A good design can be good because of how nice it looks. It can also be good because of how functional it is. When it’s both it’s truly a chef’s kiss moment.
These designs are cool, and not just because of their aesthetics. They’re actually designed to make life easier in some way or another.
“Traffic lights where the pole lights up too.”
Ever get stuck behind a big truck at a stoplight, and you’re annoyed because you can’t see when the light changes? Well, this would change that. So cool!
“The coffee machine at my college has a diagram of the different choices.”
This is great because it shows you exactly what’s in each kind of drink, which is something I feel like a lot of people (including myself!) don’t know. It’s so simple, yet so effective.
“This tilted garbage bin for bicyclists in Copenhagen.”
I love the way places like Denmark have designs that make their cities as bike-friendly as possible. We definitely need to be following suit. Bikes are awesome, after all.
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“My new charger has an LED display that shows how fast the device is charging.”
I love this so much, because so many things you charge don’t do this already. Sure, your phone will tell you how long it’ll take to fully charge, but a pair of headphones or a video game controller won’t!
“My dishwasher has a spot that fits chopsticks.”
Yeah, that’s pretty awesome. It’s also awesome that dishwashers are finally realizing that plenty of people use reusable chopsticks, like, all the time. I really wish my dishwasher was like this…
“Crayons in 24 skin colours.”
One thing that always bugged me about coloring when I was a kid was how there was always only one “nude” crayon, and it didn’t look like my skin at all! I’m glad kids will finally be able to color pictures of themselves.
A clock with a second clock on the side.
Owning an alarm clock in general is seriously underrated. Like, not having to rely on your phone for the time (or an alarm) is pretty nice.
But what’s even nicer, is this clock, that lets you see the time from your bed without having to turn the whole thing. I think I’m in love…
“All 15k street lights on the Big Island in Hawaii are a certain hue of yellow as to not interfere with the astronomy center.”
Living in a city has plenty of pros, but the biggest con is probably all the light pollution. I kind of wish we could take this idea and bring it everywhere, because I hate not being able to see stars!
“This bench designed for wheelchair users to be able to more easily sit with friends and family.”
I’m amazed that no one’s thought of this sooner. Or, maybe they have, but no one’s bothered to make these kinds of picnic tables widely available. Let’s see more of these, please!
“This airport in Montreal has wireless charging pads at the charging station.”
This is such a great idea for an airport! Charge your phone quickly and easily, and then just go to your next flight. No cords, no mess, no stress. Love it.
“This dishwasher has light that indicates whether the machine is running or not- it turns green when the dishes are clean.”
I love this because it makes the dishwasher both fashionable and functional. It doesn’t look like a dishwasher, and yet it still shows you when the cycle is done. So genius!
“Bathroom stalls in the Dallas airport light up to show which stall is open, and don’t have any cracks in stall doors.”
Now this is a public restroom! No cracks in the doors means no one’s awkwardly trying to look and see if someone’s in there, while the lights show you which stalls are occupied! The person who designed this deserves a raise.
“Exit signs near the floor in case of fire!”
Hopefully, those exit signs will never need to be used. But, the fact that they exist in the first place is pretty awesome. Since smoke rises, people will be down low when looking for a safe way out. I can’t believe no one thought to do this sooner!
“This mango has a sticker which tells you what colour the best tasting level of ripeness is.”
Now that’s what I’m talking about! It takes all the guesswork out of trying to figure out when to eat a mango. I wonder if it would be a good idea for other fruits, too.
“This tire tells you to change it when it’s time to change it.”
I have to say, that’s pretty clever. I wonder if all tires do this, or just certain ones (I never look at my tires, so I’d literally never know). Either way, it’s pretty handy.
“This sign is actually a pretty clever idea.”
If I were driving a large truck, I’d definitely rather hit that sign than be stuck under that bridge. I almost feel like signs like this should be in more places, because they could really help people out.
“My dress has a clasp on the inside to secure your bra strap.”
I can’t get over how subtly genius this is. To be honest, wearing a dress can sometimes suck because the straps never line up with your bra straps. But not if you’re wearing this one!
“This elevator has buttons you can press with your feet if your hands are full.”
Finally, an elevator that doesn’t force you to put your boxes on the floor! It can be pretty tough to put stuff on the ground to press a button, and then try to pick it up again. This elevator knows where it’s at, though.
“This store lets customers choose whether they want to be bothered by the staff.”
You know how sometimes you want to shop without the employees bothering you, but other times you actually need help and they aren’t around? Well, this might actually help with that. Nice.
“Ticket box offices at my university’s theater are ‘hidden’ when they’re closed.”
I love the way this space flows. And the fact that the box office can be straight up hidden from view is so cool! This feels like something straight out of the year 3022.
