In 2020 our lives changed completely, the COVID-19 pandemic transformed what was considered the ‘norm’, and created new norms that molded the way we lived. One of these new norms is the work from home culture, and it has continued well into 2022. We’ve been working from our homes for almost a year now, and although we have adapted to it, it can be quite a bore at times. I, for one, am always looking out for options and ways to spice up my work-from-home routine. And I’ve found that adding new products, giving my home office a makeover, and looking for quirky designs to amp up my productivity really does help! Hence, here’s a collection of interesting, super functional, and productivity-enhancing designs that promise to be the best work from home investments of 2022.
1. COMM
COMM offers a touchscreen display that shows the different functions. The main functions are as follows: sharing information, reporting, expression of emotions, mutual understanding, and idea suggestions. Your home work environment can “feel” more like a real office with this simple device designed by South Korean designed Eunjeong with Fountain Studio.
Why is it noteworthy?
You can update your computer or maybe by a more comfortable and ergonomic workspace. The goal should always be speed and efficiency when it comes to working so in the area of communication, you must find a better way how to send messages across to a different party. The COMM is a concept device that can help people communicate from home. It’s a simpler way to send and receive messages, give feedback, and deliver what needs to be done. The result is increased work efficiency, especially with the angled screen for more comfortable viewing when sitting down.
What we like
- Helps improve creativity and productivity by showing the information you need sans any distraction
- Better than a smartphone or tablet, as it eliminates the temptation to check other apps
What we dislike
- Limited compared to face-to-face communication, but still not too bad!
What do you think?
2. The Mover Erase Combo
Reusable like a whiteboard, portable and sticky like a Post-it, the Mover Erase brings one of the workplace’s most effective features to your WFH setup. The Mover Erase turns the whiteboard into a portable setup that you can carry around with you because productivity shouldn’t be limited to a ‘place’.
Why is it noteworthy?
At the heart of this system is the individual Mover Erase tile, a small rectangular element that you can write/doodle on and stick anywhere. Unlike a whiteboard, where you can’t really rearrange stuff that’s written, the Mover Erase’s tile-based system meant you could move blocks around, shifting ideas from one column to another… and unlike Post-its, the Mover Erase tiles were infinitely reusable, with each reusable tile saving nearly 10,000 sheets of paper. The Mover Erase Combo comes along with a magnetic folio case that’s best described as your portable whiteboard. Available in two sizes (a smaller MoverPad and a larger MoverBook), the folio acts as a central system for organizing, ideating, and processing.
What we like
- They say the average human uses 700 pounds of paper each year. The Mover Erase Combo drastically reduces that footprint.
- Extremely portable design
- Works incredibly well for people with ADHD
What we dislike
- The reusable tiles are easy to lose!
3. uuma
This portable table and chair combo is made from fiberglass, which offers the unit its much-needed portability and durability. Fiberglass by virtue is a sustainable and pretty affordable material, it is also lightweight and robust in nature. The customizable furniture unit comprises four parts primarily that can be removed or put together with minimum know-how. The modular parts of the uuma include a height-adjustable metal leg – forming the central frame – and the lower and upper table layers.
Why is it noteworthy?
During the work from home regime, there may be times when you want to move to the balcony/garden and work while soaking in some sun. It seems easy with the choice of outdoor furniture, but if you have tried – you know – meeting the comfort of the workstation outside is not possible, and you end up cutting the adventure short, only to return to the more efficient work environment. With the umma the scenario is alterable. You can have a comfortable seat that can raise or lower on demand and can be clipped open to reveal a height-adjustable table. This table and chair can then be equally comfortable whether you choose to place it outside or inside in your home-office nook. This means, with uuma you can work wherever and whenever you can find the right motivation and creativity you need for your work.
What we like
- Can be used in multiple setting both indoors and outdoors
- Highly portable and durable
What we dislike
- The design may not be very ergonomic or comfortable to work on for long hours
4. The AirPoint Mouse finger-wearable presenter
The AirPoint Mouse finger-wearable presenter is an interesting 3D or desktop mouse. You can deliver brilliant presentations with this intriguing 2-in-1 gadget! You can control the cursor with quick wrist movements and intuitive air gestures. The Ring has touchpads on both sides!
Why is it noteworthy?
The AirPoint Mouse finger-wearable presenter helps you deliver your presentations in a more professional and streamlined manner. It features a spotlight, magnifier, and pointer. In fact, you can even use it as a desktop mouse. It’s a multipurpose gadget that helps you carry out your day-to-day tasks in a more efficient manner!
What we like
- Multipurpose design
- Compact and lightweight form
What we dislike
- There are similar wearable designs like this on the market
5. The V8 Engine block pen holder
The V8 Engine block pen holder is created via a precision-machining process. Depending on your personal aesthetic preference, you can pick a machine finish or a bead-blasted visual. It also features removable pen liners in three sizes-small, medium, and large. This makes sure that all your stationery is securely in place!
Why is it noteworthy?
In a time when work from home has become a norm, and the desks in our home offices are an absolute mess, it’s extremely important to utilize designs that help us organize our desks. The V8 Engine block pen holder does exactly that, but with an innovative twist. It’s a far cry from the standard pen holders we get these days! It features manifold bolt holes, cylinders, bores for fuel intake and exhaust, bores for cam rods, and the crankshaft cavity. Interesting, no?
