Post-it Takes Innovation to the ‘Extreme’
We’re all familiar with the sticky squares and those of us who often find ourselves running ideation sessions know that off-brand substitutes simply pale in comparison.
Since being launched in 1980, Post-its have become an indispensable tool in office environments. The simple yellow square has proliferated into an entire section of any office supply store and if, like one of our team members, you’re a self-professed ‘office supply geek’ – you get genuinely excited when you discover yet another new version that further tweaks one of the simplest product concepts in a surprisingly useful way.
Those of us who work in innovation should take further inspiration from Post-it’s latest moves.
In their quest to ‘facilitate effective communication’, research revealed that construction workers and kitchen staff had clear communication needs and often had to redo a project due to communication issues. “The survey also found 77 percent of respondents resorted to unconventional means of communication, with 23 percent reporting they had written on a body part.”
The solution… Post-it Extreme Notes. This new line extension works in wide temperature extremes, wet conditions and sticks to a variety of surfaces that aren’t found in your typical conference room – cement, steel, lumber and PVC pipe.
The Post-it track record of success is impressive but I’m ever more impressed by their continued dedication to first principles…
- Performing research to identify customer pain points
- Designing solutions to address those pain points
- Thinking about how your product’s benefits might apply to audiences outside your intended or original target audience
Check out an entrepreneur article about Post-it Extreme Notes here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/309642
Images courtesy of Post-It Brand
Chuck Mallory
chuck@clearworks.net
