The humble shelf may not seem like it deserves the attention of cutting edge product design, but Tom Pawlofsky begs to differ with his innovative Zinfandel shelf.

The idea of the shelf or shelving unit is often imbued with rigidity and bulkiness. We don’t often find that our shelves are particularly easy to transport – but the Zinfandel changes all that. The product is a highly flexible grid in which rigid boxes can be inserted. This design enables the owner to essentially create their own shelf space – making it is as large or small as they wish. Most importantly, perhaps, is the ability to fit the shelving unit into any space necessary.

It is this kind of flexible thinking that excites Applied Product Design, where we love ideas that push the boundaries of accepted product development. And of course this means you have to try new things, apply innovative thinking. As Einstein said, “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”

While the traditional hearing aid has improved many people’s lives, for many, it has not always been the most usable piece of product design. Specifically, adjusting volume and digital listening modes can be particularly problematic. As technology has advanced, hearing aids have gotten smaller and smaller – which has left some users feeling frustrated by their inability to control their aids.

But a new take on this legendary piece of product design has been developed by Stuart Karten Design (SKD) and Starkey Laboratories, Inc, aimed at addressing these issues. Starkey’s S Series behind-the-ear (BTE), with its Sweep Technology, enables the wearer to adjust their hearing aid with just the sweep of a finger. The entire bottom edge of the hearing aid’s spine area is touch activated. This control area is ten times larger than traditional volume controls, and five times bigger than the usual memory button size.