Creative Problem-solving: The Java Jacket

        Anyone who personally knows me, knows that I love coffee. It gives me energy and keeps me going throughout the day. I was looking through blog today, and found this amazing article on how the coffee cup sleeve was invented. Jay Sorensen invented the Java Jacket in 1991 as a solution to a common problem—hot coffee burns fingers. The idea emerged in 1989 when he was pulling out of a coffee shop drive-through on the way to his daughter’s school and a coffee spill burned his fingers.(smithsonianmag.com)

        If he hadn't come up with the great idea to make coffee to go easier, we would probably still be burning our fingers. It is no surprise that today, the first coffee cup sleeve invented, is on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, alongside work from famous designer Andy Warhol and artist Vincent Van Gogh.

        Design involves a lot of creative problem solving as well, and that is why this particular article caught my eye. Creative thinking is a skill, not a talent. The key to solving a problem creatively, is to think out of the box and expand your horizons. This will make thinking of the solution simpler, and you will amazed at how simple the solution really is.

The Java jacket article can be found here.