While the ways we collaborate at work and teach in schools have changed over time, whiteboards have remained remarkably the same.

This observation kicked-off research by the Post-it® Brand to answer an interesting question: How can we improve the whiteboard so that it better fits how we work and learn?

A team worked with consumers to find out what they wanted in a whiteboard. The top answers?

• An easier install process.
• A reduction in “ghosting” that can leave whiteboards unusable.
• The creation of a surface that would be compatible with a wider range of markers.

On top of these, they wanted it to work in virtually any space and be any size. 

With these insights, the team began developing a surface with features that could transform the standard whiteboard into a modern whiteboard.

Their innovative result is the Post-It® Flex Write Surface, which was just named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2020, an annual list recognizing 100 groundbreaking inventions.

The Post-it® Flex Write Surface is an easy-to-install whiteboard film that is compatible with both dry erase and permanent markers and wipes clean with water, so there’s more flexibility for people to use the markers they want without worrying about leaving behind marks. Now, nothing is permanent, and it can be put on virtually any surface, free of the big cumbersome stands or mounts used in office spaces and schools. It comes in a variety of sizes for customizing any surface into a whiteboard, from journal size to an entire wall. And at a time where more and more individuals find themselves working remote, this whiteboard’s evolution better fits today’s world.

Key to setting up home offices, creative spaces and home-school environments is having productive resources that can perfectly fit any environment. The Post-It® Flex Write Surface has found a fitting time for its introduction.

3M Chief Innovation Officer John Banovetz, is always proud of innovative milestones, whether in the health and sciences or consumer goods. He said, “I’m so proud of the team and the work they’ve done to reimagine a traditional product and create an innovative, unique solution. There is a lot of research, planning, testing and collaboration that goes on to create something like the Post-It® Flex Write Surface. Especially in this time, where much of the workforce has gone remote, it’s exciting to see how revolutionizing an existing tool can transform a workspace and create an accessible resource for all. Innovation is at the core of what we do at 3M, and it’s great to be recognized as innovative problem solvers.”

Nearly a decade in the making, The Post-it® Flex Write Surface Team has evolved and changed, with many great minds on the front lines.  Working together, they have gone on to create a product unique to the market, which solves a problem and helps people do their best work, whether at the office, at school or even right at home.