Repairability Is a Product and a System
- Jul 24
- 1 min read
iFixit’s Repairability resource explains what makes a product realistically fixable. Its assessments consider how easily a product can be opened, diagnosed and reassembled, but also whether users can access replacement parts, standard tools, service documentation and the software needed to complete a repair.
Created by iFixit, the resource shows that repairability depends on more than visible screws. The wider support system around a product can either enable repair or quietly prevent it. The Grand Designs article Repair is the New Replace offers practical examples, including repair cafés, spare parts for Dualit toasters and Henry vacuums, and products designed around longer use.
Why I saved this: Kibu’s repairable children’s headphones are a particularly strong example. The headphones are assembled from modular components that children can remove, replace and recycle. Their construction is deliberately visible and understandable, turning repair into part of the product experience rather than something reserved for technicians.
For design students, Kibu demonstrates how repairability can influence product architecture, fastening, material separation, instructions, spare-part provision and user confidence. It also raises an important opportunity: could repairing a product help users develop a stronger relationship with it?
Worth considering: Does your design simply allow repair, or does it actively help users understand how to repair it?
Try applying it: Select one component likely to wear, break or become obsolete. Map how a user would identify the fault, access the part,
replace it and return the product to use.
Design themes: Repairability, circular design, product architecture, design education, sustainable product development
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