What products drive you insane and how could they be improved?

Innovations that make the news are always the big, exciting, world-changing things, but it's still worth it to keep an eye out for smaller opportunities.

Sometimes, opportunities can be found in frustrating everyday situations...

For example, I'm an ice-cube tray destroyer.  I snap them in half, I break the ice cube slots, I sometimes want to throw them across the room in despair.

I've found that it's extraordinarily difficult to get those tiny little cubes out of a hard tray.

Luckily, it looks like Ikea has been listening!

They sell flexible ice cube trays in fun shapes.  Of course, it's fun to have heart or arrow-shaped ice cubes, but the more important thing is that I can finally get the ice out of the tray!

It's a really small innovation, but it solves a problem that drove me insane.  And I'll definitely never buy one of those frustrating hard ice trays ever again!

Coming up with a new product or service doesn't have to be about changing the world.  Sometimes all it takes is to make life a little easier for customers!

Comments

[jon burg]

Great post! I've said this time and time again, more doesn't equal better. Ultimately we utilize technology to drive towards a goal, for the voice function cell phones it's communication, for digital cameras it's about preserving a moment, for a computer mouse it's about interface and elemental control.

There is a rash of new "2.0" companies offering "more", but few are truly delivering "whatever you're doing now, do it with us better - read: easier and more naturally". Check it out here: http://jburg.typepad.com/future/2007/08/more-better.html

Hi again Jon! I like how you reminded us to remember that the main function of a technology is still the most important! A phone can have all the fancy bells and whistles, but if it doesn't help people communicate, it's still a failure.

I particularily like the photo of a supermarket that you used to illustrate your post. That's such a good example of a place that throws endless choices at shoppers, but doesn't always meet their needs.