When we go out in the rain, those of us who wear spectacles keep wishing there was a model which had wipers to keep away the rain. We look for an innovative way to get rid of a real problem. Many companies look at creating products for specific segments of society. One such segment is that of older people. Eric A. Taub writes of different products meant for older people in his article in the New York Times called For The Advanced in Age , Easy To Use Technology. These include more easy to operate cell phones, automotive controls and more easy to see numerals and numbers in gadgetry.
I think another innovative product which has helped considerably is the use of progressive lenses in spectacles which has replaced the bi-focals. Example: the ones made by the European company Essilor. This has been a considerable improvement over bi-focals which have not undergone major change since Benjamin Franklin first made them over 200 years ago.
In the era of bi-focals, you had to constantly peer from the top of your spectacles or the bottom of the spectacles to see objects far and near. Progressive lenses get rid of this problem. One has to adapt to new technology though. Many of us accustomed to wearing bi-focals for many years took time to get rid of the habit of moving our heads up or down.
In some magazines you see articles which can be read in different font sizes. This is a comfort feature for readers of all ages. Again an example of using technology to provide greater ease and comfort to the customer.
After all, innovation is all about anticipating and meeting customer needs.
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This is Post No: 272 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.
People at Work & Play 