From Startup to System Change
A learning journey in circular design and its relevance to large-scale UX leadership
AI-generated image illustrating woman working in a retail factory in a large retail warehouse. Created using Runway on June 25th, 2025
Core Story:
This case study reflects my learning journey in circular design through Don Norman’s Design for a Better World course. It begins with the story of a small startup acquired by a large corporation that, surprisingly, chose to continue embracing circular design principles rather than strip them away. This decision highlighted the potential for regenerative approaches to thrive even in large-scale organizations.
That insight resonated with me because of my own experience working within a Fortune 6 corporation. It showed me that new approaches can be successfully adopted at scale, and that the business impact can be positive for both customers and companies.
As part of the coursework, I also prototyped a circular redesign of a product I use every day — my Sonicare toothbrush. This project allowed me to apply circular principles at the product and service level, expanding my toolkit as a UX leader and strengthening the way I connect user experience, systems thinking, and sustainability.
“Even when acquired by a multinational, this startup’s commitment to circular design remained intact — showing me how regenerative approaches can scale.”
Key Artifacts:
Medium article: From Startup to System Change
Living artifacts notes
Circular Design Proposal: Sonicare Electric Toothbrush (mini project)
Expanding My Toolkit: Circular Design Education
As I moved deeper into questions of scale and system change, I knew that new challenges required new lenses. To strengthen my systems thinking, I completed formal education in Circular Design — a discipline focused on moving from linear, waste-heavy systems to regenerative models.
For my case study project, I examined how value is lost at the “end-of-life” stage of products and services. Through lifecycle mapping, I found that customers often faced friction at disposal — items were discarded rather than re-integrated, resulting in both environmental waste and missed opportunities for businesses to build trust.
Reframing the problem with a design thinking approach, I saw how service models that enable return, repair, and refurbishment could extend customer relationships and unlock new forms of value. This learning directly shaped how I now approach system change: instead of solving only for immediate usability, I intentionally design for long-term resilience, trust, and sustainability.
Expanded Learning: Prototyping Circular Service Models
In a mini project, I applied these principles to my own Sonicare toothbrush. The goal was to explore how a familiar product could move from a linear lifecycle (buy → use → discard) to a circular system (use → return → repair/refurbish → reuse).
Highlights from the Proposal:
Modular & Repairable Design: A casing and internal components that allow for battery or motor replacement, reducing full-unit waste.
Battery Return & Replacement Service: A program where users could mail in or locally replace depleted batteries, ensuring safe recycling.
Compostable Brush Heads: Biodegradable materials for brush heads and bristles, with clear composting guidance for consumers.
Sustainable Packaging & Logistics: 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, compact shipping, and auto-delivery of sustainable brush heads.
Family & Ecosystem Integration: Subscription services that adapt across age groups, dentist partnerships to reinforce care, and educational inserts to guide proper disposal and reuse.
This prototype wasn’t about redesigning plastics alone — it reframed Sonicare as a service ecosystem designed for longevity, responsibility, and user trust.
Results & Impact
Strengthened my ability to connect user-centered design with sustainability and systems thinking.
Demonstrated how circular principles can inform not only materials and manufacturing but also business models and service ecosystems.
Reinforced my conviction that design leadership at scale must consider not just usability and business outcomes, but also environmental and long-term resilience.
Reflection/Next Steps
Both the startup case study and the Sonicare proposal underscored that circular design can thrive across very different contexts — from a newly acquired startup to a global consumer product. What intrigued me most is how these approaches, often seen as niche or experimental, can actually integrate into large-scale operations and deliver value for customers and companies alike.
This exploration has shaped the way I approach my work as a UX leader in a Fortune 6 company. It expanded my toolkit to include not only design for usability and business outcomes, but also design for durability, regeneration, and trust. Going forward, I see opportunities to bring these circular principles into the digital and service systems I lead — ensuring the work creates compound value over time for both people and the organizations that serve them.
Version Reference/Link
V1_20250922 | Initial case study summarizing startup circular practices | Medium Article