The company's remedy was to incorporate a blade instead. But when OXO tested the product in Denmark, customers weren't interested. "The wire slicer is the tradition," says category director Michelle Sohn. "Even though it has a problem built into it, they kind of like the problem." So instead, OXO is working on a more durable wire.
OXO's customers call or write all the time, suggesting improvements or new products. Most, says Lee, are obvious or impractical ideas. But sometimes OXO gets a gem. One woman wrote in asking why the handle on the potato masher was vertical instead of horizontal. "The lightbulb went off right away," says Lee.
OXO introduced a new masher in 1999 with, among other things, a horizontal handle that enables users to push down with more force. If Lee is disappointed that OXO didn't come up with the idea on its own, he doesn't let on. He's more enamored of the design itself, its utter simplicity, and, in hindsight, how obvious it was. The new masher is a reminder never to stop questioning the norm and looking for improvements. Being content with a design is one mistake that Lee and his fellow OXOnians try to avoid at all costs.
Chuck Salter (csalter@fastcompany.com) is a Fast Company senior writer based in Chicago.
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