Rasmussen;52107 said:
Please let us know more!
(discl: I work for Levenger, and speak with members of a few DIY communities to learn what kinds of products we should be making.)
Oops, I forgot somebody from Levenger might be around.
Let me give one example from a new product line, the Cubi.
The Cubi triple decker is a set of 3 desk trays that have front faces and behave like drawers: you have to pull them out to access each compartment, taking up extra desk space and slowing you down. The Cubi Adjust-A-File is an upright file holder that is not stepped. This means you either have to stand partially upright to see labels or, more likely, turn your head sideways and stand up to read labels. I think the large leather facings on the line are not very attractive, and would prefer plain wood or more modest trim. I hope there is a market for attractive, sturdy, functional officeware, but there sure isn't a lot out there.
Let me give another example from a Levenger staple, folios and notebooks. Currently, I am carrying a Softfolio in my briefcase and my wife has the Tyler folio, and we have a few others that we occasionally use for travel, et cetera. I find myself using a less expensive folio from Buxton, also in my briefcase, more often than the Softfolio. I like the Softfolio better, in many ways: it's thinner, folds back on itself in a pinch, wonderful leather. However, the horizontal slit pockets are difficult to get papers in and out of, maybe 5 seconds every time. Although I would like to keep print-outs of my calendar and next-action lists in the Softfolio, I don't because I am looking at them all the time. The Softfolio also has a zipper compartment. It's too big for receipts (and how many people carry their folio around for that?), but it's just a bit too small to easily get letter-size sheets out, so I don't use it. I think the Tyler is better with its vertical slit pockets, but I also know my wife uses it less than a less expensive folio with a different pocket design. From my point of view, a great design would have 2 diagonal slash pockets, and a full-size vertical slit pocket underneath those for hiding papers. An outside stash pocket might be nice. Somebody must want a double folio with 2 pads of paper, but it's not me. I want thin, and that seems to mean no zipper either. And could somebody check to make sure the junior-size folios can accomodate a letter-size paper folded once, rather than being just a wee bit too small? As others have said, the traditional classic size planner is more functional, because it is designed for exactly half an 8.5 x 11 sheet.
Sorry for being long-winded (long-typed?), but you asked.
