When I was a kid, Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries was pretty much a staple at the Blumenfeld household. It was a fantastic cereal that somehow found the delicate balance between sweetened corn nuggets and “berry” sugar bombs. Being more ant than grasshopper I also had a special way of eating this divine creation: I saved the berries until the end since it gave you a little “desert” composed of strawberry milk and soggy sugar berries (this easily created the best ROI).

Now, Crunch Berries was created in ‘67 and was enjoyed by all children (and 6 adults) for many years. Then, 30 years later, lightning struck. Having probably received tons of feedback telling them the best part of Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries was the berries, Quaker Oats did the unthinkable. In 1997, armed with nothing but sugar and a dream, they granted every child their wish and created Oops! All Berries.

I was 18 but I remember walking into the local Ralphs and seeing that box. It had been a few years since I’d eaten Cap’n Crunch but there was no way I was going to miss the chance at Oops! All Berries. A few spoonfuls into the experience and it quickly became clear why this disaster had “Oops” in the name. Turns out that all berries, while good as a garnish, doesn’t quite work as a main dish. The twisted mofos at Quaker Oats might have even known this which explains why they stated it in the name of the product! “Listen, we messed up and put a ridiculous amount of berries in this. The ratio? Well… technically it’s undefined. We cannot stress this enough - there is no cereal in this box, just colored spherical sugar.”

As designers then, I believe we have a responsibility to take a step back when given tasks like designing things like Oops All Berries. Questions like -

• How did we decide this is what people wanted?
• Was it simply through feedback or did we actually give them whole bowls of All Berries to eat?
• If people actually did like bowls of just Berries, are we being true to our mission to deliver great taste, nutrition, quality and variety?

Granted, these aren’t the type of questions that win popularity contests. However, they are essential to ensuring the problem is framed correctly and go a long way towards getting design included early as a strategic partner. At Facebook, this type of questioning is required of our designers. It is what provides us with the knowledge that we’re working on the right problems and offering proper solutions. So, next time someone comes to you with a design request make sure you step back and ask the right questions. Otherwise, you might end up with a box full of Oops!

Categorized as Design, Facebook