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Just Terrible UI Design: This Freezer Control Dial

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

Shop owner Aaron Cohen runs Gracie's Ice Cream, located in Somerville, Massachusetts. Cohen recently posted this photo to the shop's Instagram with the following query:

"Imagine you own an ice cream shop and the thermostat on your dipping cabinet, which is the freezer ice cream is dipped (scooped) out of, is set to 4, which is too warm, and you want to make the freezer colder. Are you setting this dial to 3 or to 5 to make the freezer colder? I asked the Gracie's followers on Instagram earlier this year and there was lots of discussion."

First off, if you own an ice cream shop, the stakes are high for this seemingly simple problem. Set it to warmer when you were shooting for colder, and you risk ruining an entire batch of product.

Secondly, what terrible, terrible design, as evinced by the confusion in the comments. Some people interpret the arrow to mean, "Turn the dial in this direction to make it colder." Others interpret it as, "The arrow points in the direction of colder numbers."

Additionally, temperature is something that we measure using numbers. Higher numbers mean higher temperature. So which is it here?

To top it all off, there's not even a stationary indicator pointing to a number, confirming what number it's actually set to. I guess we're meant to assume 12 o'clock is the target point.

I think this could've been solved a million different ways. A blue-to-red gradient would've been elegant, but perhaps too pricey to manufacture (two colors rather than one). Use of icons like snowflakes or ice cubes, one on one end, three on the other. Or even just placing the words "cold" on one end and "colder" on the other.

How would you have solved it?


Form Follows Function: The Hooks on This Simple Charlotte Perriand Wall Rack

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

This simple pine wall rack was used to hang coats in a French ski resort in the 1960s.

Not just any ski resort: The Les Arcs resort in Savoie, famously designed by Charlotte Perriand leading a team of fellow architects.



Perriand was known for her minimalist style, and I'm smitten by how simple and perfectly functional the rack is. Just simple dowels, each with two cuts to turn them into hooks: The angled one to let gravity capture the garment, the vertical one to stop it from sliding off.

Antiques being antiques, the dealer's asking for $1,000-plus.


FINAL DEADLINE TONIGHT — Enter Before 9 PM EDT

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago
FINAL DEADLINE TONIGHT — Enter Before 9 PM EDTView the full content here

This Incredible Invisibility Shield is on Kickstarter

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

Two years ago, British inventor Tristan Thompson (not the Cleveland Cavaliers player) created an Invisibility Shield, Kickstarting it with £446,676 in pledges. (That's about USD $565,000.) Now Thompson says he's improved the design, making it larger and more comfortable to carry, and is Kickstarting this Invisibility Shield 2.0:


As for how it works:

"Each shield uses a precision engineered lens array to direct light reflected from the subject standing behind it, away from the observer standing in front. The lenses in this array are oriented so that the vertical strip of light reflected by the standing/crouching subject becomes diffuse when spread out horizontally on passing through the back of the shield. In contrast, the strip of light reflected from the background is much wider, so when it passes through the back of the shield, far more of it is refracted both across the shield and towards the observer. From the observer's perspective, this background light is effectively smeared horizontally across the front face of the shield, over the area where the subject would ordinarily be seen."

"The optical arrays we use to construct our shields are manufactured by extruding and then embossing a polymer to form sheets of elongate, convex lenses. In order for these sheets to manipulate light in the right way to create functional invisibility shields, the lenses must have a highly specific shape and each one must be formed with high precision as they are very small."

The video footage, assuming it's undoctored, is fairly startling:

The shields come in multiple sizes: The one-person version runs $378, and the two-person Megashield is $883.


A Hideaway Full Shower for #Vanlife

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

With degrees in both business administration and software engineering, Julian Secomb is an unlikely cabinetmaker. Yet he's spent over a decade earning his living by building furniture.

One of Secomb's gigs was building cabinetry into private jets for Bombardier. That acquainted him with the challenges of building in tight spaces. As #vanlife took off, Secomb then transitioned into kitting out vans, founding his company, Tetravan.

Vans outfitted for living often use similar interior solutions, but there was one that Secomb found persistently lacking across multiple designs: "They almost never had an optimal shower setup," he writes. "Most vans have a hose that is accessed via the rear door. This means standing outside in the mud, sand or snow to take a shower with limited privacy. The other option is a bulky shower enclosure that takes up valuable space in the van and feels claustrophobic. Neither of these are great solutions."

