Every time you think you have seen all kinds of mouse designs, the universe conspires you to bring you yet another one! And this time a conceptual mouse called Tube perfectly captures the mood too – a summer beach float inspired mouse that lets you daydream about a lazy pool day while you work from home.
Tube is unconventional in many ways like it doesn’t have clearly defined scroll or click buttons and the float-like body makes the ergonomics a little questionable. The designer’s idea was to create a slim mouse that didn’t feel like clutter if you left it on your desk. Using the touch scroll technology, the volume of the body has been reduced so it seems to be more like a trackpad-mouse hybrid in terms of form and function. The power can be turned on and off by pressing the top tube, however, if you place your palm on it like how you use a traditional mouse it could accidentally turn off/on and it makes me wonder if there is a lock mechanism for it. I wonder if the whole top is touch-sensitive or just certain areas, it is something that should be distinguished to make it more user-friendly. The yellow is the perfect color for the vision the designer had for the mouse – it makes you happy!
The form itself is very playful and a complete summer vibe. A mouse is such a daily part of our routine that we often don’t look at it with creative possibilities and that is a refreshing perspective that Tube offers. While there needs to be more work done on its form and function to make sure it is intuitive and comfortable for the user, it certainly has the potential to be a great mouse and join its peers on the list of mouse designs we love. We will already have a bias to Tube because who doesn’t love a beach float on their desk!
Designer: Student
