What I Learned About Great Design from a Japanese Ice Cream Sandwich

This past June, my wife Jen, daughter Romi (age 5), and I visited close friends in Burlington, Vermont, to be together and escape the heat. Romi and our friends’ daughter, Winnie (age 3), are close friends and were thrilled to hang out for a few days. On day four of our trip, Romi and Winnie wanted an ice cream that was a change of pace from our usual Ben & Jerry’s routine (when in Vermont…). So we popped into an international grocery store and picked up two Imuraya Monaka Chocolate Frozen Wafer Ice Cream Sandwiches, which we had never had before.

As we walked down the street on a 95-degree afternoon, the girls digging into their ice cream sandwiches, us parents were surprised – there was no dripping, no sticky fingers, no mess on the clothes. The ice cream itself remained intact the whole time, there was virtually no cleanup, and most importantly, the kids loved it. The ice cream sandwich design had anticipated and prevented every common problem associated with ice cream, hot summer days, and little kids.

Romi and Winnie, post-ice cream stroll

I was so impressed, I did a deep dive into Imuraya’s approach, to uncover how they designed such a thoughtful and practical treat. Here’s what I learned that can be applied to our everyday organizational work.

Smart Design and Clear Boundaries Help Prevent Messes

Unlike conventional ice cream sandwiches, the Imuraya sandwich surrounds its ice cream within crispy wafers made from rice, which is then sealed with a thin chocolate layer. The wafer design creates full coverage, which is a big improvement over the exposed edges of traditional ice cream sandwiches. The chocolate layer serves two purposes – it provides a boundary from moisture and tastes delicious – which prevents the ice cream from making the wafer soggy. This thoughtful design solves problems consumers never knew they had.

This contained, boundary-focused approach also addresses one of the most common nonprofit operational challenges I see: unclear responsibilities. When multiple people share accountability for the same task, important work often falls through the cracks, gets duplicated, or creates communication challenges..

One example is applying for new grants. Rather than having the development director, program manager, and executive director all involved in every grant application, effective organizations assign complete ownership for each grant application to one person to manage the process. The program manager owns the application process and completes the technical content, compliance reporting, and application submission, while also gathering content compiled by other team members. The program manager works with the development director to incorporate their input on foundation research and relationships with the potential funder. The executive director owns strategic alignment and provides final review and approval of the application before submission. Each person maintains clear authority within their designated area, which reduces the need to coordinate on routine decisions.

This structured boundary system reduces the organizational equivalent of mess through clearer accountability and fewer bottlenecks in decision-making.

Different Functions Need Different Structures

The ice cream sandwich uses different materials for different jobs: wafers provide structure, chocolate provides a protective layer, and ice cream delivers the core experience. Effective nonprofits similarly recognize that different activities require different management approaches rather than trying to run everything the same way.

For example, take a social services organization that aims to alleviate hunger and poverty by providing daily meals and food pantry services. The operations team needs tight protocols and consistent procedures to ensure safety and compliance. The outreach team needs flexibility to meet clients where they are and adapt to changing conditions. The fundraising team needs relationship-focused approaches with longer timelines for cultivation. Each function follows different principles while contributing to the overall mission.

Some organizations struggle with performance because they try to manage fundraising like service delivery or manage community organizing like administrative work. Recognizing that different functions need different structures allows each area to operate more effectively and stay true to how the work actually gets done.

Prevent Problems Before They Happen

The most valuable principle I discovered involves solving problems before they occur, rather than managing consequences afterward. The Imuraya designers prevented mess in the first place rather than making cleanup easier. This demonstrates proactive thinking that applies directly to nonprofit operations.

For example, let’s take volunteer management. Most nonprofits recruit volunteers enthusiastically, then struggle with retention when people become frustrated or unclear about their role. Some of the best volunteers may even stop showing up without explanation. A prevention-focused approach creates structured onboarding, clear roles and responsibilities, and regular check-ins before volunteers become disengaged.

Think about a simple system you can incorporate. For one organization, every new volunteer receives a one-page role description, a thirty-minute orientation with their supervisor, and a follow-up conversation after their second shift. This help prevented repeated volunteer frustration before it developed, and we anticipate it will reduce volunteer turnover in the long run.

For resource-constrained nonprofits, this prevention approach proves particularly valuable. Solving problems early often requires less time and energy than managing crises later. While it’s not always possible, it is best to take this approach for functions that are in your control. Building protective systems around critical functions enables operations to continue, even when the organization faces unexpected challenges.

Stay True to Your Core

Our ice cream sandwich experience demonstrates the importance and value of thoughtful attention to ordinary challenges. For nonprofit leaders, this suggests focusing your design energy on fundamental operational problems rather than pursuing complex innovations that may create additional complications. The most effective organizational changes often emerge from careful examination of routine processes, followed by the implementation of thoughtful structural improvements. Let your mission serve as the guiding framework for any design decisions.

And if you have a chance to try an Imuraya Ice Cream Sandwich – pick one up!

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of summer,

Dan