27 Aug 2003 | peterdrife said...

Apparently Mr. Christensen doesn't have a cat.

27 Aug 2003 | Don Schenck said...

No, but Schroedinger does :) ... and it's very unpredictable *laugh*.

Nice, simple, elegant. Good thread, Ryan.

27 Aug 2003 | Benjy said...

While I admire the minimalism of the design and the physics involved to make this work, the lack of usability in regards to being able to relocate it, etc. seems to be a big negative. Why not enclose the tissue in a soft pouch, even of clear vinyl to produce a similar effect, which would be countlessly more functional?

27 Aug 2003 | Benjy said...

While I admire the minimalism of the design and the physics involved to make this work, the lack of usability in regards to being able to relocate it, etc. seems to be a big negative. Why not enclose the tissue in a soft pouch, even of clear vinyl to produce a similar effect, which would be countlessly more functional?

27 Aug 2003 | Darrel said...

Agree with the whole usability issue. When I have a cold, I'm dragging the box around with me.

Of course, I've found a much simpler and more available solution...a roll of toilet paper. Highly customizable (tear off only what I need at any given time) self contained, fits in a glove compartment, minimal packaging...

27 Aug 2003 | ~bc said...

I couldn't bring myself to put them back in, though you'd be surprised how many smart people told me to design a box to go with it.

Those smart people have obviously used tissues before. Maybe Mr Christensen should ask me, Mr. Christiansen, an allergy and sinus sufferer, as someone who has an intimate knowledge of tissues, why there needs to be a container to move them. I embrace simplicity at every turn, and I think this is terribly clever. But, often clever is bad.

For me, this container is useless. If the ring had two gift-ribbon-style straps to keep the tissues upright, and provide mobility, it would be much more usable. However, let's hope your house has no allergens (like dust) which a lack of cover would expose the tissues to... and exacerbate my suffering.

How often would you simply knock over the stack when reaching for them in the throngs of a pre-sneeze?

27 Aug 2003 | Graham Hicks said...

the lack of usability in regards to being able to relocate it, etc. seems to be a big negative.

Maybe Mr Christensen should ask me, Mr. Christiansen, an allergy and sinus sufferer, as someone who has an intimate knowledge of tissues, why there needs to be a container to move them

Clearly this solution doesn't fit your needs, but that doesn't make it bad, it simply means you need a different solution.

Not every design is meant to be universal.

27 Aug 2003 | Paperhead said...

So are we expected to decant tissues from a box just for the sheer pleasure of using this ring or is there going to be some cunning method of delivering loose tissues? Last time I looked in the local market, no-one was selling tissues by weight.

28 Aug 2003 | hurley #1 said...

The other thing about having no box is that the tissues will collect dust and dirt. The box at least gives you the impression that your tissues are clean.

I'd say this is just another unfortunate triumph of form over function. Very cool, but impractical.

28 Aug 2003 | p8 said...

An even more minimal and environmentally sound solutions would be removing the entire ring.
This also solves the problem of finding that ring again after a year.
I have some for sale for only $5 each.

28 Aug 2003 | Paperhead said...

... just another unfortunate triumph of form over function.

Nailed.

28 Aug 2003 | the poster formerly known as fajalar said...

Mmmm... form over function...

I prefer the interaction of just laying there and having someone else hold the tissue to my nose and saying, "blow."

That's the treatment my daughter gets. She's lucky.

28 Aug 2003 | JF said...

Clearly this solution doesn't fit your needs, but that doesn't make it bad, it simply means you need a different solution.

This is an important point.

28 Aug 2003 | Paperhead said...

Yes it is an important point Jason, but so is this:

Who wants to buy a box of tissues, go home, fight your way through the packaging, remove them from the pretty well-designed-for-the-purpose box, place them out on a table [from where it will be difficult to move them] in a neat stack where they can collect dirt and dust, and then set up the little ring on top, carfeully taking the time to pull the first tissue through so that the whole thing will work. And pay an extra $x for the privilege?

The thing is Jason apart from a the occasional loft-dwelling fashionista for whom will this be a good usable design?

28 Aug 2003 | JF said...

Paperhead, and others, Ryan (or I) didn't claim this was the best solution since sliced bread.

What it is is interesting. It's good thinking. It's a brand new solution to something familiar. That's what I like about it. Would I use it? Probably not, but I think it's a really valuable exploration.

28 Aug 2003 | JF said...

And Paperhead, I do live in a loft. A fashionista I am not, though ;)

28 Aug 2003 | kev said...

maybe i'm not getting the high-level points you're trying to make, but it seems to me that this was an excersize performed by a student. not a marketed product released by a tissue company. the second paragraph says that the student "explored the limits of extreme reduction," not that he "explored the limits of extreme reduction in such a way as to create a marketable product that suits the needs of every tissue user, ever." it was a clever idea for an industrial design student's thesis. why do we need to dissect it as if it were anything more than that?

28 Aug 2003 | kev said...

ok, well, i guess i could have read JF's last posts first. ;) sorry for the repeated thoughts.

