Team Repair's adult STEM kit shows how to fix your phone

British company Team Repair has launched a STEM learning kit specifically designed for grown-ups, using a dummy object to teach people how to fix their own phones.

The Repair Kit for Grown-Ups: Mobile Phone Edition takes users step-by-step through the process of diagnosing and fixing a broken smartphone.

In doing so, it acquaints them with obstacles such as miniature precision screws and stretch-release adhesive, and lets them practice replacing components such as the battery and screen.

Close-up photo of a person's hand as they use the Repair Kit for Grown-Ups Mobile Phone Edition, screwing a tiny screw — The Repair Kit for Grown-Ups teaches adults to fix their phones

The Repair Kit for Grown-Ups is the first in a planned series of new adult-focused products from Team Repair, an education company founded by Design Engineering graduates from Imperial College London that usually makes kits for eight to 14-year-olds.

Team Repair's youth kits are similar to other electronics-building sets that aim to teach kids science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills, like those from Technology Will Save Us. But their version is focused on repair with the aim to reduce e-waste.

Kids receive a fun but "broken" gadget, such as a simple game console, and are guided to repair it via an illustrated booklet. The company runs a circular model, where the kits are rented and returned to the company once the repairs are done.

Photo of two pairs of hands as they collaborate on the Repair Kit for Grown-Ups to practice fixing a smartphone — The kits let users practice on a dummy phone

Team Repair often received covetous comments from adults, and last year posted a TikTok video asking if they wanted a kit specifically for grown-ups, which quickly went viral.

Convinced of the demand, the team developed a product that would address the intimidation people reported feeling about repairs.

"In a survey of our audience, we asked what their biggest barriers to repair were, and the most common response was a fear of breaking their own device," Team Repair co-founder and chief product officer Anaïs Engelmann told Dezeen.

Photo of a woman working at a desk surrounded by bits of electronics as she concentrates on taking apart the inside of a phone — Users learn how to replace the battery and screen

"We wanted to create something that lowers that barrier – a device that feels familiar and close enough to a real phone to make the experience meaningful and skills transferable, but without the risk of getting it wrong," she explained.

The team initially assumed their adult offering would have to be far more "complex" in its presentation or experience, but ended up designing a kit that is quite similar to the youth product.

"In practice, we realised that hands-on activity for an adult can be just as unfamiliar as it is for a 10-year-old, because it's something many people are not regularly exposed to," she said.

Both kits focus on communicating complicated information in a way that is understandable, approachable and doesn't strip out meaning.

The Repair Kit for Grown-Ups looks like a smartphone out of the box and it isn't immediately obvious what's broken.

The user's first challenge is to diagnose the issue before they start repairs, and while the object is only an electronic model that won't ever be a functioning smartphone, they can use a test board system to get live feedback on whether each stage has been completed correctly as they go.

"Ultimately, our goal across both programmes is confidence building – creating experiences where people feel capable enough to start, and supported enough to continue," said Engelmann.

Engelmann said that the skills taught through the Repair Kit are highly transferable, as there are strong commonalities across modern smartphones even if their internal layouts and component design differs.

Close-up photo of a pair of hands playing with electronic components within the Team Repair Kit for Grown-Ups — Learners can use a testing board to check they've done each step correctly

The kit incorporates real-world materials such as the stretch-release battery adhesive and screen adhesive that are found across smartphones and teaches users how to read screw diagrams and identify the correct screw heads.

One of the goals is to help learners understand the underlying logic of repair, which they can apply across many types of electronics repair, said Engelmann.

As with all of Team Repair's kits, the Repair Kit for Grown-Ups operates on a circular model and is rented out to customers for three months with a refundable deposit.

Close-up photo of the components within the Team Repair Repair Kit for Grown-Ups Mobile Phone Edition — The kit is available through a rental model

They also have the option to order a toolkit that they get to keep, setting them up for future repairs.

Smartphones have become easier to fix since the European Commission brought in "right to repair" regulations in 2019, requiring manufacturers to design longer-lasting products and make spare parts readily available.

Finnish mobile manufacturer Nokia even partnered with repair specialists iFixit to ship its smartphone G22 with replaceable parts and toolkits.

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