Only 20 percent of American homes are protected by security systems, and most of these systems are installed after a break-in. ‍

Home security veteran SimpliSafe hoped to convince the other 80 percent of home-dwellers to invest in preventative technology so the break-in never happens. The company approached IDEO to refresh and simplify the look and feel of its connected products to reach this wider audience and help them feel safe.

Interviews with potential customers revealed insights that informed the new design. Families told the researchers that existing security systems are expensive, bulky, and hard to install and use. Instead, systems should be unobtrusive, but responsive to your needs. They should react appropriately in emergencies, while also protecting your privacy.

Responding to those requests, IDEO overhauled the design and interaction of more than a dozen SimpliSafe products, including a wireless, touch-to-wake keypad; easy to install sensors; and a smart home base that acts as the brains of the system. Additionally, IDEO designed SimpliSafe's first step outside of the home—a video doorbell that can be used in tandem with the namesake home security system or on its own. Making the system enjoyable and intuitive to use means families are more likely to use it consistently—and correctly.

The team developed a consistent design language across SimpliSafe’s physical products, user interface, and digital presence. That clear visual language lets you know what each component does right out of the box; for example, the glass break sensor looks like a human eardrum that might actually hear a window shattering. The design also reduced the size of entry sensors by four times, while improving their range and battery life. Tapered backs and swept-front surfaces for all of these sensors help them blend into your home. The new system’s clean, understated appearance instills confidence without stoking fear of what could happen.

SimpliSafe’s keypad and base station guide you through setting up the system with voice feedback, while gentle LED lights and sound cues let you know at a glance that the system is armed correctly and you’re in safe hands. The system is also equipped with multiple layers of backup, so you don’t have to worry if the power or Internet goes down.

And the system responds intelligently, tailoring the way it reacts to match different scenarios. For instance, it sends a gentle reminder if a window is left open but a police response if a window is broken in. The design team also incorporated a first-of-its-kind privacy shutter on the system’s security camera so families can opt out of being recorded at home.

SimpliSafe launched its redesigned security system in early 2018, replacing the company’s two previous generations of products at the same price point. Already, the revamped system has cut the number of support calls from new customers.

In June 2018, venture fund and private equity firm Hellman & Friedman acquired SimpliSafe in a deal that valued the company at about $1 billion.

With a record number of applicants, stiff competition for top students, and a desire to make classes more diverse, college admissions teams are feeling the strain. Bowdoin College in Maine, one of the top liberal arts schools in the U.S., received more applications for the class of 2022 than for any other in its 224-year history.

Whitney Soule, Bowdoin’s Dean of Admissions and Student Aid, saw her staff at risk of burning out. On the advice of Bowdoin’s president, Clayton Rose, she invited IDEO to embed at the college and help design a new way of working. The IDEO team studied Bowdoin’s workflow and zeroed in on the application process as an area ripe for redesign.

By observing how Bowdoin counselors read applications, IDEO learned what drove their decisions. Mindful of how their choices could impact young people’s lives, counselors prioritized a meticulous reading of each application. But this thorough approach meant they often engaged in redundant work or delayed making final decisions.

IDEO designers translated their insights into a book for staff, featuring watercolor portraits of the admissions team and a clear articulation of their values—from integrity to inclusion. The book was IDEO’s promise that introducing a new reading process wouldn’t mean sacrificing Bowdoin’s personal touch.

Then, the designers and counselors ran A/B tests using real applications from past years, unwinding long-held beliefs about how they “should” be read. Soule and her team experimented by adjusting timelines and other factors that determine when and how applications move from a first read to a second read to a committee discussion.

Soule gave her team explicit permission to toss their typical playbook. Seeing their own process with fresh eyes, counselors realized they could be more confident in their expertise and tweak their workflow to meet changing demands.

A/B testing proved that some variables had little effect on the team’s final admissions decisions. With that in mind, IDEO redesigned the reading process and included a system called “magic sort,” which helps parse groups of applications based on a new set of counselor assessments in order to route each to its next round of reviews more efficiently.

The IDEO-Bowdoin team put the revised technique to work right away, processing 300 new applications from the annual QuestBridge program for low-income students. Counselors found they were able to make equally valid decisions while cutting the amount of overlapping work they faced by 40 percent, compared to years past.

Working with IDEO challenged us to change the way we work together—and we learned a new method of problem solving that we continue to use. We are better equipped to elicit creativity, then channel it into the practical implementation of new solutions. It’s been transformative!

