Assessing smartwatches for design for repair: insights from a professional repairer Author links open overlay panel
Fakhredin, Farzaneh
Fakhredin, Farzaneh
Publication Date
2026-01-15
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© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-Reviewed
Yes
Open Access status
openAccess
Accepted for publication
2025-09-08
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Abstract
Most existing repairability assessments rely on predefined criteria and scoring systems that evaluate factors such
as documentation, tool accessibility, spare parts availability, and ease of disassembly. While these methods
enable systematic benchmarking across products, they are conducted under controlled or idealized conditions by
manufacturers, engineers, or regulators and do not capture the real challenges professional repairers face.
This study addresses this gap by applying a product ethnography approach, directly observing a professional
repairer working on the top five smartwatches in the UK market–Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, Garmin, and Hua wei–with a specific focus on harvesting and replacing batteries, screens, and straps, as these are the top three
high-wear parts. The repair process was analyzed through task analysis, timing, and interviews with the pro fessional repairer.
This approach enables the identification of nuanced, real-world challenges that scoring-based methods often
overlook, providing a deeper understanding of how product design affects practical repairability beyond what
theoretical metrics can reveal.
The analysis revealed recurring design barriers, including strong adhesives, fused assemblies, a high number of
internal supports, shields, and tapes, and shell designs that require unnecessary screen removal to access bat teries. Further challenges arose from nested and dependent design, misleading layouts, minimal alignment or
orientation cues, and clusters of small, similar-looking parts that complicate sequencing and reassembly.
Based on these insights, a set of practical design guidelines grounded in real-world repair is proposed to help
manufacturers enhance the repairability of future smartwatches and wearables.
Version
Published version
Citation
Fakhredin F, and Campean F (2026) Assessing smartwatches for design for repair: insights from a professional repairer Author links open overlay panel. Resources, Conservation and Recycling. 225: 108582.
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Article