Assembling your own furniture from flat-pack can be rewarding, but is often frustrating. IKEA’s directions, which are graphical so as to be understood in any language, are clear, but not helpful with ambiguities and potential errors. I was toying with the idea of creating an online database of IKEA furniture assembly tips that customers could search before picking up their screwdrivers. It would have tips specific to each item, contributed by past assembers. Comments like: “There are two types of pointy screws, one has a rounded head and the other is flat but they both look flat in the directions. Don’t get them mixed up.” and “The wooden pegs won’t look like they fit in the right holes, but, don’t worry, they will.” Stavros Antifakos from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology is working with a team to make the furniture pieces themselves recognize their state of assembly with sensors, microchips and LEDs. If you try to force a piece into the wrong position, an LED may flash to warn you. Would this cut down on frustration or would we just find ourselves arguing with annoying blinking lights? I’d like to be a usability subject for this one if IKEA considers it for production — provided I get to use an electric screwdriver.