Innovation or Not? – Vector Scissors
I came across these attractive and thoughtfully designed Vector Scissors in a post by Innovation Excellence contributor Matthew E May that promise, in addition to the normal day to day jobs that scissors execute, to also be able to cut perfectly straight lines.
Interesting invention, sure. Clever design, sure. But are they an innovation?
Now you can’t actually buy them yet, so I don’t know how much they cost, but a quick check on Amazon found the following two comparables from well-known brands:
$3.99 – Crayola Blunt Tip Scissors
$2.80 – Fiskars Recycled Everyday Scissors
How much more would you be willing to pay for a pair of scissors with this feature?
Would you be willing to change how you hold the scissors and your cutting motion to get the promised perfectly straight line?
How many situations require a perfectly straight line?
Do not other straight edge cutting solutions that already exist solve the problem better and do it faster?
So, …
Innovation or not?
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Braden Kelley is a popular innovation speaker, embeds innovation across the organization with innovation training, and builds B2B pull marketing strategies that drive increased revenue, visibility and inbound sales leads. He is currently advising an early-stage fashion startup making jewelry for your hair and is the author of Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire from John Wiley & Sons. He tweets from @innovate.
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The key factor is your quote: “How many situations require a perfectly straight line?”
People want a straight line. A *perfectly* straight line requires some dissatisfaction with current straight lines. Which I’m not totally satisfied with. Price under $10? I could see paying that.
Innovation…yes. Because if no one wanted it, it’d just be an invention.
Interesting looking and possible design award – yes. Easier to use(can Lefties use it – don’t know. As for the ever important perfectly straight line claim, that’s nice if you need it, but then I’d definitely be using a tool intended for that purpose if I needed it, and they already exist in my arsenal…
Now if like the “Bass-o-matic” it sliced, diced and did all those other things, it’s still be nice, but innovative – I don’t think it hits that mark. Maybe there’s more to the story than I gleaned here, but as far as scissors go in my universe, I’ve spent enough time pondering. Thanks.
It’s a new design for a long existing product. The question is if the problem it solves is really a problem, and then if people will buy it at retail (or if it’ll end up as a “Seen on TV” product). It may be an innovation if it has staying power (i.e., the straight line problem is real). Also as an invention, I’d have to ask if the design is unique, or if another design might also cut 100% straight lines.
On the surface, this seems to be a design improvement upon a utensil that has existed for centuries that solves a “problem” of cutting consistently straight lines. If this problem is real then the product will be sold at retail (like Office Max etc.) and not become a product so on the “As Seen on TV” shelf or in novelty catalogs. Is it an invention? If there’s something special done that enables perfection of straight lines, then yes, it would be an invention. Otherwise in my opinion, it’s a redesign. My guess is that there’s something special in the design that makes it an invention.