Mundane products

Hi, I am wondering if anyone can help with some ideas. I’m looking for relatively mundane everyday products that could use a redesign. Something along the lines of an electric heater! Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Just look around you.

Stapler
Ruler
Pen
Calipers
Desk lamp
Coffee mug
USB hub
Desktop organizer
Key ring
Desktop mini bar…
Headphone stand

I bet you can walk into any room and find 50 things just looking around.

I know, there is just nothing jumping out at me at the moment. It is for a final year degree project. I was going to go with the electric heater but I just wanted to reach out and see if anyone else had any good suggestions before I commit! Thanks though

I think to yo’s point, the un-glorious things usually don’t jump out at you.

My favorite design project in college was re-designing the surge protector/power strip, which is so underserved you would only notice it when you kick it with your feet.

Luckily in the decade since they made some decent redesigns.

Walk into a garage, utility closet, office store, kitchen, etc. The world is full of things that can be done better, but one that personally annoy you will often provide the best food for thought.

Vacuum for a specific purpose/market
Electric lawn mower
Coffee Maker, Toaster, family of products

Something that allows you to show your styling, ideation & problem solving skills.

These are required in just about every office and pretty mundane in my eyes.

uninterruptible power supply

drip coffee maker
post it notes, a total rethink
wine bottle corks
car tire 12 volt air pump

Just saw this. If this is your final year design project. You should be WAYYYY more stoked on the project brief. I cant imagine just picking something and spending my final year without fully being engulfed in the project. This is your last chance to fully spend time on a project of your choice and have all the support to make it great.

One thing to consider, where do you want to work when your graduate, whats your dream job? Tailor your final project to that. What companies want to see a redesigned electric heater? Are you targeting the General Electric appliances field? A consultancy which focuses on home appliance as major client?

whoa, I missed that this is a final project. Emma is 100% right. This need stop come from you and be geared toward where you want to work after college.

Well the overall idea is to take some which is generally quite dull and make it something exciting. That’s why I’m looking at boring, everyday products!

I think what Eman and Michael are getting at is that you should really be excited not by the object as it stands today but rather at the awesome potential it holds for improvements.
What can you give a unique spin using your specific experiences? What gets you excited?

This is a very important project in your academic career and tees you for job search post graduation.
So you should really not have other people tell you what to redesign but rather look closely and see what inspires you.

But thats not an exciting prompt. Thats literally what were tasked to do as a profession daily. Take something that is outdated and refresh it. You really need to layout your brief in a more concise manner.

Right now your saying, I’m going to take an object and put it through the design process. Thats not enough for a final year project.


Surely there is some hobby/item youre passionate about that you can improve on. Why choose a random thing.

IE do not choose a small heater unless you can really weave a story about why small heaters are important to you. When I interview fresh grads I’ll often ask why they chose a project. I once talked to a student that chose a toilet for his final project. He had a great story as to why.

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Mobilegs, one of my favorite redesigns of a mundane product. Makes me wish for surgery so I can get me a pair. :laughing:

There are few good looking bolts.

I’m going to chime in by saying that I don’t necessarily agree with the general feeling of this thread. There is an element of “follow your dream” for your final project that needs to be adhered to. Having a story behind the reason for designing a toilet helps. But at the end of the day, viewing the world around you and seeing the mundane and then ACTING on it, is probably the most powerful tool you can harvest as a designer.

My suggestion is to keep looking at the mundane. Look at what annoys you in your life. You have probably 3 months to get this project done (less?). Take 2 weeks to explore EVERYTHING around you. There is going to be something that is missing. Something that if you reached over right now and could grab…right now…but isn’t there…that would make what you’re doing or going to do later on easier.

Pick that thing. That thing that might already exist but is ugly. Even better, it already has an established market of high end (e.g. ridiculously priced art pieces) and cheap-ass knock-offs but nothing in between. Design something in the middle. Put it on Kickstarter. Make that process of creating and vetting in the public your project. So what if it fails? There’s lots of failed Kickstarters floating around these boards, even if they don’t/won’t admit it.

You’re graduating at the beginning of a time where ANYONE can turn an idea into a reality. The fun part is you just went through 3.5+ years of edumacation to learn how to do it better. So, do it. Don’t just do a school project. Do a YOU project.