Pre-Meal for Jan 28, 2026Moylan's Arrow

Happy Wednesday!

Longtime readers know I’m a proponent of “staying in your own hotel,” or the equivalent: using the public restroom at one of your own retail stores, sitting in your own waiting room, unboxing one of your products as if you’d saved up your own money to buy it.

We provide a more hospitable experience when we more fully understand the perspective of the people we’re serving, and experience what they experience.

I came across a great example of this when James “Jim” Moylan passed away at the end of 2025.

I’d never heard of Moylan before I read about him; I’m betting you haven’t, either. But every one of us has benefited countless times from a change he instigated on a rainy night forty years ago, when he was an engineering manager for the Ford Motor Company.

That night, Moylan got into a company car with a gas gauge reading close to empty. He pulled into a gas station and got out of the car to fill the tank, only to discover it was on the other side. Soaked, he got back behind the wheel, repositioned the car, refueled—and went back to the office to write a memo that would herald a small but mighty revolution in automotive design.

Moylan’s recommendation? A little arrow, next to the gauge, that would indicate which side of the car the fuel door was on.

Ford adopted the suggestion immediately; other companies quickly followed suit. Which means that Moylan’s Arrow has removed a tiny bit of everyday friction for millions of people—at least, those who know to look for it.

I’ll certainly never gas up a rental car (or my wife’s, honestly) without sending a silent “thank you” Moylan’s way. And I hope I can carry his instinct forward, staying alert so the small frustrations of life aren’t simply something to endure, but sources of excitement and inspiration—every one of them an invitation to design a more thoughtful experience for the people I serve.

Have a good service,

Will