Hasta La Ideas

Amidst a product landscape dominated by junk, we occasionally encounter humble, useful objects where the designer has clearly thought things through. These will never make it into the MoMA, but they aim to improve the lives of everyday people doing everyday things.

A seat belt guide for pregnant women.

Smart design improvements to the travel clothesline.

The Clipa Purse Hook.

A modern, three-application design for a drinking fountain.

A specialty drill bit for electricians, designed from customer feedback.

An easy-to-carry folding lighter that extends reach.

This clever design for a kiln shed features siding that turns into shelving.

A compact, easy-to-deploy design for a car sunshade (assuming this thing is real).

Toilet paper storage for bathrooms with no free space.

This ergonomically superior interface design for camera operators uses inertia wheels that have adjustable mass.

Industrial designer Andrew Smith’s brilliant fly-repelling invention.

A clever design for an easy-to-store spray bottle.

Klhip rethinks the ergonomics of the nail clipper.

Industrial design firm BKID creates a dog harness with better UX.

Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Joystick for players with limited mobility.

GE’s Access Kit, which lets you easily retrofit appliances for use by the blind.

Peak Design’s Tech Pouch is an organizing bag with better UX.

Lastly, one example of what not to do. This freezer control dial is just terrible UI design: