by A fake avocado, a portable erectile dysfunction vibrator and a duo of James Turrell perfume bottles are among the year’s most impactful product designs, which we’ve rounded up as part of our 2022 review.
Over the past 12 months, designers have turned to some of the most pressing challenges facing humanity, from pollution and sanitation to the energy crisis.
Still others focused on providing beauty and levity in the face of ongoing social and environmental crises, as with a cheeky drivable office chair from German automaker Volkswagen.
Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 product designs of 2022:
ISPA Link from Nike
The ISPA Link trainer is made entirely without glue and instead consists of two separate modules – a sock-style upper and a sole studded with studs that lock together with matching openings in the fabric.
Held together by nothing more than laces and tension, the shoes are designed to be easily taken apart for recycling as part of Nike’s efforts to move towards a more closed production system.
Find out more about ISPA Link ›
Ecovado by Arina Shokouhi
Design graduate Arina Shokouhi worked with food scientist Jack Wallman to develop a more sustainable alternative to avocados made from local, low-impact ingredients, including broad beans, hazelnut, apple and canola oil.
The product has a similar flavor profile to the real fruit and is packaged in a fake avocado shell made from wax – complete with a chestnut like stone – in an attempt to wean people off the resource-intensive imported food.
Find out more about Ecovado ›
Wheely 2.0 from Quantum
Crowned Design Project of the Year at the 2022 Dezeen Awards, Wheeliy 2.0 is a foldable wheelchair that weighs just eight kilograms and introduces simple mechanisms to make movement and folding easier.
Its footrests can be lifted with a single movement and its armrests can be pushed down to act as breaks, while yellow accents help those unfamiliar with wheelchairs navigate the design intuitively.
Find out more about Wheeliy 2.0 ›
Great Wrap from Great Wrap
This bioplastic plastic film is made from waste potatoes instead of petroleum, saving emissions while creating a product that breaks down in home compost within 180 days.
“Great Wrap breaks down in the same way as food scraps, into food and energy for the microbes in your compost,” explained Great Wrap co-founder Julia Kay.
Find out more about Great Wrap ›
Lalique perfumes by James Turrell
American artist James Turrell applied his ability to manipulate light on a smaller scale in the form of two perfume bottles for French glassmaker Lalique.
The bottles are characterized by their prismatic shapes and subtle color gradients, which diffract light while nodding to the architecture of Buddhist stupas – domed shrines used to house religious relics.
Find out more about Lalique perfume bottles ›
Tenuto 2 from MysteryVibe
This portable vibrator was designed as a non-pharmaceutical alternative to Viagra, to help those with erectile dysfunction maintain their arousal while stimulating their partner during intercourse.
Its two flexible “wings” fit snugly to the base of the penis to prevent blood from draining away, while four integrated motors provide local vibration therapy to improve circulation and target multiple erogenous zones.
Find out more about Tenuto 2 ›
Dyson Zone by Dyson
One of the most-watched design projects featured on Dezeen this year was Dyson’s controversial Dyson Zone headphones, which combine noise cancellation with a removable air-purifying visor in an attempt to tackle the twin challenges of noise and pollution in cities.
After five years of research and development, the gadget will go on sale in January despite skepticism from various media outlets, with some dubbing the product “bizarre” and straight out of “a dystopian sci-fi movie”.
Find out more about Dyson Zone ›
Solar blanket by Mireille Steinhage
As the war in Ukraine sent energy prices skyrocketing and highlighted Europe’s dependence on Russian oil and gas, design graduate Mireille Steinhage created an affordable and renewable solution to staying warm over winter in the form of her Solar Blanket.
Made from conductive yarn, the heated blanket is charged using the included solar panel and designed to retail for less than £10.
Find out more about Solar Blanket ›
Drivable office chair from Volkswagen
German automaker Volkswagen designed a drivable office chair that can travel at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour – rivaling most electric scooters.
The five-wheeled prototype comes complete with a seat belt, touchscreen, reversing camera and two pedals that can be used to change direction instead of a steering wheel.
“You can drive, honk and listen to music — even signal when you turn into a meeting room,” the brand said.
Find out more about the movable office chair ›
Waterless toilet by Bill Gates and Samsung
Faeces are dried and incinerated to ash in this prototype toilet launched by billionaire Bill Gates and South Korean electronics company Samsung, meaning it can function completely without water.
Meanwhile, the urine is fed through a biological purification system to kill any pathogens and allow it to be completely recycled.
Find out more about the waterless toilet ›
