What is the product life cycle, and why does it matter?
The product life cycle describes everything that happens to a product from raw material extraction through manufacture, use, and end of life. Designing with the full life cycle in mind reveals hidden costs and risks that a narrow focus on the use phase misses.
Ignoring any stage of the life cycle creates liabilities: high embodied energy in manufacture, materials that cannot be recovered at end of life, or a use phase that generates ongoing waste. These are not just environmental concerns; they are increasingly regulatory requirements and represent real business risk as legislation tightens and consumer expectations rise.
Design Compass addresses the full life cycle explicitly through its middle ring, which covers efficiency, materials, energy, longevity, alternatives, and end of life. Working through these six criteria for any product idea will surface the life cycle considerations most likely to cause problems.