Secomb looked at the problem: A fixed shower requires a shower pan, which takes up valuable floorspace. What if he could make the pan, and for that matter the entire enclosure, disappear when not needed?

His solution is the Tetravan Folding Shower:


"The Tetravan Shower offers a full showering experience in your van, trailer or RV while using virtually no extra living space. To use it, fold down the shower pan and attach the included magnetic shower curtain. Setting up your shower takes under a minute. After you're done showering, the shower folds up and out of the way."

The steel pan is powder-coated for grip, and features a patented drain design that funnels water into a 2" trough, in case you're parked on uneven terrain.

The shower is designed to be installed beneath the sleeping platform, as shown here in Tetravan's turnkey trailer design. The plumbing and hot water heater are stowed in the storage space beneath the platform.


Secomb reckons his design takes up "75% less space than a solid shower enclosure" while providing a full-sized shower experience.

The Tetravan Folding Shower is made in the U.S.A. and sells for $1,850.


Made in Yame: Design Excursion to Japan

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

After a long pause during the pandemic, SVA Made in Yame returns with its unique opportunity to study traditional craft in Japan and present product ideas to the MoMA Design Store for production. Open to students and design professionals, the program covers a dozen crafts and immerses you in the food, culture and countryside of Kyushu— Fukuoka City included!

It's not cheap at $5k, but when you look at what's included and the depth of programming, it is a pretty amazing opportunity. Check out the website at madeinyame.sva.edu and their instagram @svamadeinyame— you might see some familiar names have attended. But act soon… the enrollment deadline is April 1st.


Amusing Unintended Consequence of Wearing Ultra-Thin Eyeglasses

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

An industrial designer can't be expected to imagine every offline consideration of what they design, right?

Think of those ultra-thin, presumably titanium eyeglasses that you picture Swiss architects wearing. Now imagine one of them puts it down on a patterned tablecloth or bedspread, like this:

Amusingly, that photo was posted by a Redditor with the caption "Couldn't find my glasses for 3 hours - a task made even tougher by the fact that I wasn't wearing my glasses SMH."

(If you can't find the glasses in the photo, imagine the image as being an unnumbered one-month calendar. The specs are in the neighborhood of the third day of the first week.)

The subReddit it was posted on is itself amusing. It's called r/AccidentalCamouflage.


Challenging Industrial Design Student Work: An All-Gender Urinal

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

I think this project illustrates the difficulties of trying to reconcile industrial design with social issues. Called Urin*alle, it was done by Leonie Roth and Luisa Tschumi while studying Industrial Design at Switzerland's Basel Academy of Art and Design.

"Urin*alle is a waterless all-gender urinal that offers contactless use regardless of the genitalia."

"The conventional design of toilets and urinals is not ergonomically adapted to people with vulvas and makes it difficult or uncomfortable for them to use public sanitary facilities. Urinals convince with their simple design, which enables fast and contactless urination. They save a large amount of water and enable nutrient reclamation through the separated collection of urine."

"Following the principle "Form Follows Function," the design has been adapted in height, angle and shape to the needs and ergonomics of the users. The front part offers contactless urination for people with a vulva; for people with a penis, the back part is provided, which is based on conventional men's urinals."

"With its smooth ceramic surface, urin*alle operates without the need for water, and used toilet paper can be disposed of in a separate waste bin. This not only saves valuable water, the separate collection of urine enables recovery of the finite raw material phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium, fundamental nutrients for plant growth. In addition, urin*alle requires significantly less care and maintenance than flush urinals."

?"Urin*alle is intended to complement and not replace existing sanitary facilities. This project stimulates socio-political discussions, makes a significant contribution to gender equality and helps saving resources."

Two Magnetic Connections Systems that Broke $100,000 on Kickstarter

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

People who love gadgets, love magnets and connecting things. Here's two magnetic connection systems that easily blew past $100,000 on Kickstarter.

The first is this Swift-Lock camera carrying mount, targeting photographers. Its intelligent design places the straps at the base of your SLR, rather than on the sides. This arrangement prevents the camera from bouncing around on your body while hanging from the straps in transit.

The second is this more general Magno-Link system, which targets the EDC crowd. Offered in aluminum or titanium, it features embedded magnets and a spring latch, and is for attaching…you know, EDC stuff.