WHITNEY SOULE, DEAN OF ADMISSIONS AND STUDENT AID, BOWDOIN COLLEGE

The new reading method let staff cope with a growing volume of applications, while balancing the need to evaluate individual students with the need to think holistically about the makeup of Bowdoin’s student body. Counselors adapted the technique to the rest of the year’s admissions cycle, including early-decision, regular decision, and transfer applications.

To extend what her team learned to other departments, Soule has led several design thinking workshops across campus. Her success as a leader has mirrored the growth of her team and the college; by empowering staff with new tools and the freedom to experiment, Soule and Bowdoin are leading by example in the evolving world of higher education.

For half a century, Swarovski has crafted iconic chandeliers dripping with the brand’s signature crystals. With the rise of new interface technology, the company came to IDEO for help to design the chandelier of the future.

IDEO designers set out to create beautiful, emotional experiences by layering technology onto Swarovski’s lighting offerings. Whether it’s setting the tone for a sophisticated retail experience, creating subtle ambiance at a romantic dinner for two, or providing true quality light to read a book, the team considered how a chandelier can enrich personal moments throughout the day.

Swarovski and IDEO assembled a multidisciplinary group, including industrial and UX designers, brand experts, and engineers to quickly vet, build, test, and refine their ideas.

Designers from IDEO and Swarovski worked together to completely reimagine the crystal chandelier.

Together, the team designed a new tech-infused chandelier and family of other light fixtures. At first glance, the chandelier resembles a simple, sleek metal disc. But when you turn it on and peer inside, an endless number of crystals swirl far into the distance—an Infinite Aura.

The Infinite Aura collection also includes pendant and wall lights. The team developed a mobile app that proactively modifies light settings based on the time of day, and also lets users customize their experience—including adjusting brightness and color to set a personal mood, or “Aura.”

Unlike most fixtures, Infinite Aura doesn’t just give off ambient light; families can also benefit from high-quality functional light, directed downward to help them focus on a task or diffused upward and downward to create a subtle ambiance. In a similar way, the chandelier can expertly illuminate a library, hotel lobby, or concert hall.

The new lighting line adds greater functionality and emotional resonance to today’s smart buildings, while retaining Swarovski’s timeless elegance. Infinite Aura debuted in Frankfurt, Germany in March and will be available internationally in fall 2018.

More than half of Americans don’t have the cash to cover a $400 emergency expense like a car repair or trip to the hospital. Taking that reality to heart, American Family Insurance, a Fortune 500 company that offers auto, home, business, and life insurance, was seeking a way to make an impact by helping people earn and protect—not just insure—the things they value.

American Family approached IDEO with an ambitious goal: to innovate in a way that would help working families—many of them existing American Family customers—who need a financial cushion in case of the unexpected. This new mission fell in line with American Family’s overall orientation toward increased social responsibility, including committing to a liveable wage for all employees, helping with student loans, and providing college scholarships and tuition reimbursement for employees’ children.

In early discussions, American Family thought people might need budgeting tools, but from the very first research interview, a different urgent need emerged: people needed a way to shore up their savings enough to protect against unforeseen needs. This same story came from numerous places. In Tennessee, the IDEO design team sat in the kitchen of a working single mom of four, who explained how her lifestyle was built around her extremely constrained budget. She couldn’t afford childcare, so she’d organized her home to allow her 11-year-old to watch the younger kids: partitioned snacks, timers on the TV, chore charts on the fridge. She managed her budget meticulously, it was clear, and she didn’t need new financial tools. What she really needed, she said, was extra income cushions so a surprise expense like a doctor’s visit or stretch investment like a kid’s basketball uniform wouldn't derail her plans. Like many of the people the team visited across the country, she didn't want to take on debt; she wanted extra work and the dignity and peace of mind that comes with it.

Could we, the team wondered, offer people who already have jobs the extra hours and income they need in a way that reduces, rather than exacerbates, the stress they already face? Would employers get on board?

The short answer was yes. Today’s businesses depend on on-demand work, including seasonal warehouse and retail shifts. Typically, companies look to temp agencies whose model is built on staffing with the goal of permanent placement. Moonrise enables companies to tap into a workforce that's already employed, allowing them the benefits of passive recruiting (reliability, consistency), but for short term work.

Knowing innovation was the path to growth, American Family took a chance by embracing a radically new brief: Create a service to help families living on the edge bridge the gap between the size of their paychecks and the size of their dreams. The result was a new business venture called Moonrise.

When customers told us that having an easy way to earn extra money could improve their lives, we were compelled to pursue a solution. Moonrise is a business with a human-centered mission. We’re proud it’s part of our American Family.

