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Could YOU Design the Next Big Sex Toy?
on Dec 1, 2019
Lovehoney's Design A Sex Toy competition is back, this time with a fabulous futuristic twist!
Think you can create a design that will help transform the future of sex? If so, you could be in with a chance of getting your hands on a 5,000 cash prize in your local currency.
Plus, the winning design has a chance of being made into an actual, real-life product, on sale on the Lovehoney website.
AND you could earn hundreds of thousands of pounds in royalties!
The winners will be decided by our fantastic team of judges, so we thought it was about time we introduced you. We also asked them to give you a few tips...
Alix Fox
What are you looking for in the Design A Sex Toy entries?
I cannot wait to lay my peepers (and my hands, and my glands...) on the ideas people dream up to help folks enjoy greater sexual happiness. I'll be looking for toys that fill a hole – no, not that hole! I'm talking about concepts that solve a problem, fulfil a need, create a mood or provide a thrill that nothing else on the market is already doing.
Do you have any tips for entrants?
One tip to whet your entrepreneurial appetites: you might want to think about how to maximise the versatility of your toy, and provide ways that it can be personalised.
It's notoriously tricky to create a product that suits a wide range of bodies and tastes, so the more your toy can be changed and rearranged by the user, the greater number of people it's likely to please.
What's the best sex toy design you've ever seen?
I've been blown (and sucked) away by Womanizer's range of clitoral stimulators, which use patented Pleasure Air Technology to get the clit lit in a whole new way.
Rather using motors to make their gadgets vibrate and buzz directly against the body – which some women find makes them feel numb, sore or aggravated after a while – Womanizer products use rapid pulses of air to conjure up a climax...and they truly are magical. They genuinely changed the game by thinking outside the box (well, ahem - just above the box ;) ) about how to create sensation.
If you could design a sex toy for this competition, what would it look like?
I'm inspired to see how VR can be used in the bedroom beyond "putting you inside porn"; I'd like to design something educational, or meditative and therapeutic for people whose sexual response is affected by anxiety or past trauma. There are so many more avenues to explore where VR meets X-rated than just mainstream point- of-view pornography.
Francisco Ramirez
What are you looking for in the Design A Sex Toy entries?
I am looking for something fresh. Ideally, I would love to see a product that brings joy to people who have often gone overlooked, either because of who they are, or what turns them on.
This could mean a product that is designed with people with a variety of bodies in mind, including people who identify as fat. It could also mean innovative products that fit the needs of individuals who are trans* or intersex. Toys that center on those who are neurodiverse, or who live with chronic illness or physical disabilities, are also very welcome.
Beyond this, I love creativity and innovation: a toy that doesn't exist anywhere else, except perhaps in our imaginations or DIY workarounds.
Do you have any tips for entrants?
I've always been impressed by the ways in which humans find their own crafty workarounds to turning themselves and others on. I embrace the quirky, and off-the-beaten path. When it comes to sex toys, there certainly is not a one-size-fits-all approach. So, even if you feel that your toy isn't for *everyone*, and will only be enjoyed by some, don't discount it!
Also, if you can think of a toy that unravels the patriarchy in some way or attempts to undo shame around sex, especially for marginalised people, I would be particularly impressed.
Lastly, toys that take our planet and ecosystem into consideration are also well-received!
What's the best sex toy design you've ever seen?
I've always found sex toys that double as jewelry compelling. Not just because they're novel, but because they give users around-the-clock utility – either as a fashion accessory, or as a playtime accoutrement. Additionally, they can be great sex-positive conversation starters!
If you could design a sex toy for this competition, what would it look like?
That's a tough question! I'm not really sure. I'm a big believer in human-centered research. So, personally, I'd have to start with having pointed conversations with my particular audience in mind, and then go from there. The sky's the limit!
Bryony Cole
What are you looking for in the Design A Sex Toy entries?
The most exciting entries will have a combination of originality, clear purpose and consideration of manufacturing and materials.
Do you have any tips for entrants?
I hope entrants create something they can use for themselves. The strongest use cases are those you can try on yourself, or something you’ve been meaning to design for yourself.
What's the best sex toy design you've ever seen?
During the Sydney sextech hackathon the winning team developed a voice-activated vibrator for vulva owners with physical disabilities.
If you could design a sex toy for this competition, what would it look like?
I’d work on a toy that was designed to be used in couples to increase intimacy. A good challenge would be to develop something that could be used on both partners simultaneously!
Keen on entering? Here's how!
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