Brilliant everyday ideas that simply make sense
Traffic lights that count down to green and bin lorries that keep street maps up to date: eight ideas from our TikTok photo series and what speaks for and against them.
In this article
Small ideas with a big impact
Some improvements need no new technology, just a better process. The ideas in our photo series come from a post on the Instagram channel explain. We collected them because they capture a feeling almost everyone knows: why isn’t this already done this way?
Sources: Brilliant everyday ideas that make sense (TikTok post by @pribblymedia)
The eight ideas with our assessment
For each idea, we noted what problem it solves and what could cause it to fail in practice.
| Idea | Problem it solves | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|
| Airports send prohibited items home | Pocket knives and tools end up in the bin at security | Staff, shipping costs and liability |
| Bin lorries carry cameras for map services | Street imagery is often years out of date | Data protection and cooperation with municipalities |
| Window seats board first | Boarding a plane takes a long time | Airlines prioritise paid priority boarding |
| Cinema tickets show the real start of the film | There’s often a long stretch of ads before the film | Cinemas earn money from the advertising time |
| Every traffic light counts down to green | Unclear waiting time, unnecessary stopping | Modern traffic lights switch according to traffic, so the remaining time isn’t always fixed |
| Pill containers show when they were last opened | Uncertainty about whether a dose has already been taken | Cost per container |
| A button on the restaurant table calls the staff | Long waving and waiting | Many businesses see it as lacking hospitality |
| Hotel beds with a socket on both sides | Cables across the room | Retrofitting existing rooms |
Sources: Brilliant everyday ideas that make sense (TikTok post by @pribblymedia)
An idea that already exists
At least one idea is already a reality. Since October 2023, United Airlines has boarded window seats first in economy class, then middle seats and finally aisle seats. The method is called WILMA, after window, middle and aisle. According to the airline, it saves up to two minutes per flight.
The reason is simple: when passengers spread throughout the plane stow their luggage at the same time, they block each other less in the aisle. Families on the same booking can still board together. That not all airlines do it this way also has economic reasons: early boarding can be sold.
Sources: United Airlines plans to board passengers with window seats in economy class first · United Airlines rolling out plan that lets passengers in economy class with window seats board first
What the ideas have in common
Almost all suggestions use something that is already there: bin lorries drive down every street every week anyway, traffic lights know their timings, airports already have counters. The hurdle is rarely the technology, but the question of who pays for the extra effort and who benefits.
The photo series on our TikTok channel @pribblymedia therefore ends with a call to action: send it to someone who would introduce the idea straight away.
Sources: Brilliant everyday ideas that make sense (TikTok post by @pribblymedia)
Sources and status
- Brilliant everyday ideas that make sense (TikTok post by @pribblymedia)Pribbly on TikTok · Checked on 6 November 2026
- United Airlines plans to board passengers with window seats in economy class firstCBS News · Source as of 18 October 2023 · Checked on 6 November 2026
- United Airlines rolling out plan that lets passengers in economy class with window seats board firstAssociated Press · Source as of 18 October 2023 · Checked on 6 November 2026