28 Aug 2003 | hurley #1 said...

Yeah, but the fact that this got a "best of category" award for industrial design is a bit troubling, don't you think. I mean, it's important to encourage totally creative, literally out-of-the-box (!) thinking by design students, but by awarding this design aren't the award sponsors also helping perpetuate the mindset that functionality is a secondary consideration to design, rather than an integral part of it?

I like the idea of the ring, it's fresh, it's very creative. It's brilliantly minimalist. And I agree that while it's not going to work for everyone, some people might want to use it. But is it good industrial design?

28 Aug 2003 | jarv75 said...

I think it is good design. I'm glad that they are awarding simple ideas.

I studied industrial design at university but I was so frustrated at the way in which projects were assessed - no allowance for real creativity.

28 Aug 2003 | Graham Hicks said...

Who wants to buy a box of tissues, go home, fight your way through the packaging

I will, simply because I find the current "designs" of tissue boxes kind of insulting. I don't want a fake-marbleized purple box sitting on my side table (and for me that's all it does, sit on my side table). Currently when I buy tissues, I don't buy them based on which is the cheapest, or which feels the best, or has the built-in lotion. I buy the ones in the least ugly box.
I've actually contemplated turning a box inside out because I think the plain cardboard would be more attractive.

28 Aug 2003 | Graham Hicks said...

Oops, misspelled "href" That was supposed to be " fake-marbleized purple box"

28 Aug 2003 | steve said...

... I find the current "designs" of tissue boxes kind of insulting.

Graham, what you need are tissue box covers!

28 Aug 2003 | steve said...

Also, the product has apparently been renamed the Toro tissue ring. Lawsuit anyone?

28 Aug 2003 | Graham Hicks said...

Oooo, a sparkling pink keelnex dispensing conch shell is exactly what I need.

Box covers are one solution to my dislike of tissue box design, but their method is to cover up, or hide or make the tissues look like something else. The Toro TissueRing (patentpendingpatentpendingpatentpending) is not about covering, it's about reducing, exposing, making (or letting) a stack of tissues look like a stack of tissue.

Also, I like circles. They're just so, so round.

29 Aug 2003 | p8 said...

OT: While on the subject of minimal, Graham your site is probably one of the most minimal sites i have ever seen and looks very good.

29 Aug 2003 | Graham Hicks said...

Thanks P8, it's new.

31 Aug 2003 | hurley #1 said...

Looks like NEC is developing a remarkably similar tissue dispenser that also acts as a digital camera.

31 Aug 2003 | Dan C said...

I've just seen this product, & I think it's a great idea, as i've always detested the grotty cardboard boxes that tissues are supplied in. The designer's comment; "The surprising part for me was how visually appealing the fresh stack of tissues was without the box" is a something I definately agree with. A cardboard tissue box is rough, hard & unappealing, whereas a bare stack of tissues is visually very pleasing (I'm not sure why exactly?) Also, I can't think of anything more soft & pleasant to the touch than an large exposed stack of tissues. An additional point is that a normal tissue box is very much a "you can only have 1 at a time" device, whereas an open stack of tissues means you can grab a thick wad for the car or whatever

03 Jan 2004 | casino said...

Very informed and interesting comments! Greetings from Hadealer team

05 Jan 2004 | casino said...

Excellent site I have bookmarked your site and I will come back soon!

16 Jan 2004 | Bridget said...

If an application is designed well, the reward for users is that they will learn it faster, accomplish their daily tasks more easily, and have fewer questions for the help desk. As a developer of a well-designed application, your returns on that investment are more upgrade revenue, reduced tech support, better reviews, less documentation, and higher customer satisfaction. The rewards of building a good-looking Aqua application are worth taking the extra time.

16 Jan 2004 | Griffith said...

At WWDC, I listened to Apple representatives make some excellent points about taking the time to build a 100%-compliant Aqua application, and I think all developers need to look beyond the code and listen to what the folks at Apple have to say

16 Jan 2004 | William said...

At WWDC, I listened to Apple representatives make some excellent points about taking the time to build a 100%-compliant Aqua application, and I think all developers need to look beyond the code and listen to what the folks at Apple have to say

16 Jan 2004 | Laura said...

If an application is designed well, the reward for users is that they will learn it faster, accomplish their daily tasks more easily, and have fewer questions for the help desk. As a developer of a well-designed application, your returns on that investment are more upgrade revenue, reduced tech support, better reviews, less documentation, and higher customer satisfaction. The rewards of building a good-looking Aqua application are worth taking the extra time.

16 Jan 2004 | Barnard said...

At WWDC, I listened to Apple representatives make some excellent points about taking the time to build a 100%-compliant Aqua application, and I think all developers need to look beyond the code and listen to what the folks at Apple have to say

16 Jan 2004 | Gwenhoivar said...

This topic is one we will tackle later in this article, but it refers to making sure that your application and the dock aren't fighting it out for supremacy of the screen.