I’ve spoken before about by Pump-Action Dandelion Destroyer. (Proper name the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller). It brings me so much joy – and that’s because it is such a joy to use!

Any why is it such a joy? Because it’s perfectly designed for the job it’s meant to do.

It’s designed to pull out dandelions and thistles (and other weeds that have one deep, vertical root) quickly and easily.

Whoever designed this clearly put a lot of thought into it. They really analysed the problem. Yes, you can get the weeds out with a spade, which is easy but leaves a huge hole in your lawn. You can use a trowel, which leave a smaller hole, but it’s rather painful on the hands after a while (and pretty slow).

So something long, sharp, narrow is required, and ideally something you can use standing up. I’m guessing the first prototype looked very much like a long handled, narrow semi-circular (sharp) spade.

But a stick is hard to get into the ground without something to stamp on. So something to stand on and push the device into the ground was added.

And then there’s the difficulty of getting the root out – ideally straight up to limit the size of the hole. Four small blades that actually pinch together make that possible.

So the root is gabbed and out of the ground, but it’s held at the end of a long stick and difficult to get out. That’s where the pump-action release mechanism comes in. And so the perfect tool is designed.

EVERYTHING on this tool is there for a reason. There’s nothing unnecessary, and all parts work together in a seamless way.

I take inspiration from all sorts of things in my work, but I think this weed puller brings home what perfect design is: whether it’s a garden tool or a training course. It’s designed for a specific reason, it’s kept as simple as possible: EVERYTHING included has a reason for being there with NOTHING unnecessary added, AND it all works together perfectly.

Just like the weed puller, training designed like this will be a joy to use (by the facilitator AND delegates) and it will no doubt deliver the results that are required.