I finally took some vacation, which explains why I haven’t updated the blog recently.

I looked at this blog in a new light upon my return. My tone was getting negative. It’s time to fix that. Apparently, I was more tired than I realized.

Let’s look at an example of good packaging:

The back of a teabag with text "LIFT HERE" and a graphic showing the teabag in a cup with a numeral 1 and another graphic with the text "3-5 MIN."

Why do I think this is good packaging? Because it makes few assumptions about what the user already knows.

  • You are told where to lift to open the package.
  • You are told how many teabags to place in a cup: 1 bag
  • You are told how long to leave the teabag in the cup: 3-5 minutes

If you’ve made tea before, the graphics may seem obvious. But what if you never have made tea? Or what if you’re making tea and you’re so frazzled you need help to stay on track.

It’s not a procedure on how to make tea, it’s packaging. I say it does a good job.