#ergonomics

#ergonomics

When most people think of a great chef's knife, they think of the blade - a shiny, razor-sharp edge of steel furiously chopping vegetables, cleanly carving through a cut of meat, or neatly slicing fillets of fish. But while the sharpness of the blade can't be underestimated, Chef Gordon Ramsay insists the true key to a great knife lies at the opposite end: in the handle.

My initial hours spent rolling my eyes at everything Lenovo failed to fix from its first iteration slowly morphed into the kind of appreciation that can only occur when a device starts to feel personal. It's what happened when I downloaded Hollow Knight: Silksong and Hades II to the device and had to hold back a gasp on a crowded plane for how gorgeous both games looked on Lenovo's big, expensive, beautiful display.

Scissors are often overlooked as simple, utilitarian tools, but in Japan, they become canvases for design innovation and creative thinking. Japanese designers approach even the most familiar objects with fresh eyes, reimagining everyday tools as pieces of functional art. The result is a lineup of scissors that are as visually captivating as they are practical, each one telling its own design story.

Luxury perfume brands have always poured resources into elaborate packaging with bottles shaped like sky-high stilettos, sculpted torsos, or capped with oversize daisies. Yet for all the creativity devoted to packaging, the mechanics have barely evolved. Nearly every alcohol-based perfume still relies on the same one-finger actuator to dispense the fragrance. While this design mechanism has become synonymous with eau de parfum, it also makes the product inaccessible for anyone with limited hand strength or dexterity.

The humble tape measure might be one of the most underappreciated tools in any creator's arsenal, quietly doing the heavy lifting in workshops, job sites, and design studios around the world. Yet for something so essential, most tape measures are surprisingly frustrating to use, with their tendency to snap back unpredictably, scratch your fingers during retraction, and struggle hopelessly when you need to measure anything that isn't perfectly straight.

"If I see one more TV mounted above the fireplace, I'm going to scream. Even if craning your neck to stare upward at a screen for hours was comfortable, ruining a focal point intended for gathering near by slogging your dust-trap boob tube on top of it is peak tacky." -Anonymous, 38, Washington

The Aeriform Armchair showcases thoughtful design that merges sculpture and seating, inspired by bird wings with a ribbon-like silhouette that offers support and visual appeal.

Ugreen's Smart Finder tags confidently fill the ergonomic gaps left by AirTags, featuring sleek designs catering specifically to keys, luggage, and even wallets.

The exhibit "Past as Prologue: The Last Decade of Furniture Design by Ray and Charles Eames (1968-1978)" focuses on office furniture designed for the white-collar workforce, emphasizing modularity and visual authority.

Oofos are some of the best foot support around, flip-flop or not. This thick, cushioned design is meant to absorb impact as you step with a thick foam sole and foot-contouring shape.