***CARRIER FOR COMMUTER CARD***: I use my commuter card twice a day to take public transportation to/from work. I don’t like to keep it in my wallet with my credit cards because I don’t like to take my wallet out each time I’m heading through the turnstiles, but at the same time, I need it somewhere accessible because I have to tap on and tap off. I’m also worried about losing it because I could have a lot of credit stored on the card. I wish I had a carrier for the card that I could clip to my purse(s) in some secure way that’s easy to retrieve and put back multiple times a day.
A BETTER PILOT LIGHT: Winter is coming and the heater is not working. I asked the landlord and he told me to turn the pilot light on. Sure. Only problem is that I have no idea how to turn on the pilot light. An hour later, after taking off the front panel of the heater, watching a YouTube video on how to do it, sticking my head into a dusty pocket full of spiderwebs, having no clue where to light or which direction to turn the knob, and scratching my head wondering why the pilot light won't stay lit... I gave up and warmed up with a drink instead. This should be easier!
EASIER PET ADOPTION: My husband and I want to adopt our first dog. The problem is that we have limitations such as breed (our apartment building has breed restrictions), price (adoption fees), age (ideally a puppy), etc. Most adoption sites are designed around search filters but the problem there is that the shelter has to tag the dog correctly, or else the dog won't show up in the results! As a result, I often apply the broadest search possible and then have to go through pages and pages of results. Not efficient. And I am worried about the dogs that are unnecessarily euthanized simply because potential adopters can't find them!!
REMINDER TO TAKE MY VITAMINS: Most vitamins say "store in a dark, cool place." Unfortunately, "out of sight, out of mind" so I always forget to take my vitamins. Especially the ones that are every other day, once a week, etc.
CENTRALIZED MAILING ADDRESS: I recently moved to a temporary place and will be moving again to a more permanent apartment next month. Updating my address is a big pain. Some apartments allow mail forwarding, some don't. And based on the amount of wrong mail I get whenever I move to a new apartment, I'm sure a lot of my mail is lost in time and space as well. It would be great if there was one centralized system of record for everyone's mailing address and all you need is a mail ID. That way, you just need to update your mailing address once whenever you move, and you don't even need to tell your friends and family your new address because they just need to address mail to your mail ID and USPS/FedEx/UPS/etc. just need to look up your mail ID to know where to send it! You could also "block" mail to your mail ID similar to how you can "block" calls to your phone number today.
REMEMBERING WHICH CLOTHES HAVE SPECIAL CARE INSTRUCTIONS: Remembering which clothes are dry-clean only, hand wash only, line dry only, etc. is a very taxing problem. And given how expensive clothes are, it's so upsetting to open up the dryer and find that your cashmere sweater has shrunk down to XXS size. I wish there was a way to clip a washable icon or something to special care items when you take it off so that you remember how to clean them on laundry day.
STORING HAIR STYLING TOOLS: I use a hair dryer or curler or straightener at least once a day. I need the full cord length to maneuver the tool, but it's a pain having to wrap it every day after I use it. Also, I end up throwing it into a bucket together and the cords get all tangled, so I have to untangle the tools every time I want to use a tool.
STOP TURNING OFF MY LAPTOP BY ACCIDENT: I have the Lenovo Yoga and I love the laptop with the exception of one design flaw: the power button is located on the front side, sitting right below my left wrist. As a result, I accidentally turn off the computer at least once a week. Although I'm usually able to recover most of my work and the boot-up time is short, it is annoying nonetheless.
AN INCENSE HOLDER THAT ALSO CATCHES THE BURNED OFF EMBERS: Most incense holders are cute, small items with a thin hole for the incense stick. The problem is that as the incense burns, the embers fall off and can burn whatever the ember falls on. I have the incense holder sitting on a plate right now, but that's neither attractive nor an ideal situation.
KNOWING WHEN PRODUCE WILL GO BAD: It's a common problem, but not knowing when certain produce will go bad and when you need to use it by. Ideally, I would have an application on my phone that could scan my purchase receipt and I could track when the food would be expected to go bad (e.g., "the 3 tomatoes you purchased on 10/26/2013 will go bad on 11/2/2013 if stored on counter and 11/9/2013 if stored in fridge" or "you should use or freeze the meat you purchased on 10/26/2013 by 10/31/2013").
I’ve decided to go with Gap #1 because it’s a gap I experience 4x/day and I see others struggle with this gap daily too - from the guy with the thick wallet that he smacks on the turnstiles but the card doesn’t read so he has to try multiple times to the lady who’s digging around in her purse for her card while she misses her train. I also believe it could be useful to a broader population than commuters (e.g., hotel room keycards or student IDs) and I don't think I need special skills/tools to create a solution.
