A toothpick with crosshairs

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Nothing is designed better than a toothpick

What product designers can learn from 0.1 grams of wood

Michael McWatters
UX Collective
Published in
3 min readMay 4, 2020

TThe toothpick is the paradigmatic example of the design axiom, form follows function. But it’s more than that: it’s form and function in a singular, compact, lightweight, biodegradable, sustainable entity. It’s as sleek as a rocket and as simple as a rock, with a certain mid-century Eamesian charm.

Self-evident

Its shape is the epitome of design affordance, serving simultaneously as handle, digger and instruction manual. Its form tells you not only how to hold and wield it, but where to put its pointy bits.

Reliable

It has no moving parts or circuitry to falter or fail; its only part is itself, and the only place it breaks is in the middle. When broken, it actually doubles its utility by doubling its pointy bits. (Beware splinters, however.)

Sustainable

The toothpick is both durable and completely biodegradable. Furthermore, as long as we can grow trees or bamboo, we’ll never run out of its sole ingredient.

Universal

Its design transcends time and culture; anyone of almost any age, anywhere in the world, at any time in history, would be able to…

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Published in UX Collective

We believe designers are thinkers as much as they are makers. Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design. https://linktr.ee/uxc

Written by Michael McWatters

VP, Product Design at Max | HBO Max. Formerly TED. Better after a nap.

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