How Dell Accidentally Designed the World’s Most Perfect Mouse

Dieter Rams led a design revolution, crystallized in his famous Ten Principles of Good Design. According to Rams, a great design should be:

Innovative

Useful

Aesthetic

Understandable

Unobtrusive

Honest

Enduring

Thorough to the last detail

Environmentally friendly

Minimal

The Dell MS111 mouse quietly lives up to many of these principles — and it does so at a bargain price.

Selling for around $9 on Amazon (and about $5 in India), the MS111 ranks among the most affordable options on the market. Yet, I’ve never doubted its quality or the reliability Dell delivers to its users.

Unobtrusive:

I first used this mouse in 2011, and nearly a decade later, it still brings a sense of satisfaction whenever I see it. Its back panel perfectly supports my palm — a feature often lacking in sleeker, sharp-edged models prized for aesthetics alone. The MS111’s design laid the groundwork for everyday-use mice later adopted by brands like Logitech and Lenovo.

Innovative:

For me, the MS111 offers a seamless experience. Its scroll wheel delivers a consistent, steady feel that inspires trust and speaks to its durability. The tapered lower half allows a natural thumb rest, giving the user stability and control during use.

Honest:

When searching online for a daily-use mouse, I noticed how most alternatives had quirks that made them less appealing — too small, too bulky, oddly shaped, or with edges likely to irritate after long hours of use. Even gaming mice, designed for performance, tend to be heavy and cumbersome for casual tasks. The MS111, by contrast, feels refreshingly honest in its purpose: simple, comfortable, and reliable.

Minimal:

Dell seems to have struck the perfect balance between cost, functionality, and design. The MS111 feels light yet far from flimsy, with a matte finish that provides a better grip than many competitors.

Aesthetic:

Year after year, newer, sleeker mouse designs hit the market. Yet, the MS111 remains available and relevant — a testament to a design so fitting, it hardly needed change even after a decade.

This quiet brilliance — the ongoing pursuit of perfecting the same object — is a big part of why I want to be an industrial designer. Yet, perhaps some designs have already reached a point of quiet perfection, seamlessly fitting into our lives without ever demanding attention. Whether by intention or chance, Dell created a mouse embraced by colleges, corporations, and individuals alike — a product so right for its purpose, it became an unnoticed yet essential part of daily life.