Innovating To Enhance Productivity

In a recent article in Vanity Fair the new Microsoft CEO talked about “re-inventing productivity.” His idea was to come up with products that give people time back in their lives so they can accomplish more. I know exactly what new product this business leader needs to develop.

Surely this situation has happened to you and everyone you know: You come back to your curbside parking spot. You’re running a bit late for something important, like a business meeting or picking up your child from daycare. But a car is parked behind you with its front bumper inches from your rear one. Yes, some jerk has trapped you between his car and the one in front of you. So you get in your vehicle, inch backwards, and then turn the wheel all the way to the left. You put the car in Drive, creep forward a bit, and stop. Then you crank the wheel hard to the right and back up a few inches. After a dozen of these maneuvers you clear the car in front of you by .00025 inches while someone standing on the sidewalk watches you. And you’re free!

And you’ve wasted a whole bunch of time. Worse, your productivity will be diminished until your anger is gone.

So here’s an invention that I’m hoping Microsoft will develop: On your dashboard computer you hit a button that activates a rear-facing camera. You tap another button and two metal bars unfold from atop your rear bumper. They swing out and then down, so that they’re parallel with the street. Then you use the computer to adjust the bars to the correct height and spacing.

Then you back up slowly. When you hear the sound of breaking glass you know you’re as far back as possible. Then you turn the wheel once to the left and simply drive away.

A dozen annoying-as-hell maneuvers reduced to two easy, satisfying ones. Mucho time saved. Yup, we don’t need another phone or browser on the market. No one wants another version of Windows. What we really need is Microsoft Headlights.