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The Peanut Butter Files

The Problem: When you get to the bottom of the peanut butter jar, it becomes more and more difficult to get any out of the jar without making a mess.

This I think is a struggle that most people have had before, and especially for college students this is a problem likely to come up again. I think this need as been around as long as the PB, and anyone that buys the larger jars of it know it well.



The Opportunity: There should be an updated container for peanut butter. One idea is that creamy peanut butter could come in tubes like tooth paste to be squeezed out before spread by a knife like normal.



Customer Interviews: (I brought cupcakes to get people to talk, but it didn't work and I had to give them all away after the interviews)

Mom and six year old - Used peanut butter often
  • Were familiar with the bottom of the jar problem
  • Liked the idea of a new delivery method, but worried about the consistency inside a tube (they use the fancy peanut butter you have to mix once it settles)
  • Didn't want cupcake, even for the little girl.
Adult couple - Used peanut butter often
  • Were familiar with the bottom of the jar problem
  • Thought the tube was fun, but said they normally just solved the problem with a rubber spatula
  • Didn't want cupcake.
College student - Sometimes used peanut butter
  • Were familiar with the bottom of the jar problem
  • Liked tube, and brought up that it would be convenient to carry with crackers so you could apply it without a knife. I brought up that there is jelly in squeezable jars, so having peanut butter is only logical and would make for a great picnic set
  • Didn't want cupcake.


Customer Verdict: Everyone I spoke to immediately knew of the problem, and each had at least one unique thought on the idea I had yet to consider. They all also didn't want cupcakes, which should be a crime. I think its clear that the problem does exist, but I'm not sure if it really needs a new solution considering the points brought up in the interviews. This was a great lesson on how important feedback was because having only a few people think about my silly idea took it from a funny idea to something I was seriously considering and improving.

Comments

  1. Hey again, Paul!
    I share your enthusiasm regarding not wanting cupcakes being a crime (especially when they’re free). What kind of person doesn’t want a free cupcake? Did you lick part of the icing before offering it to them? Regardless, I digress (Hah!). Your submission is again, excellent. This idea of having a peanut butter container resembling toothpaste is creative and necessary. You end up with more peanut butter on your finger than you do on the knife you’re using to fish the peanut butter from the jar. In the future, I’d simply make sure each heading is formatted similar to the one before (spaces and dashes). Again, great job on a creative post!

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  2. Paul,
    I really enjoyed your enthusiam for this assignment (especially when involving cupcakes!) Although I personally don't like peanut butter, I can understand the struggle in trying to get every last spoonful out of the jar. There really should be an update for the peanut butter jar, since it is used as a spread. Overall, great job in addressing the problem and proposing a solution. I look forward to seeing more of you blog posts as the semester progresses.

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  3. I think this is a great need that many people have. I have had this issue as it is always annoying when there is just enough peanut butter that it’s not worth opening a new jar, but not enough that is easily accessible. While a squeezable option could work, I have always used the natural peanut butter that requires mixing which wouldn’t work. I also think this problem is better solved with a longer spoon into the jar to scoop out the rest.

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