A Pain in the Shopping Basket

(Generic shopping basket courtesy of Kelly's Expat Shopping website)

If design consultancies, like IDEO, can redesign the practicality of shopping carts, then there might be hope for shopping baskets after all. One must realize that not everyone requires an ostentatious shopping cart for a day’s worth of food or for a single item purchase. The basket’s size is meant for people who do not buy in bulk or need much for sustenance. The rectangular shape of the basket does not leave room for consumers to place it comfortably against their body, and thus, consumers must resort to positioning it in an awkward place off to the side of their body. The problem is that the rigid, boxy basket does not contour the consumers’ waists or hips, and as a result, is constantly hitting their side creating a hindrance. It would be more effective to reinvent a shopping basket that contours a person’s side, or at least pivots inward so that the basket can rest against a person’s body. However, this change will call for a larger basket and more comfortable handles for better grip and leverage. There are always compromises within a process and trial and error will determine the potential of the product. However, the final product is not always the final idea, but the stepping stone towards a greater future.