Brainstorming remote controls

Artist Diana Hand asked if we would help with a brainstorming session.

Diana is doing a Design Thinking and Creativity for the Twenty-First century Open University course and she elected for one project to look at remote controls.

Collaboration with others and shared information via an online OU Forum is the basis of the course- there are no textbooks.

Well I reckon everyone has a view on remote controls.
Are they not the worst designed objects in every household?

Well, after our session we came up a soft ball, like a toy, which you squeezed for the channel, or pulled to control the sound.
Oh yes you could personalise it when you printed it on your 3D printer choosing the channels and colour you wanted

OK maybe blue -sky thinking but I bet in a few years we will have something much better than the current model.

Or we could just shout at the telly. After all many of us already do.