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Bored Panda

Mantas Kačerauskas

82 Brilliantly Practical Product Designs That Prove Someone Out There Is Truly Working For Us All

Forrester

There are two types of problems. The ones that you know exist and make your daily life miserable. And those that you aren’t even aware of, though they make your life worse. Luckily, ingenious designers are working hard (and smart!) to solve both—and Bored Panda is here to celebrate their success.

Our team is featuring the most creative, consumer-friendly, and brilliant design ideas that solve everyday problems and make your life better. Check out our favorite designs below. Just keep in mind, there’s no going back: you might start seeing daily nuisances that are begging for solutions everywhere now!

#1 My Oven Shows The Start Time Incase You Did Not Start A Timer

#2 This Sturdy Runner Allows People Using Wheelchairs Or Walkers To Access Our Local Beach

#3 They Put Rails Under The Benches In This Park So You Can Always Be In The Shadow

Design should make your life better, easier, and more convenient. Or is that just us?

Genuine empathy cannot and should not be taken out of the equation when you’re brainstorming possible designs, running focus groups and tests, and testing the appeal of your product, space, service, or idea.

You are, after all, designing these things for someone to use them. So, you should find a way to introduce empathy in every step of the design process.

#4 This Chair In An Office Cafeteria Has A Notch To Hang Bags

#5 Free Vegetable Leaves For Pets In My Local Supermarket's Produce Section

#6 This Apartment Complex Pool With Wheelchair Access!

As a designer, you hold a huge advantage if you’re able to empathize and have the ability to put yourself in users’ and consumers’ shoes. You need to consider their wants and needs and understand their experiences and daily frustrations. And that requires periodically setting your ego aside so that you see the broader range of perspectives and implications.

That being said, you also need to counterweigh consumer-friendly ideas with your personal vision and skills. As a professional, you bring unique features and aesthetics to a product that you can’t achieve just by doing what the wisdom of the crowd tells you to.

#7 This Gate That Allows Horses But Not Vehicles

#8 The Hospital My Wife Delivered At Gives You A Kit So You Can Have A “Birth Day” Party

#9 Beijing Subway Allows Riders To Pay With Plastic Bottles, A Good Way To Re-Cycle Them

As a designer, you’re constantly balancing your vision with consumers’ needs, function and form, and the profitability of your ideas against how accessible they are to the public.

It’s tough, and not every professional gets it right. But those who manage to find the right balance between these opposites tend to stand out with their designs and body of work.

#10 My New Sheets Have Tags Identifying The Long Side And The Short Side

#11 My School's Library Has Noise-Level Guides That Change Colour When It Gets Too Loud

#12 The Guy Who Does The Grass For My Building Left A Rectangle Of Wild Flowers So The Bees Can Use Them

“Empathizing with the people you design for is almost always the first step in design frameworks because it helps you put aside your assumptions and gain insight into what people do, think, and feel. This is why many brands follow those frameworks and start their design process by conducting research and synthesizing key learnings about customers,” Forrester explains.

#13 This Museum In Berlin Has ‘Touchable’ Versions Of Their Paintings For Blind People

#14 This Keypad Randomizes The Numbers Every Time So Someone Doesn't Figure Out The Password From Your Hand Movements

#15 Lightswitches That Show What They Are For

However, empathy tends to be forgotten in later stages of the design process because of the fast pace of work, a lack of alignment between teams, and differing views on empathy itself.

The latter is sometimes seen as a single step, not as part of the entire process. So it doesn’t always make it into the final product.

#16 I Found A Wallet On A Saturday, I Left A Note In A Way So Only The Real Owner Could Contact Me

#17 The Employees At This Venue Have The Location Of The Restroom On Their Shirts

#18 Any Love For Packaging Here? Very Thoughtful Hardware Package Design

“Many teams empathize with customers, but they don’t design for empathy,” Forrester stresses.

The idea is to view empathy not just as a means to an end (meeting customers’ needs) but also as an end in itself.

“Designing for empathy means designing experiences that not only meet customers’ needs but also show that you are emotionally connected to them and understand their experiences. It creates meaningful moments for your customers, builds brand loyalty, and humanizes the experience by demonstrating that a brand understands its customers’ needs, emotions, and that their relationship is not merely transactional.”

#19 This Park Has A Swing For Kids In A Wheelchair

#20 This Store Has A Winter Simulator For Testing Out Winter Clothing

#21 My Daughter's First Grade Classroom Has Desks With Pedals So Kids Can Move While Learning

So, let’s assume that you’ve got a great team of talented and smart designers, and you’re already thinking about how to put your target clients’, customers’, and consumers’ needs first. How do you actually set yourself apart from other companies making similar products and offering similar services?

You can focus on your brand identity. This helps you differentiate yourself from the consumer’s perspective by communicating your value and purpose.

#22 In Tallinn Airport, One Of The Mens Bathrooms Has Step By Step Instructions On Tying A Tie

#23 A Bicycle Escalator In Norway

#24 Giraffe Crane Standing Tall Above The Rest

In short, effective brand marketing helps you create a memorable and positive image in the target audience’s mind. And loyal, returning customers who are genuinely happy with what you offer are wonderful for business. It’s a ‘win-win’ for everyone. But this goes beyond sketching a good logo for your company and drafting a catchy slogan.

“This [brand marketing] involves consistent messaging, design, and promotion strategies tailored to the desired identity,” Investopedia emphasizes.

And for that, you need extensive research before you launch your product, a clear target market, and a holistic design philosophy that keeps your identity clear at all times.