The Repair Renaissance

What if telling customers not to buy is the smartest growth move you can make? In this episode of Marginally Better, Joe Taylor, Jr. explores the Repair Renaissance—from Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” ethos and Minnesota’s nation-leading right-to-repair law to the global rise of Repair Cafés saving millions of pounds from landfills. We unpack how durability becomes a moat (hello, Vitamix and Le Creuset), why the “IKEA effect” proves the right kind of friction builds loyalty, and how AI is reshaping the real jobs of designers and developers—from pixel pushers to problem framers. If you care about circular economy wins, customer retention, and products that outlive trends, this one’s for you.

Episode Links:

• AI is Flipping UX Upside Down
• AI is Eating Frontend Development
• Design Tools Are Holding Us Back
• Patagonia's Worn Wear: What Fashion Brands Can Learn
• For Profit and Plant: How Recycling Has Changed This Retailer
• Minnesota Attorney General - The Right to Repair in Minnesota
• New Law Gives Minnesotans More Power to Fix Their Electronics
• Digital Fair Repair Act is Important to Farmers
• The 'Repair Café' Movement is Building a Fix-It Culture
• Repair Day 2024: A Birthday, a Wasted Opportunity and the Growth of Repair
• Circle Economy Foundation - Patagonia Boosts Its Incentive to Repair
• Why Vitamix? Durability
• 75 Brands With the Best Warranties
• UX Lessons from the Very Intentional Design of IKEA
• Happy or Not - A Complete Guide on How Customer Feedback Enhances UX
• Wall Street Journal - CVS Wants to Help You Spend Less Time in CVS