She only eats lasered fruit

Pawel Halicki

Jun 29, 2024

- Anything else?

- Yes, five blue bananas. Could you etch them? She only eats lasered fruit.

- Picky eater, huh? Any story themes in mind? We have princesses and dragons, spaceships and aliens, and dinosaurs.

- Can I have a mashup, please?

- Ha ha, an undecided picky eater?

- Yeah, she’s nine, and her lunchboxes are our challenge of the week.

- Tell me about it. I have teenagers at home, and the latest thing is the rainbow diet, where they stick to food of one colour for the whole day.

He raises eyebrows in honest disbelief.

- Now, that’s a strange idea.

- Anything else?

- I’m calm-cooking this weekend, so maybe you have any meal kits left?

- Let me see. I never got into it. How is it working for you?

- Whenever I need to make an important decision, I find time to cook something from scratch. The final result could be better most of the time, but the chance to focus and think without distractions is invaluable.

- In that case, I recommend ratatouille. It’s simple but involves extensive cutting and assembly if you’re into patterns and that kind of stuff.

- Oh, cutting and chopping is precisely what I’m looking for. Manual labour unlocks a different kind of focus for me.

- What size were you thinking of?

- I’ll take a kit for six. It’s such a time saver that you always have those recommendations. It would take me forever to decide on something worth making.

- Combining things to create new value is not limited to soups. A rotating selection of novelty products and add-on services are the main drivers of impulse purchases that keep my business going. You never knew you wanted something until you see it.

- Everyone tries to move up the value chain these days.

A loud ding interrupts them, followed by a whirring whoosh from the machine.

- Oh, your bananas. Five bananas with print-on stories are coming right up. Here you go. Is there anything more you need?

- I wonder what crazy things she’ll eat as an adult. Those seed designers have been outdoing themselves recently.

- For picky eaters, there will be even more things to dislike.

- Don’t try to scare me. Can you throw in cocktail herbs for a herbinator?

- Hydro or aeroponics?

- Aero. Actually, I’ll also take potted rosemary.

He ticks the final box on the shopping list.

- And that’s everything I need today. And more than I can carry.

- Come next week, we’ll have checkered tomatoes and minted lemons. The receipt and the recipe are in your inbox.

- I've never heard of any of those.

- Two more things to look forward to. Let me help you with those boxes.

- I got it. Thanks, and see you next week.

Hello Practical Futurists,

Welcome back from the future, where you’re not moving forward if you’re not moving up the value chain.

Let's jump into our weekly practice, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to enhance your strategic imagination and prepare your leadership for the future.

Weekly Self-Reflection Prompts

Let's start by making products and services mentioned in the story a bit more relatable by grounding them in your personal life.

You can start with this quote for extra inspiration.

“The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive.”

John Sladek

Personal life reflection prompts

When was the last time a therapeutic experience of a manual activity like gardening, wood splitting, or cooking helped you clear your mind and improve your ability to make an important decision?
What 2 unexpected solutions do you use for recurring problems?
Does having more options make you happy about potential selection or reduce your satisfaction with your decision?
What 3 things do you usually look forward to in your week?
Which routine do you follow to get more focused?
In what 2 ways would themed or personalised food items make meals more enjoyable in your household?

Nice job!

Let’s move on to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you are working with.

Professional life reflection prompts

When was the last time an unobvious solution worked on a problem in your industry, and what was it?
In what 2 ways would limited-time products or services in your industry make a difference in customer interest, attracting niche markets or enhancing customer engagement?
What could moving up the value chain mean in your industry?
What were the last 2 things that your organisation combined to create new value for the customer?
When describing requirements, which is the better starting point: the problem you are dealing with or the outcome you are looking for?
What 3 add-ons offered at your current organisation would ease your customers’ problems?
How many options are optimal for you to avoid having second thoughts on your decision?