What we like
- An innovative twist on an ordinary product
- Organizes your desk in a fun + functional manner
What we dislike
- Bulky form
6. MOLO
The MOLO comes in a monolithic design and can hold a computer or monitor with strength and durability. It can help you ensure your desk is as well organized and functional as you need it to be. A well-managed working environment can enable you to focus on the tasks at hand. Your workstation with a MOLO at the center can inspire you to do your best. As the Molo keeps its place securely on your desk, you can be reminded to be grounded and responsible.
Why is it noteworthy?
Since we are not going back to the office anytime soon, we must continue making sure our work area is clean, clutter-free, and efficient. If you’re on the lookout for new stuff for your home office, you may want to consider improving your desk situation first. Get a computer desktop stand to elevate your monitor or laptop and place your smartphone and other things there. The MOLO is an ideal computer stand with its static design and more.
What we like
- Strength + durability
- You can hide the keyboard underneath the MOLO when not in use
What we dislike
- Seems more like an eye-candy, than a highly functional design
7. Levitating Pen
Designed as what I assume is the world’s first and only ‘sci-fi’ pen, the pen is a marvel of engineering as it floats within its gravity-defying stand, looking almost like something out of an alien’s spaceship. The pen itself is a remarkable writing instrument, equipped with a Schmidt ballpoint cartridge for a smooth, luxurious writing experience, however, when you’re taking a break from writing, the pen doesn’t just simply go into a pencil case or a pen-stand.
Why is it noteworthy?
The pen comes with its own magnetic stand that allows it to rest in an inclined position with its tip touching the pen-stand, without tipping over. Magnets within the pen stand’s arc-shaped guardrail help the pen hover on its own, resting on just one point. The magnetic forces also cause the pen to gently sway up and down or even spin on its axis, resulting in an experience that feels metaphorically and literally out of this world!
What we like
- The pen’s wonderful interactive quality
- Spinning the pen in certain intervals can be a stress buster
What we dislike
- We wonder how ergonomic or comfortable would the pen be to use
8. Slate
Designing Slate, Yang hoped to provide a visual for time itself. A digital time display is located at the top of Slate right beside slightly smaller displays that host the alarm function and date. Just below the digital time display, users will find a steel plate with features like a notepad and magnetized corkboard. When Slate’s alarm clock wakes users up, they can look to the steel plate to keep track of their day. Along the side of the Slate, users can find dial adjustments that can set the time, date, and alarms.
Why is it noteworthy?
One product designer, Hyunbin Yang, saw the potential for alarm clocks to take us through the day with the same productive energy they have when waking us up. Slate, an alarm clock dressed as a clapperboard, functions as a conventional alarm clock would and hosts a series of organizational systems to keep us on top of our daily agenda.
What we like
- Goes beyond ordinary alarm clocks
- Helps you organize your busy day
What we dislike
- It’s an interesting concept, but may not have an actual market for it, since there are more futuristic designs that do the same tasks
9. Tsugite
Tsugite is a reusable pencil system that uses a Japanese joinery method called tsugite. Park conceptualized Tsugite to come in a pack, stored with around twelve pencil bodies and their corresponding ends. The pencil body was crafted to form an arrow-shaped end piece that links into a horseshoe-shaped pencil tip. Once the pencil’s tip is too dull for use, the same body can still be used and another tip piece can be attached. While no hardware or joinery pieces are required to join the two modules together, users can rest assured the pencil tip and body are secure in place considering this same crafty joinery method is relied upon to build homes.
Why is it noteworthy?
Once pencils are too short to use, we have DIY solutions that offer temporary relief, but usually, we end up just reaching for a new pencil. Sticking a pen cap to the pencil’s eraser end helps give the pencil some length, but at that point, you might as well use the pen. In an effort to reduce the waste collected from finished pencils, Park conceptualized a reusable system. Tsugite is essentially made up of two pieces: the pencil’s body and the pencil’s detachable tip.
What we like
- Reduces waste
- Reusable design
- Integrates Japanse joinery method
What we dislike
No complaints!
10. The FLIP calculator
The FLIP calculator changes the design formula in three important ways. The most evident is its minimalist that manages to exude a pinch of personality. Its predominant peach color makes it stand out without being too gaudy. The candy-like shape of the buttons also makes you want to pick them out and put them in your mouth. The calculator is also designed to be flipped over when not in use without actually breaking its minimalist appeal. The edges around the top of the calculator are actually raised to prevent the entry of dust and small particles when it is laid down on its face. The ridges on the bottom provide an interesting visual pattern that almost hides the nature of the calculator underneath.
Why is it noteworthy?
A simple change in design transforms a calculator into a dual-purpose object. It helps save up on desk space because a single item can do two things without taking up twice the area. It doesn’t even require some fundamental change to how the calculator works or adding of some complex mechanism. It just needed a few tweaks here and there to make an everyday object look more interesting and more useful at the same time.
What we like
- Much needed transformation for the calculator
- The edges around the calculator prevent the entry of dust
What we dislike
- Relevance of such a product in today’s time, when we use our smartphone to calculate everything!
