Your potato peeler is the most revolutionary kitchen tool....
Can small design changes completely alter an industry?
One object in particular transformed the household kitchen industry: the OXO potato peeler. By designing for comfort and usability, OXO revolutionized the kitchen industry and became a multimillion-dollar company.
Before the modern rubbery, comfortable grip helped you peel vegetables, the typical potato peeler was an elegant torture device.
Source: Amazon
The co-founder of OXO, Sam Farber, redesigned the potato peeler for his wife who suffered from arthritis. She asked him to make it better. Sam already had experience in the houseware industry after founding Copco, so he took on the challenge.
The main design constraint: design for people with arthritis. Along with designer Davin Stowell, he took design inspiration from extra large crayons or pencils used by young children, and bike handles. They studied how people naturally gripped objects. They went through hundreds of design iterations.
Source: Fast Company
Source: Fast Company
Then, they looked at rubber, a material not typically used in the kitchenware industry. The design had depressions for your fingers, required a tactile grip, and could not get slippery when wet, so rubber became the right choice. However, Davin and Sam had to take the manufacturing to Japanese knife makers, after factories in the US claimed that they couldn’t make the fine ridges.
After the long and thorough design process, OXO developed the potato peeler you use today.
Source: Amazon
They first presented the design at a housewares show in San Francisco, it was a big hit. When the product hit the retail stores, sales were initially slow. Sam and Davin told the stores to bring in an interactive display so people could peel carrots with the new product. It was a success and the peeler started flying off the shelves.
Why did this seemingly simple design change – a new handle – alter an entire industry?
By aiming the design for an extreme user group – people with arthritis – Sam and Davin developed a solution that could be used by everyone. They designed all aspects of the peeling experience. From the peeler itself to the in-store experience, OXO created a user journey that was unforgettable.
Good design leads to good business. OXO is still the most popular potato peeler on the market. With 4.8 stars on Amazon and over 10,000 purchased in the last month alone, this simple 30 year old product has remained in the kitchen and isn’t going anywhere.
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90239156/the-untold-story-of-the-vegetable-peeler-that-changed-the-world
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/how-one-carrot-peeler-revolutionized-design/