Prof. Dr. Ir. Mugge, R.

Ruth Mugge is professor of Design for Sustainable Consumer Behavior at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering. Her main research interests are (sustainable) consumer behaviour, product perception, design for behaviour change, and design for the circular economy.

Academic Background

After completing her PhD on the topic of product attachment, Ruth Mugge continued her research on understanding consumers’ acceptance and behaviour towards (sustainable) products with the intention to provide designers with guidelines on how to design products that trigger the desired inferences and behavioural responses. She has received both European and national (NWO) funding for her research.

Specific research questions that she is currently working on are:

  • How can designers stimulate consumers to prolong the lifetime of products?
  • How can designers stimulate consumers to repair products?
  • How can designers stimulate consumers to take better care of products?
  • How can designers stimulate consumers’ acceptance of circular products?

In 2023, she has received a prestigious personal VICI-grant from NWO to investigate how to slow down premature obsolescence in consumer electronics by keeping the value of products high by design. 

Ruth Mugge has published on these topics in various scientific journals, such as International Journal of Design, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Design Studies, Journal of Cleaner Production, and the Journal of Product Innovation Management. 

Furthermore, Ruth Mugge serves as an Associate Editor for the journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling and is co-chair of the Coordination Committee of the Product Lifetimes and the Environment conference (PLATE). She also serves an editorial board member for Journal of Product Innovation Management, Applied Ergonomics, and Journal of Design Research.

Media Coverage

Experience

  • 2020 - present
    Associate Editor for the Scientific journal Resources, Conservation and Recycling
  • 2019 - present
    Professor of Design for Sustainable Consumer Behavior (Delft University of Technology) 
  • 2013 - 2019
    Associate Professor (Delft University of Technology)  
  • 2005 - 2013
    Assistant Professor (Delft University of Technology)
  • 2003 - 2005
    Teaching assistant (Delft University of Technology) for Design courses and Statistics

Research Projects

TRANSFORM-CE

Design researchers from TU Delft work together with the municipalities of Almere and Manchester to investigate how to increase the recycling rate of single use plastic (through injection-extrusion moulding and 3D printing), as well as to enhance uptake of recycled plastics by business and consumers.

PROMPT

Waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has become one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU. Lengthening products lifetime can help reduce this waste. The PROMPT project, a H2020 project funded by the European Commission, aims to tackle this issue by preventing premature obsolescence.

Ruth Mugge

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