Musings on some fundamental principles of design
Recently I received a gift of some gorgeous planet-friendly shower gel that smells good enough to eat. Like the great majority of such eco products, it came packed in a nice recyclable cylindrical plastic bottle. I'm canny by now at this stage in the game and so I carefully decanted it into my now empty bottle from the supermarket-bought "mainstream" gel.
When I'm out on the road and pick up a small bottle of mineral water people might think I'm picky, searching through the different brands on offer. I am not even fussed whether it's still or fizzy, I'm just looking for a square bottle.
Most of you will know what I'm on about by now: the hazards and frustration that ensue when something rolls on the floor.
As always, it is no bad idea to look at what nature does. The guillemot's egg is something the parent wants to keep close to it, especially since they tend to lay their eggs on bare cliffs. The precise shape of the guillemot's egg above all others prevents it rolling long distances but instead keeps it moving in a tight circle.
On the other hand, it's reasonable to surmise that apples and oranges have the capacity to roll away from the parent tree, so aiding the process of dispersing the seeds. Which is precisely why it is a good idea to keep your grocery shopping well restrained heading home by car – the last thing you need is a piece of fruit jammed under your brake pedal!
Universal design is a noble goal, and one of the basic parameters is safety. Being mindful of the hazards of things that roll being used by people with obstructed or impaired vision or balance should be towards the top of that safety list. Someone who could devise hexagonal AA and AAA batteries to fit existing devices would be doing us all a favour, just like the nameless heroes who introduced holes into the design of caps of felt tip pens. Unlike chocolate, they don't melt in the mouth, and this clever modification reduces the danger of children choking on them.
So when you're looking at the primary use of whatever you are buying or designing, don't ignore the inherent qualities - use them to best advantage! For more clever ideas to help improve safety why not check out www.showmetheaccess.co.uk? We offer a free platform where anyone - including suppliers - can share video links of use and interest to disabled people, whatever their impairment.
And remember - someone else already did the experimentation with the teapot. So you'll be able to just sit back and enjoy the chocolate egg instead.
