05-01-2026IMPACT COUNCIL

Most products work, few work well

The difference shows up not in features, but in the small moments that define real use.

[Photo: Getty Images]

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Some of the most familiar moments in a day begin with something simple like boiling water. The first cup before the day starts, a pause in the middle of it, a quiet reset at the end. These moments are easy to overlook because they are routine, but they are also where design shows up most clearly. Not just in how something looks, but in how it behaves when it is used again and again. 

A kettle is a good example. It is a familiar object, one that has existed in roughly the same form for generations. It is not a category most people would describe as needing innovation. And yet, the experience is often defined by small, persistent points of friction. Handles that feel unsteady when the kettle is full. Lids that require an awkward grip to open. Spouts that drip at the end of a pour. Whistles that feel purely functional. None of these issues are significant on their own, but together they shape how the object feels to use. 

THE FUNCTIONALITY GAP 

Over time, those small frustrations define the relationship to the product. People adapt. They adjust their grip, change how they move, accept the inconvenience as part of the task. But that adaptation is not the same........

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