Improving the UX of the Ice Cube Tray

Freezers with built-in icemakers sound awfully convenient—until they break. Getting them fixed isn't trivial, and you won't find user reviews glowing about how eager and efficient the warranty providers are. Returning to old-school ice trays is often the only solution.Traditional ice trays bring their own UX hassle, which is that they must be laid flat. This can kill a lot of usable space within a freezer. This Ice Device is California-based industrial designer Vanik Piliguian's solution. The silicone tray comes with a sealing lid, and can thus be thrown into a freezer at any angle, including vertically. Different trays produce different sizes of ice, whether 1" cubes or larger 2" cubes for cocktails. Multiple trays can be locked together in a stacking configuration.Adding a lid means you cannot see, without opening the object, whether the water has yet turned into ice. Piliguian solved this by using thermochromic silicone that changes color with the temperature. If you touch it and can see your handprint, it means the ice is ready. The Ice Device has been a smash on Kickstarter, landing over $100K in funding, with 21 days left to pledge at press time. The basic set, which consists of a 1"-cube tray, a 2"-cube tray and a lid, starts at $39.

May 1, 2025 - 16:22

Freezers with built-in icemakers sound awfully convenient—until they break. Getting them fixed isn't trivial, and you won't find user reviews glowing about how eager and efficient the warranty providers are. Returning to old-school ice trays is often the only solution.

Traditional ice trays bring their own UX hassle, which is that they must be laid flat. This can kill a lot of usable space within a freezer.

This Ice Device is California-based industrial designer Vanik Piliguian's solution.

The silicone tray comes with a sealing lid, and can thus be thrown into a freezer at any angle, including vertically.

Different trays produce different sizes of ice, whether 1" cubes or larger 2" cubes for cocktails.

Multiple trays can be locked together in a stacking configuration.

Adding a lid means you cannot see, without opening the object, whether the water has yet turned into ice. Piliguian solved this by using thermochromic silicone that changes color with the temperature. If you touch it and can see your handprint, it means the ice is ready.

The Ice Device has been a smash on Kickstarter, landing over $100K in funding, with 21 days left to pledge at press time. The basic set, which consists of a 1"-cube tray, a 2"-cube tray and a lid, starts at $39.