The Best Product Designs of 2006

conq writes "BusinessWeek has made available IDSA's annual list of the best designed products of the year." From the article: "The Talking Tactile Tablet system allows visually impaired individuals to access graphic imagery they otherwise would not be able to enjoy. Instead of using Braille, which the majority of visually impaired people do not read, users hear audio descriptions of each component of an image. Key considerations of the design were ease-of-use, ruggedness, cost and providing a pleasing aesthetic experience, namely how the product feels."

Comments

Fleshlight

[BadAnalogyGuy]

Snubbed again.

Before We Announce the Best of 2006...

[RoadDoggFL]

Should we let it finish first?

Re:Before We Announce the Best of 2006...

[The-Bus]

That's the /. editor's fault. These are the "2006 IDEA Awards" which means they take place in 2006. The 2006 Academy Awards did not hand out Oscars for the best movies of 2006 either.

And some highlights for me...

• AMD Personal Internet Communicator - A replacement for the $100 laptop?
  
• DX1 Input System - very programmable keyboard-type device
  
• Water Tile - the coolest showerhead I've ever seen
  
• $100 Laptop - wait, here's the actual laptop
  
• The Nutty Buddy - the ??? before profit was "testicle protection" in this case
  
• Water Tile - To quote the byline, "This design strategy uses brand identity to revitalize the image of condoms and redefine traditional condom distribution channels"
  
• Sun x4100 servers - if you're into that sort of thing
  
• City Wing - LED streetlights
  
• Airwash - doing laundry without water
  

What does sadden me is that the most popular category for winners seemed to be office chairs. How amazingly boring.

Won't Work

[thecommenter]

The SignalOneSafety Vocal Smoke Detector uses a parent's recorded voice to wake children in case of a fire and provide them with evacuation instructions.

Shut up Mom, I wanna sleep 5 more minutes before school!

What the.... ?

[Onan]

When did it suddenly become okay to have "web" "pages" with no actual content at all, just javascript that serves no purpose but to echo html?

So I guess I won't be seeing this list. But I have a pretty clear idea of a site that won't be making my own list of best designed anything ever...

Re:What the.... ?

[bcat24]

When did it suddenly become okay to have "web" "pages" with no actual content at all, just javascript that serves no purpose but to echo html?

Welcome to the Web 2.0! It's like old technologies put together to make new buzzwords.

Surveillance Dome Camera???

[truthsearch]

Surveillance Dome Camera? Are they kidding? These have been popping out of the ceilings of retail stores for many years. Are they getting recognition for painting part of it silver?

I stopped scanning through the list after that.

Re:Surveillance Dome Camera???

[houghi]

Are they getting recognition for painting part of it silver?

As these are product DESIGN awards and not product INNOVATION awards, the answer is yes.

A better way to link

[houghi]

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/idea2006/s ource/1.htm
That way you only need to edit the number at the when somebody mentions a number

Re:As a firefighter...

[truthsearch]

who is going to run with a flashlight?

Usually just bad actresses with oversized breasts who are being chased by large men in ugly costumes.

Not new...

[jdray]

Number 16, the self-erecting tent, is an exact duplicate of the PopTent. My wife and I have had one for years and love it. They were featured in the (bad) movie Congo.

Furthermore, they award Lenovo for a cheeseball "all in one" design desktop when the tried and true iMac (flatscreen model) has been around for two years or more? Who are these people?

Is this supposed to be objective

[Bryansix]

Because it seems like these people are in bed with Panasonic and Kodak. Both Panasonic devices that I have seen (a laundry machine/dryer, and a refrigerator with a pullout drawer) have competition from LG and many other manufacturers and do not have features that really set it apart. The two Kodak models are interesting in design but definetely not the best out there. I'm starting to wonder how usefull this list is if you can just buy your way in because your product looks cool.

Re:Is this supposed to be objective

[Aqua OS X]

As a designer I'll contest to the IDSA not being "in bed" with anyone... aside from industrial designers... and perhaps collective gatherings in pubs.

Take the Reveal CT-80 on page 6.
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/idea2006/s ource/6.htm
That explosive detection machine may not scan as many bags per hour as the competition, but it is intuitive, affordable, and miles ahead of the competition when you consider how the machine exists within an environment or how users interact with the hardware.

I'm not saying engineering and features are not important, I'm simply saying those products are reviewed on a number of levels.

In the case of that camera I wouldn't spend time harping on what isn't there. I'd concentrate on why a panel of seasoned industrial designers found value in that particular product.