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Over the past two decades, our team and I have spent countless hours in homes, healthcare settings, and community spaces, watching how people navigate the rhythms of everyday life. What stays with me are the quiet adjustments or life hacks. A bed lifted on risers to slide a storage bin of medical supplies underneath to stay within reach or to better facilitate a transfer. A bottom dresser drawer left empty because it is out of reach and theres concern it could lead to a fall. A nightstand pulled a few inches away to make space for a CPAP hose or oxygen tubing. These arent rare exceptions. Theyre everyday adjustments to the built environment that hadn’t previously caught up with real life wants and needs. In response to these observations, we design products to fill the gaps. From medical aids like canes and bath safety products to household furniture that directly addresses these needs, integrating novel functional enhancements into the product design helps create environments that work better for people. Responding to one definition of disabilitya mismatch between a persons abilities and their environmentwe strive to ensure that built environments are accessible, functional, and welcoming for as many people as possible. From the edge to the universal In design and in business, were often taught to prioritize the average user. But the most meaningful, enduring innovations tend to come from the edgesdesigning with people who experience the world differently, whether through disability, age, or temporary limitation. What begins as a targeted accommodation often becomes something far more universal. Accessible features in furniture, kitchen tools, or other housewares tend to become quietly indispensable. Not because they draw attention to themselves, but because they solve problems most people didnt even realize they shared. When you design for the margins, you dont exclude the mainstream; you elevate it. Take, for instance, a bed designed with integrated armrests to support safer mobility, as we recently created in collaboration with Pottery Barn. It may have been crafted with accessibility in mind, but it ultimately benefits anyone recovering from surgery, dealing with aches and pains, or simply trying to get up more easily in the morning (or reposing in bed to comfortably watch TV or use devices). The same goes for a nightstand designed with discreet space for powering medical equipment. It meets a real need, while also improving daily use for people managing cords, devices, or the clutter of modern life. These design choices never come out of thin air. They come from time spent with real people, in real environments, observing where traditional products fall short and responding to those gaps with practical, thoughtful solutions. Michael Graves often referred to this as common sense. Design for accessibility Situational disability is something most of us experience regularly without really thinking about it. You dont need a formal diagnosis to encounter friction in your environment, yet it can be improved by surrounding yourself with thoughtful products. Think about navigating a dark hallway, opening a door with full hands, or focusing in a space thats too loud or too bright. These are temporary or contextual limitations that can turn an ordinary task into a source of frustration. Designing with these moments in mind doesnt dilute a projects creativity; it strengthens it, and leads to better customer experiencesa universal business goal. Theres still a lingering belief that designing for accessibility means sacrificing style or inflating cost. But in practice, starting with constraints leads to sharper, more intentional design decisions; products with smarter features and a clearer sense of purpose. Many of todays most widely adopted design featurescurb cuts, touchless faucets, voice control, ergonomic gripsoriginated as accessible solutions. They didnt stay niche. They became standard. The real opportunity today is not just designing for users, but designing with them. When we observe how people actually live, what they reach for, struggle with, work around, we find the insights that matter most. We call this approach Design With, a process built on listening early and often, where lived experience isnt just part of the feedback loop, its part of the product development foundation. Accessible design isnt a feature or a trend. Its a foundation. When baked in from the beginning, it expands a products relevance, strengthens emotional connection, and makes the experience feel more human. It reflects the reality that ability exists on a spectrum, and that good design considers everyone on it. If we want to create more useful, more beautiful, and more accessible environments for Every Body, we have to start by looking at the edges. Thats where the friction lives, and where the most meaningful design breakthroughs often begin. Ben Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design.