Jack Salzwedel, Chairman & CEO, American Family Insurance

The Moonrise platform lets workers sign up for shifts with partner organizations through a simple text message interface, and get paid as soon as their shifts are done. Employers who sign up to partner with Moonrise can list open shifts on the platform.

“Moonrisers” are W-2 employees of Moonrise, not contractors, so they don’t have to pay self-employment taxes. They also get personalized business and comment cards to take to job sites, making their interactions with employers feel more professional. In this way, Moonrise helps workers not only build a buffer against unexpected bills, but also explore new positions and fields—and perhaps even land new full-time work with Moonrise partners.

To test the program in real time, IDEO and American Family assembled 11 Moonrisers, six employers, and a team of designers and programmers to work out kinks in the platform. During a one-week live pilot in Wisconsin, Moonrisers finished a combined 28 work shifts, earning an average of $121 each, while IDEO designers worked behind the scenes to keep the process running smoothly.

Based on the success of the pilot, American Family created a new startup company called Moonrise, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of American Family. Moonrise launched to the public in the Chicago area in 2018, with plans for an eventual nationwide rollout. Moonrise signed Enterprise Rent-A-Car as its first employer and actively matches workers in Chicago with shifts, while continuing to build more corporate partnerships.

Since launching in 2018, over 7,000 people have applied to become Moonrisers, more than 7,000 shifts have been fulfilled, and over $500,000 has been put into the pockets of hardworking Moonrisers. Additionally, Moonrise will be expanding into 3 additional states in 2019.

IDEO and American Family Insurance interviewed customers of The General—a division of American Family—about how they budget to make ends meet. In this conversation, customer Chandra told designers how $62 could be the difference between breaking down and breaking even for her family.

It’s not always easy for established companies to innovate, especially outside their core business. But innovation is a high priority for American Family. Creating an employee -centered startup like Moonrise solves an urgent problem and distinguishes them from their competition. Together, American Family and IDEO identified a pressing human need and built a program from the ground up to meet it.

To monitor how use cases have shifted over time, we developed a social listening tool to scrape AI hashtags on TikTok, creating a visualization of conversations and communities.

In the spring of 2023, much of the positive sentiment around AI was associated with productivity-related hashtags—activities like homework and writing. By October, AI music became its own distinct community, and hashtags for AI fanfiction, AI anime, and memes grew. Our most recent scrape in early 2024 showed us that AI is shifting from a predominantly solo activity to one centered on community. Hashtags like #aiart and #aiartcommunity are growing in size and in connections, suggesting that AI-generated art isn’t created in a silo—people are sharing their experiences.

In just a matter of months, Gen Zs have evolved their use cases to align with their priorities—sharing their passions and connecting with communities in playful and imaginative ways.

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AI companies are also moving fast. The race to create the most impressive and jaw-dropping AI products is adding frenetic urgency, and companies are spending millions of dollars on development resources, then quick-launching new products with the hopes that they will be well received. Often, launch is the first time companies are able to test out their products in the real world. 

We are seeing rapid technological progress, but also backlash against irresponsible designs and technologies that have real potential to clash with human values and cause harm. We believe AI has potential for revolutionary experiences and capabilities that improve the ways we live, connect, and play. But we also believe this future requires a foundation of trust and responsible design. 

To that end, we are experimenting with a different way of developing AI products—one that doesn’t compromise speed but also aligns with human values. By designing experiential prototypes that mimic real-world scenarios, we can create tight feedback loops that get us better user feedback, sooner. These prototypes are run in contained settings where we can look for unintended consequences. (Picture two people with paper scripts, role-playing what it feels like to interact with AI in a particular scenario.) We don't need to build the technology needed for the experience to work—our first step is to test for emotional value. That way, we focus our development resources on building the most impactful and responsible products and experiences possible.

In an earlier phase of our research, we used the results of our social listening experiments to work directly with members of Gen Z between the age of 13-24,  talking through potential product concepts and gathering their reactions. This time, we’re going deeper, prototyping products that have AI taking on different personalities and roles with a group of Gen Zs who are coming of age, gaining life skills, and forming their sense of identity as AI is also taking shape in our society. With their help, we’re learning how to build future AI experiences that center their values and needs. 

Growing up with social media, members of this generation have already felt the potential impact irresponsible technologies can have on their mental health and relationships, and they have a critical eye for both opportunity and responsibility. While they are strong proponents of the products and brands that they believe in, they're also not shy about making their voices heard when products clash with their values systems.  