The former was designed by German company Spinn Design, whose photographer's tool we looked at here. The latter is by a Turkish EDC company Retvon. They're going for $64 and $24 a pop, respectively.


Genesis Unveils "Reductive Design" Concept

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

This week Genesis unveiled their Neolun concept, an EV in the form of a full-size SUV. The surfacing is startlingly clean:

"The Neolun Concept's exterior revolves around the principle of 'reductive design,'" the company says, "characterized by clean, refined lines that deliberately eliminate any unnecessary details."

I'd argue they also eliminated a necessary detail: Door handles. Ingress is meant to be accomplished with an electronic fob (or worse, an app).


Form-wise, it can be said that all of the parts relate to each other, and while I appreciate the restraint, the vehicle doesn't have much gesture to it. I'd need to see it in person—the press release only features three images of the exterior—but the vehicle's nose, as seen in profile, seems particularly aimless. It's as if the designers ran out of time.

Notably the car lacks a B-pillar, which is great for ingress/egress but raises questions about structure. The company will only say "Development of the B-pillarless coach doors has reached a level where its application to production vehicles is now feasible."

Genesis also says "The body-integrated lamps seamlessly blend with the vehicle's front and rear design," without saying how that would be achieved. They also mention the vehicle will feature a pop-up roof rack and automatically-deploying side steps, but curiously haven't provided any images. With any luck they'll release more information soon.

Industrial Facility's Radice Chair & Stool

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

This simple and surprising Radice chair and stool is by Industrial Facility, a/k/a Sam Hecht and Kim Colin.

RADICE finds its underlying beauty and simplicity in its structure. It is the bringing together of what appears the front-half of a traditional 4-legged stool, with a single back leg – the 'root'. It is a visual improvisation, where two things meet unexpectedly.

"RADICE has tension in its form and it is a slight surprise that the third leg works as well as it does to resolve the overall structure. It could be viewed as structurally diagrammatic, yet is made comfortable visually and physically because of how its third leg supports the seat," says Sam Hecht. The backrest is small and reassuring, allowing a coat or handbag to rest on it and the seat is open for large and small people. It is light both visually and in weight, using no screws or metal fittings, yet also passing stringent BIFMA* standards to ensure it is structurally sound, stable and reliable.

The coloured wood stain options for radice are based on the cycle of an autumn leaf turning colour.

The Radice series is in production by Italian furniture brand Mattiazzi.

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*Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association


An Architect's Custom 3D-Printed, Leather-Wrapped Bicycle Handlebar Grips

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

Michigan-based Brian Oltrogge is that rarest of architects: One who is deeply immersed in actual hands-on fabrication. On his Instagram and YouTube channels, he covers projects pursued out of personal interest, covering casting, metalworking, welding, woodworking, CNC milling, 3D printing, etc.

His latest project, which involves both 3D printing and leatherwork, came about when the handlebar grips on his bicycle finally aged out. "Most all grips I have used eventually break down," Oltrogge writes, "coating your hands with slimy rubber compounds. I knew I wanted to upgrade my human machine interface to a nice leather-wrapped, ergonomic design that would be fairly easy to reproduce if I needed another set."

Oltrogge 3D-printed the structure…

…and wrapped them in Kodiak leather, which is "pretty good for items that will be exposed to the elements."



In the build video below, Oltrogge runs through his process, which is done with repeatability in mind (i.e. for the next time the grips wear out). So I guess you can't call these one-offs. It's a sponsored vid, but it's easy enough to blow past the sponsored part and get to the good stuff:


Reader Submitted: Souper Connect | Human-shaped Blocks Designed To Connect People Through Play

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago

When humans become building blocks, possibilities for fun are endless. Connections for all ages from 3 to 101 can be fostered by building a human cloud, breaking it, fidgeting with it, spinning it, and sparking the imagination.

Souper Connect is a modular human-shaped block that can't stand up by itself, reminding us to lean on each other. Its shape provides countless means of interconnection; the octagonal geometry of the arms and legs allows for rotated angles of joining, expanding the building possibilities. These blocks offer a minimal and identifiable form that inspires imaginative play and collaboration, lets you fidget and with enough pieces can bring out the building engineer in any of us. Souper Connect was designed in New York City by Peter Minsoub Sim and developed by Souper Studio. It was recognized by the 2023 Design Intelligence Awards and picked as a 'Project We Love' by Kickstarter.

