We celebrate the clean, bold flavor of Louisiana hot sauce and call out the frustrating plastic seal that slows breakfast to a crawl. We share a simple packaging fix and ask listeners to send their worst “who designed this?” examples for future features.
• brief history of Louisiana hot sauce and its simple recipe
• the protective seal problem and why it fails users
• a practical design tweak using a bold perforation stripe
• other packaging pain points across everyday products
• the case for user-centered packaging and small wins
• appreciation for the brand alongside a clear request for change
• invitation for listener stories about bad packaging
“I'd love to hear from you. What products make you wonder who designed this without thinking about the customer? Send me your stories, and maybe I'll feature them in a future episode of Designed Without the Customer in Mind.”
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to the Scott Townsend Show, brought to you by
Deetsoman Productions.
Speaker 00 (00:13):
Welcome back to the Scott Townsend Show.
Today's topic is one that mightfeel personal if you've ever
wrestled with a bottle of hotsauce.
I'm talking about theprotective plastic wrap around
the cap of Louisiana hot sauceand why, despite its legendary
flavor, the packaging can be areal headache.
(00:34):
Louisiana hot sauce has beenaround since 1928, crafted in
New Iberia, Louisiana, with asimple recipe of aged cayenne
peppers, vinegar, and salt.
It wasn't just a condiment, itwas a bold, versatile flavor
addition that quickly became astaple in Louisiana kitchens.
(00:56):
Over the decades, it's remainedlargely unchanged, maintaining
that signature taste that hasearned its fans nationwide.
So you can see why people likeme keep coming back for more.
But here's the thing opening anew bottle can feel like an
extreme sport.
Each bottle comes with aprotective plastic seal around
(01:21):
the cap.
It's supposed to keep the saucefresh and show that it hasn't
been tampered with, which I getit.
It's important.
I appreciate safety andfreshness.
I really do.
I wrestle a lot with Louisianahot sauce because I use it
almost every morning on my eggs.
So I'm going through a lot ofLouisiana hot sauce.
(01:43):
You folks in New Iberia,there's a lot of hot sauce being
consumed in this household.
So congratulations.
So I know firsthand what it'slike to try to get into these
things.
You know, in the morning,sometimes it's dark, low light.
You're blurry-eyed, can'thardly see, and you try to get
(02:06):
into a new bottle of Louisianahot sauce, and I can spend
minutes spinning the bottle,turning it every way,
imaginable, squinting with myaging eyes, trying to spot that
tiny tear line.
Even when you think you foundit, the plastic often tears in
the wrong spot or refuses totear it all.
(02:26):
So a simple task turns into atest of patience and dexterity.
Here's where a little designthinking could go a long way.
How about adding a bold stripeor black line directly over the
preferation, making itimmediately obvious where to
(02:46):
start tearing?
That's it.
A tiny inexpensive tweak.
Seems inexpensive.
Would say frustration andpreserve the enjoyment of
actually using the product.
This issue isn't limited to hotsauce.
I see it in other products too.
You know, blister packs, youneed scissors or pliers to open,
frozen food bags with zippersthat won't budge, shampoo
(03:10):
bottles that break on the firstpump.
These are all examples wherethe product works, the function
exists, but the experience forthe customer is overlooked.
Thinking about the origins ofLouisiana hot sauce, it's kind
of ironic.
The creators made somethingtimeless and simple, meant to
enhance your food with bold,uncomplicated flavor.
(03:33):
Yet the packaging introducescomplexity and frustration that
feels completely unnecessary.
It's almost like a modernobstacle course for something
that's supposed to be easy andenjoyable.
I'd love for brands to rememberthat design isn't just about
protecting the product, it'sabout making life easier for the
(03:56):
person using it.
A little more attention to thecustomer's experience goes a
long way.
In this case, something assimple as a visible perforation
line could turn a minor dailyannoyance into a smooth,
satisfying experience.
I don't know.
So the next time you wrestlewith a bottle of Louisiana hot
(04:18):
sauce, take a moment toappreciate its history and the
flavor that has stood the testof time.
And to all those folks in NewIberia putting out a good
product.
But don't forget to roll youreyes at the seal.
It's a small frustration, butit's one that almost everyone
who enjoys this sauce hasexperienced.
(04:39):
I'd love to hear from you.
What products make you wonderwho designed this without
thinking about the customer?
Send me your stories, and maybeI'll feature them in a future
episode of Designed Without theCustomer in Mind.
Hey, this is Scott Townsend.
Thanks for listening to theScott Townsend Show.
Have a great day.
(05:00):
Everything's going to bealright.
And we'll talk to you later.
Announcer (05:05):
The Scott Townsend Show is a Deetsoman production.
For more episodes, visit theScott Townsend Show YouTube
channel.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, orwherever you listen to your
favorite shows.
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