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E-Commerce
Meta, which owns and operates Facebook and Instagramas well as Threads, Messenger, and WhatsApphas tapped Alexandr Wang, the CEO and founder of the startup Scale AI, to head up its new artificial intelligence research lab, according to The New York Times. It is also in talks to invest over $10 billion in the company, Bloomberg reported. The lab will be dedicated to pursuing AI superintelligencean AI system that would reportedly surpass human intelligenceand is part of Meta’s larger reorganization of its AI efforts as it faces internal struggles over the technology and some of its products, per The Times. Meta is just one of many tech companies to throw its hat into the competitive, high-stakesand expensiveAI development space. Back in January of this year, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the social technology company plans to invest between $60 billion and $65 billion in capital expenditures this year alone to build out its AI infrastructure. (Meta is also building a large data center that would reportedly “cover a significant part of Manhattan to power its AI offerings, according to Zuckerberg.) What does Scale AI do? Scale AI delivers high-quality training data for AI applications to a number of tech companies in the AI space, including: Open AI, Google, Microsoft, and of course, Meta. The company expects revenue to more than double to $2 billion this year, from about $870 million in 2024, per CNBC. Scale AI is already working with governments in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, and recently signed a deal with Qatar in February that will include developing AI voice, chat, and email agents for contact centers, Business Insider reported. Scale AI also signed a contract with the U.S. Defense Department to enable the military to use AI for “operational decision-making.” While its financials are confidential, Scale AI is reportedly planning a potential tender offer for employees and early investors at a valuation of $25 billion, Business Insider reported. Who is Alexandr Wang, the young billionaire behind Scale AI? Wang founded Scale AI in 2016 in San Francisco at age 19, out of Y Combinator‘s startup incubator, after dropping out of MIT. In 2022, at age 25, Wang became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire after Scale AI raised $325 million in funding, putting the company at a valuation of $7.3 billion; by 2024, Scale AI was valued at $13.8 billion, the Observer reported. Wang owns 15% of Scale AI, making his net worth over $2 billion.
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E-Commerce
Here’s a dream job for chronically online coffee lovers: Starbucks is hiring two full-time content creators for a 12-month gig posting content at Starbucks locations around the world. The role, aptly titled “global coffee creator,” involves traveling to between 10 and 15 Starbucks locations, from Milan to Costa Rica, and capturing the local culture, community, and atmosphere surrounding each Starbucks location, according to the job description. Of the two successful applicants, one will be a current Starbucks employee and the other will be an external hire. Both creators will receive a full-time salary, rooming accommodations through Marriott Bonvoy, and travel covered by Delta Air Lines for the duration of the year. Responsibilities include highlighting specialty drinks, documenting and sharing customer and barista stories, pitching ideas for Starbuckss social channels, and collaborating with the global marketing team. To apply, internal and external candidates must create a TikTok video explaining why, as a coffee-obsessed, chronically online world traveler, they are the right person for the job. Applications are open through June 13. Fast Company has previously reported on employee-as-influencer-style content, more commonly referred to as employee-generated content (EGC). More workers are lifting the curtain on their day-to-day working lives, with or without their employers’ permission. This latest role is part of a broader shift toward brands putting content creators on payroll. For both brands and creators, its a mutually beneficial move. By bringing a creator in-house, brands get more than content and reach. They get a direct line to someone who understands platforms, audiences, and trends, and how a brand can naturally integrate itself into those spaces, says influencer marketing consultant Lindsey Gamble. In-house creators can contribute to everything, not just one-off campaigns. They help fill in gaps that internal teams might have, especially when those teams come from more traditional or corporate backgrounds. Starbucks isn’t the only brand embracing in-house ambassadors. Ulta Beauty recently launched an ambassador program called “Ulta Beauties,” compensating employees who were already posting content about their jobs. Instead of relying on traditional influencers, these brands are turning to existing employees who already have the context and connection to represent the brand authentically. For creators, these opportunities offer stability that influencer life often lacks. Not every creator wants to be a full-time influencer, and not everyone can monetize consistently through brand deals or their products, Gamble adds. These roles give creators a way to keep creating while having the security and structure of a traditional job. Getting to travel the world and drink Starbucks? Thats just a perk of the job.
Category:
E-Commerce
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