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At one of its California locations, Marriott Hotels is turning the shower door into a digital notepad. Here’s how it works: after the door gets steamy enough, guests can write or draw on it. The completed creation will then be sent to the guest’s email, so that ‘their brilliance doesn’t wash away’ (Marriott’s words, not ours) and they won’t lose their moment of inspiration. The touchscreen shower door is designed with business travelers in mind and is currently being tested.

A touchscreen shower door? Is this really necessary? We’re fully aware that this innovation feels a bit ridiculous. As the YouTube comments show, many people will actively mock it. However, our history of watching trends has shown us is that ‘ridiculous’ can quickly become ‘revolutionary’. Building a business around something as casual and informal as couchsurfing seemed ludicrous to most business people when the phenomenon emerged. Now Airbnb is valued at over USD 30 billion and there isn’t anyone in the travel industry who isn’t thinking about how to respond to the customer expectations unleashed by peer-to-peer travel. We’re not saying that every shower door will become digitally-connected, but don’t write off an innovation just because you don’t like it.

Because there are people out there who will love this. Marriott cited their research showing that half of business travelers feel that their best ideas come while showering. And this innovation combines this insight with the expectation that we can express ourselves everywhere. After all, if you can write in the sky with augmented reality, why not the shower? And while it’s easy to dismiss this specific use case, look past its (steamy!) surface and run with the bigger underlying insight: can you use technology to give your customers self-expression superpowers, at an unexpected or previously impossible moment of need?

▶️ Watch the video and let us know what you think. ▶️

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