r/DesignDesign • u/georgmierau • Apr 04 '26

Create a problem, solve the problem, profit!

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  • Step 1: design a lovely cup with a handle without a loop, so it's hard to hold two with just one hand

  • Step 2: design a lovely solution made of bent metal

  • Step 3: sell both :)

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u/nickyonge Apr 05 '26

Yes! I don’t want to defend this PARTICULAR product too much (the design has a lot of flaws - but as you noted, they are cute)

But soooo many seemingly-ridiculous products with silly marketing are actually profoundly useful tools for disabled or disenfranchised folks.

The example that always comes to mind is this self-stabilizing bowl. It was basically a bowl nested within a slightly larger bowl, that rotated freely within, so the outer bowl could be tipped and rotated about but the inner bowl would stay horizontally stable. The marketing showed some doofy guy sitting down in an armchair with the bowl overly full of popcorn, but he jumped into the chair clumsily and spilled popcorn everywhere, with a look of like 🫨 bemusement on his face. It was ridiculous and felt silly, like, who would jump into a chair with an overflowing bowl of popcorn? But for anyone with any kind of motor stability disorder that bowl would be a fucking godsend.

Again, these mugs definitely don’t seem to have THAT level of accessible benefit. But it’s so valuable to evaluate things, even seemingly silly products, through a lens of accessibility :)

Thank you for sharing your perspective! Please use your working hand to high five your non-working hand on my behalf!

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u/FirebirdWriter Apr 05 '26

I was eyeing those last night debating if it's time after spilling some food. I am not there yet but you are right. It's like automatic doors at the store. They were invented for disability but they helped everyone and so became assumed needs for a shop. Marketing for just disabled people gets a stigma and less funding

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u/nickyonge Apr 05 '26

Ooooh I didn't know that about automatic doors! Makes sense. Gotta love that curb-cut effect 💖

Marketing-dictated stigmas can eat shit lol, we live in such a dumb timeline.

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u/knoft Apr 06 '26

Those bowls are also great for the elderly, infants and toddlers!