Building TogetherPlay with the whole familyCredit: Andrew LongoLeo's TowerBuild bigCredit: Andrew LongoChaosIn a chaotic world, find connectionCredit: Andrew LongoSouper StackWith the perfect fit, these blocks are oh so satisfyingCredit: Andrew LongoSouper KeychainMade to take on the goCredit: Andrew LongoOffice displayAdd a bit of delightCredit: Andrew LongoSouper Connect in AluminumPrecision-milled aluminumCredit: Andrew LongoSouper AirplaneLet your imagination take holdCredit: Andrew LongoSouper Connect KeychainTake it with you wherever you goCredit: Andrew LongoDesktop stackFidget and find focusCredit: Andrew LongoView the full project here

The Core77 Design Awards Final Deadline is 2 Days Away!

Core 77 - 9 hours 16 min ago
Finish up your entry before it's too late—last day to enter is March 28thView the full content here

Cargo Ships Are Feats of Engineering

Design News - Thu, 2024-03-28 16:21
Hours of painstaking design and construction go into building cargo ships, as this video shows.

Engineering Humor for a Ton of Laughs

Design News - Thu, 2024-03-28 13:27
Time for some engineering humor. We have jokes and wry observations. Many are truly funny.

A Modern, Three-Application Design for a Drinking Fountain

Core 77 - Wed, 2024-03-27 23:10

This Hydra Drinking Fountain was designed by Diwiz, an industrial design consultancy based in Portugal.

Made of steel, it maximizes its utility by providing three outlets: One at wheelchair height, which can also be used by non-wheelchair-users; a water bottle refilling station up top; and down below, a fillable bowl for dogs.


The Hydra was designed for Portugal-based street furniture manufacturer Larus, but it's not clear if it's in production.


Focus on Quality, Not Quantity

Core 77 - Wed, 2024-03-27 23:10

The Core77 Design Awards Health & Wellness category features consumer products or services designed to aid users in matters of health or in achieving an enhanced sense of well-being.

Industrial Designer Paul Danial's body of work might be considered work of the body. Paul brings an academic background in human kinetics and industrial design to his role as UX-HF Ergonomics Expert III with Noble-Metaphase, part of Aptar Pharma. There, he consults and designs hand-intensive products with a focus on medical devices, optimizing user experience through human centered design. He approaches his work with curiosity and creativity, offering solutions that improve patients' quality of life and practitioner effectiveness. In his efforts to understand how things work, Paul likes to take things apart and reimagine them, covering any available surface with sketches and doodles in the process. He also looks to the skies for motivation, with a keen interest in aerospace and aviation that has led him to pursue his private pilot's license.

Health & Wellness category Jury Captain Paul Danial

Patient impact is the driving purpose behind Paul's work. He considers bettering people's quality of life one of the core pillars in the health and wellness industry, and he maintains a constant focus on "fostering a symbiotic and purposeful connection between people and products" through human centered design: "When considering the impact some of these health products have on people's lives, every care and attention to detail is weighted heavily and keeps the passion and motivation alive."

Medtronic Vasao High Speed ENT Drill, designed by Metaphase

If Paul has any concerns about the state of the industry, they center around the growing emphasis on speed and quantity, which often come at the expense of thoughtful, high-quality design. He cites the rise of AI and the resulting shifts across industries as designers "navigate the new paradigm of high efficiency and instantaneous thought." In Paul's opinion, the most effective, thorough designs are produced by human processes that can often seem tedious and meticulous. But as he said, "Any innovative method that wants to thrive in today's world will encourage designers to use emerging technologies, AI included, without neglecting their own intelligence and innate human ability to solve users' problems."

Paul's advice to entrants in the Core77 Design Awards includes focusing on a clearly defined problem statement. "Designers working on making their designs feasible need to define the who/what/why behind the conception and evolution of their ideas," he said. He also encourages designers to remain expressive, thoughtful, and compassionate in their work, reflecting his belief that a designer's ability to exhibit those traits will connect with users and "further elaborate on the problem statement."


The Uplyft system, designed by Pathway NPI

The 2023 winner in the Core77 Design Awards Health & Wellness category was UpLyft, a system designed to help people with limited mobility transfer themselves from a horizontal position to an upright seated position, as in a wheelchair, in just two minutes – an innovation that helps patients and caregivers alike.

If you have a design that might improve the quality of life for some lucky user(s), submit your entry to the 2024 Core77 Design Awards.