Exercise 4: Post-it Note (Scaffolded)

Description Case 4:  Post-it Note

     Description                                  Analysis

Overview

A Post-it note is  an easy way           FEATURE:
to temporarily annotate a                WHY:
document by applying a small
square of colorful, durable
paper using a strip of
repositionable adhesive on the
back of the note.

The Paper                                FEATURE:
                                         WHY:
The most common Post-it notes
are 1.5-by-2-inch rectangles
of nonwhite (usually yellow)
paper available in pads of 100.

However, 55 larger sizes and
shapes (up to poster size) are
also available.

Post-it paper is well suited to          FEATURE:
making reliable notes because it:        WHY:

(1) does not tear or fray easily,
    even after repeated uses,

(2) is highly opaque, resisting          FEATURE:
    bleed-through from ink or            WHY:
    felt-tip pens, and

(3) comes in 29 colors that
    visually contrast with the
    document pages to which the
    notes are applied.

The Adhesive

The adhesive that holds the note
to its target page lies in a
half-inch strip along the top
edge of the back of each Post-it.

Post-it adhesive consists of             FEATURE:
tiny sticky spheres that do not          WHY:
easily dissolve or melt, and
that have about the same diameter
as the paper fibers they touch.

This adhesive therefore combines
several unusual properties.

First, the adhesive is clear and         FEATURE:
thinner than standard plastic            WHY:
mounting tape.

Second, unlike an adhesive               FEATURE:
bandage, it leaves no residue on         WHY:
the page to which the Post-it is
applied.

Third, the adhesive is long-
lasting while undisturbed;
Post-it notes will cling for
months (at room temperature)
before falling off their applied
surfaces.

And fourth, the adhesive is also
reusable.

A clean Post-it may be removed
and reapplied in the same or a
different location dozens of
times before the adhesive strip
fails to hold the note to its            FEATURE:
target (unlike most tape).               WHY:

Art Fry of 3M Corp. first                FEATURE:
developed the Post-it note in            WHY:
1980.