect the environment over time. This helps in making choices that reduce waste and promote longevity.

Systems thinking is key. Designers must see beyond single interactions to understand how parts of a product ecosystem connect and influence reuse, repair, or recycling. Combine this with strong research skills to uncover user attitudes toward sustainability.

Interaction design, information architecture, and service design all come into play. For example, designing intuitive flows for product returns or repair guides requires clear UX writing and journey mapping. Adding these skills empowers designers to create products that last longer and serve both people and the planet better.

Get closer to humanity-centered design and learn more about how to design for wider impacts.

Systems thinking helps UX designers work in circular ways by revealing how user actions connect within larger, long-term product ecosystems. Rather than focusing only on immediate tasks, designers who think in systems consider full lifecycles—from product creation to repair, reuse, and disposal.

This perspective helps UX designers spot opportunities where design can minimize waste or extend usability. For example, when designing an app for renting gear, systems thinking ensures the UX supports not just booking, but also maintenance, return logistics, and refurbishment.

It helps teams break silos and collaborate across disciplines, too, connecting digital touchpoints with backend operations, supply chains, and customer service. This integrated view leads to more resilient, user-friendly, and sustainable solutions.

Systems thinking turns UX from screen-level design into a force that drives circular impact across entire product journeys.

Get right into systems thinking to find out how to dig deeper into the bigger picture and design better for systems.

Circular design and inclusive UX both aim to create long-lasting value—for people and the planet. Circular design focuses on sustainability, while inclusive design ensures accessibility and fairness. Together, they help UX designers build products that serve diverse users without depleting resources or creating waste.

For example, when a designer makes a digital product easy to repair or repurpose, they support both environmental goals and economic fairness, helping users who can’t afford frequent upgrades. Similarly, designing for device reuse benefits low-income communities and reduces e-waste.

Inclusive circular design also means considering all users in end-of-life flows. Clear instructions for recycling or donating devices must be accessible to people with different abilities, languages, or digital skills so they can confidently embrace and participate in healthy, future-ready design practices.

Investigate inclusive design to learn more about what it involves and how to design to accommodate more users more comfortably.

Human-centered and humanity-centered design both support circular goals by putting people and the planet at the core of design decisions. Human-centered design focuses on individual needs, helping to ensure solutions are usable, accessible, and meaningful. Humanity-centered design expands this scope to consider long-term impact on communities, ecosystems, and future generations.

Together, they push UX designers to think beyond short-term convenience. For instance, a human-centered approach might ensure a product is easy to repair. A humanity-centered lens asks if that product reduces waste, supports ethical supply chains, or helps communities thrive. This broader thinking enables designers to align circular goals—reuse, repair, recycling—with ethical, inclusive practices. Products become not just user-friendly, but life-friendly, community-friendly, and planet-friendly.

Uncover some important insights about how to do human-centered design well in this video with Don Norman: Godfather of User Experience design, author of the legendary book “The Design of Everyday Things”, and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group.

Cognitive Science building at UC San Diego. by AndyrooP (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cognitive_Science.jpg

Norman, D. A. (2023). Design for a Better World: Meaningful, Sustainable, Humanity Centered. The MIT Press.

In Design for a Better World, Don Norman proposes a shift from traditional human-centered design to a broader "humanity-centered" approach. He argues that design must embrace sustainability and social responsibility to address global challenges like climate change, inequality, and waste. The book blends theory with actionable strategies, urging designers to think systemically and ethically. Norman emphasizes circular economy principles as a foundation for rethinking product lifecycles and services. This work is widely considered essential reading for UX professionals and design leaders looking to integrate ethical and sustainable practices into their processes.

Post, P. (2022). Circular Experience Library. Circular-Experience.org. https://www.circular-experience-library.org/

The Circular Experience Library, developed by UX and service design consultant Peter Post, offers 72 free UX design patterns aimed at enhancing customer experiences within the circular economy. Each pattern includes downloadable assets—such as PDFs, PNGs, Adobe XD files—and video tutorials, facilitating rapid prototyping and ideation. The library addresses various stages of the product lifecycle, from purchase to end-of-life, promoting sustainable practices like product-as-a-service models and digital product passports. Recognized with awards like the German Ecodesign Award 2023, this resource serves as a practical toolkit for designers seeking to integrate circular principles into their workflows.

Fiare. (n.d.). How to design user experience for circular economy platforms? https://fiare.com/articles/how-to-design-user-experience-for-circular-economy-platforms/

This article by Fiare offers a comprehensive guide for UX designers aiming to create digital platforms that support circular economy principles. It emphasizes the importance of transparency, lifecycle visualization, and user engagement in promoting sustainable behaviors. The piece provides actionable strategies, such as incorporating material passports, visualizing product lifecycles, and simplifying sharing and reuse processes. By aligning UX design with circular economy goals, the article serves as a practical resource for designers seeking to facilitate recycling, reuse, and resource efficiency in digital marketplaces.