Last two weeks have been rough for pedestrians in busy San Fran. Incessant rains have made it difficult to commute out of concrete walls for anything. As an MBA student tight on budget and on a networking trip to one of the most expensive cities in the world, it has made my life particularly miserable. After getting drenched on two consecutive days, I pretty much ran out of clean formal dresses. (Yeah, I only carried enough stuff that I could pack in a carry-on luggage!)
Nevertheless, like most people, I decided to buy an umbrella to solve the problem. Next thing I know, I almost got into a fight with a stranger on the street, for poking him in the eye with my umbrella! Well, yes, it was partially my fault that I was looking directions on my phone and trying to prevent myself from getting wet in the crowded downtown SF, but umbrella design and windy weather didn’t help either.
Next day, chances of rain according to my iPhone was apparently only 10%. So, I took a leap of faith and decided to ditch my umbrella at the hotel. Luckily, in the morning it didn’t rain at all, and I was able to walk around the city just fine. Though in the evening, Lord Indra (rain god according to Hindu mythology) decided I had had enough fun walking around without getting wet, so, it started drizzling. Next thing I know, I’m arguing with a lady, for almost poking me in the eye! Yes, again!
Above two incidents were enough to made me realize that pointed ends of an umbrella doesn’t make sense. Especially in crowded cities where people are walking shoulder to shoulder on the streets. The other challenge with current design of umbrellas is the water still keeps dripping after you fold the umbrella. Quick googling showed that companies such as Better Brella have tried solving it using an inverted design, which make sense but still doesn’t solve the pointed edges issue.
I’m not a good designer by any means, but two quick solutions I could think of were:
- Adding some cushioning on the pointed ends or making it blunt.
- Add a bit more material to make top of the umbrella much rounder (I’ve probably seen this in some fancy movie), so pointed ends are facing downwards rather than outwards to other pedestrians.
Though this isn’t necessarily a big market opportunity, improving small day-to-day things such as an umbrella fascinates me, and it is surprising people haven’t paid much attention to it.
Can you design a better umbrella?
Get freshly brewed hot takes on Product and Investing directly to your inbox!
