The limited language of Closure

The language that accompanies many of our existing closure experiences is guilt inducing, legal or dull. A simple letter informs the customer that a service has ended. It is not full of reflection or inspiration that may help fuel a future service relationship between the provider and the customer. The end of the service, letter concedes defeat and suggests a focus on the next victim to the service.


The language of product endings is little more than a wagging finger. A contradiction of the purchase experience that suggests no guilt for spending money or getting fat or damaging yourself, the closure experience for many products suggest where to place the used item. No responsibility is expected beyond location of the used packaging.

Legal T&Cs
The business side of a Closure experience is detailed and crystal clear. If you speak ‘legal’, then T&Cs clearly describe a cold blooded ending to the service relationship. If you are a regular user they come across as baffling.

Some companies have attempted to simplify the T&Cs for the user and in turn highlighting potential endings of the relationship. The terms and conditions from sites like 500px.com/termsare fighting the users corner for Closure experience by making the legal agreement accessible to the user.

Joe Macleod

Joe Macleod is founder of the worlds first customer ending business. A veteran of product development industry with decades of experience across service, digital and product sectors.

Head of Endineering at AndEnd. TEDx Speaker. Wired says “An energetic Englishman, Macleod advises companies on how to game out their endgames. Every product faces a cycle of endings. It's important to plan for each of them. Not all companies do." Fast Company says “Joe Macleod wants brands to focus on what happens to products at the end of their life cycle—not just for the environment but for the entire consumer experience.”

He is author of the Ends book, that iFixIt called “the best book about consumer e-waste”. And the new book –Endineering, that people are saying “defines and maps out a whole new sub-discipline of study”. The DoLectures consider the Endineering book one of the best business books of 2022.

www.mrmacleod.com
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Transaction models as an indicator of good closure experiences

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Cadence in music as inspiration for Closure