Hasta La Ideas

What do laypeople consider “good design?” I’m not talking about the stuff MoMA sells at their store, I’m talking about the little everyday products and experiences we encounter. Here are ten examples that jumped out at me from a subReddit on the topic:

I love this, though it’s no surprise why we don’t see it often. Can you imagine trying to frame and install this  ?

“This door in my hotel bathroom can close off either of 2 doorways.”

The placement makes better sense than at eye level, though this ought have its own illumination.

“The hotel I am staying at has the fire evacuation plans at ground level so you can see them if smoke has filled the hallways.”

Probably fake, but it would be great if this feature actually existed.

“The toaster oven at my parents’ house has a button for ‘a bit more.'”

I have mixed feelings on this one. (It’s a hand sanitizer dispenser on a public bathroom door, if you can’t tell.) Could people smoothly operate this while exiting, or is it meant to be used with the door stationary, thus creating a bottleneck at the exit?

“All public bathrooms need this.”

Admittedly this is no improvement at all, and is probably more onerous to store than the fold-flat sandwich board variety. But I’m tickled by the fact that it’s a banana, so sue me.

“This wet floor sign in a restaurant.”

Mo’ potatoes, mo’ problems.

“This plant holder allows you to collect vegetables without digging out the entire plant.”

So smart. Everything from the low-cost pool noodle to the see-through portion for visibility.

“This car park in France has soft barriers between parking spaces to stop people scratching other cars.”

I’ve always thought showers should have a mechanism like this: One feature to control water pressure, the other to set the exact temperature you like. This one appears to only monitor the temperature, but I still like it better than conventional shower controls.

“Shower thermometer.”

Just smart.

“This hand cream has a grip so you can close it with slippery hands.”

Perfect for vertically-oriented outlets.

“This plug that don’t bother others plugs.”

Do you have any favorite examples of good design/UX along the lines in these photos?