Imagine a time when tools were scarce, being difficult to manufacture. They were prized and owners were careful with them.
Nowadays we've grown so rich, we'll buy multiples of objects that our ancestors would have killed to own just one of. We do this because they're easy to lose, or we scatter them around various life stations so they'll always be on hand. For me, tape measures, reading glasses and rollerball pens fall in this category. For others it's umbrellas, sunglasses, sticky-note pads, guitar picks.
Let's look at that last one. I don't play guitar, but stumbled across a couple online discussions (here and here) of guitarists seeking solutions for storing picks, a/k/a plectrums. Their comments reveal: They're small and easy-to-lose; cats enjoy playing with them; like bobby pins, they seem to wind up all over the house, leading to time-wasting searches; storing them in dedicated pockets means they tend to congregate in the washing machine. These may seem like minor inconveniences, but the stakes are higher for a guitarist who's about to take the stage and can't find a pick anywhere.
As a result, one commenter stores them "In the small pockets of my jeans, in the guitar case, between the guitar strings, under my keyboard, in my phone case, in my wallet, in the car."
I looked at design attempts to solve this problem. One strategy is to attach them to something you always carry, like keys.
Image: Iron Age Accessories
Image: Iron Age Accessories
Image: Iron Age Accessories
Image: Iron Age Accessories
Or your wallet. This one features a dedicated pick slot, making it less likely to get lost behind other items.
Image: Jack Archer
Another strategy is to attach them to the guitar case itself.
Image: Iron Age Accessories
Or the actual guitar. These gizmos cling to the strings.
Image: Alice
Image: Rombo
Image: Rombo
This sticky-backed holder stores three picks, and you attach it to your guitar. (A nice idea, but it gets poor reviews; apparently the adhesion quality sucks.)
Image: Lesun
Image: Lesun
Image: Lesun
Image: Lesun
Yet another strategy, is to create a bulkier object that is less easy to lose than a pair of picks. This spring-loaded object stores multiple picks (strangely, the manufacturer doesn't say how many) and takes up more space in a pocket.
Image: Jim Dunlop
Image: Jim Dunlop
This leather clamshell holder goes even larger:
Image: Rauyivany
Image: Rauyivany
Image: Rauyivany
Of course, all of these objects can be rendered useless, if the user does not remember to place the picks back in them when they're done playing. Which invites debate: Would you call this a design problem, or a user behavior problem, and why?
Lastly: If any of you are both industrial designer and guitarist, how do you store your picks?