In this series, we will put eight AI prototypes to the test. By leaning into immersive research tools like experiential testing and imaginative playtesting, we are focusing our learning objective on measuring how these young people feel when they are using AI products, and how the products would impact their perception of themselves and their relationships. For us, understanding the value of the product in the context of the user’s life, their value systems, and relationships is a crucial step that helps us identify the features and technical capabilities that are worth investing in. Join us as we dive into new prototyping methods for designing and testing the edges of what future users really want from AI.

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Parts of the images in this article were created/altered using generative AI.

The ways Gen Z is using AI are evolving almost as fast as the technology itself.

 It’s a way to optimise and improve inefficient and wasteful processes and accelerate emissions compliance—and it’s a great one. But when we leverage AI to shape demand for sustainable solutions, it's also an incredible collaborator.

After all, design is about integrating perspectives, and doing it in a systemic, inclusive way. AI can give us the ability to make our eyes and ears go further while managing exponential complexity. Paradoxically, it can even make us more human centred by making it feasible to access and include more user, employee, and community perspectives. 

At Economist Impact’s recent Sustainability Week in London, we discussed how this approach can succeed, but only when CEOs see sustainability and innovation as one interrelated competitive advantage—and bring them together with a shared remit, adequate bandwidth, and complementary skills. AI can then act as a powerful accelerator, helping to create solutions that meet climate commitments and business objectives. 

Unlocking nature’s perspective with data

This was the case in our work with H&M, which allowed us to delve into its data warehouse as part of its aggressive pursuit to be climate positive by 2030. The fashion giant was dealing with a problem that so many clothing manufacturers face: Traditional supply chain models make it very hard to predict the demand for a specific item of clothing several months in the future. Siloed teams along a supply chain made solving that problem even more complex.

By leveraging machine learning, we were able to incorporate the perspectives and needs of those teams and create an algorithm that could better predict demand and shorten the interval between sales and production. H&M didn’t just reduce excess inventory (and therefore waste), but also better anticipated which products might sell out. The result: In a pilot programme, which has since been scaled more widely, the company improved sales of specific lines by a third while reducing stock by a fifth, a change that was better for its bottom line, and the environment. 

Nature doesn’t appear on balance sheets, and yet most businesses depend on it.

With advances in AI, gains like these can come faster and be more complete—particularly if we take that kind of approach a step further and use nature metrics to train AI models. One of the best ways to approach this is to think of nature as a critical part of your infrastructure and start measuring it as you would any other element. Nature doesn’t appear on balance sheets, and yet most businesses depend on it. In most cases, that data—metrics around land use, water regeneration, forestation, net biodiversity gain, etc.—is available, but simply isn’t being collected and put to use. That means one of the chief perspectives we should consider, that of nature, isn’t being voiced. AI can provide the vocal cords.

Tequila companies, for instance, don't include information about the health of bat populations in their investor reports. But as bat conservationists will tell you, without bats to pollinate agave, there's no tequila. Imagine how bat conservation and food security would improve if tequila manufacturers started tracking bats’ habitat loss and used AI to spot trends, monitor for diseases, or determine effective and cost-efficient conservation strategies.

Solve for desirability down the chain

The data that powers AI is crucial, but it’s just part of the equation. The quality of the output depends just as much on the quality of the prompt. AI can act as a growth engine if we ask it to do so: to behave as a collaborator and surface the needs of more stakeholders in order to help designers create innovative, desirable products with better user experiences. And amid the race to net zero, desirability is key. 

Mature technologies like electric vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaics (PVs) can help us curb emissions, but their “hockey sticks” are already showing signs of fatigue very early on in the race. The European EV market was almost flat in 2023, and PVs’ growth is forecasted to slow in 2024. What is going on?

We have been pushing the supply side—tech and regulation—without paying enough attention to the desirability side. PVs are still more expensive at the moment of purchase and cumbersome to install and use. It remains much easier to just pay your monthly electric bill and let the energy company worry about powering your home.

Ease was a major consideration in our work with Sage, a multinational accounting and business software company. Its visionary Chief Sustainability Officer and innovation team knew that the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) it serves often don’t know how they’re going to reach net zero, and lack the resources to do so. Yet, in the UK alone, they account for about 50 percent of business emissions. Together, we developed Sage Earth, an AI-powered platform that uses Sage’s deep accounting insights to calculate its customers’ emissions, both direct and indirect, easing their transition to net zero.

To achieve scale, we need people to adopt green products because they are better, easier, and more exciting, not because they are green.

To achieve scale, we need people to buy green products because they are better, easier, and more exciting, not because they are green. We need to be more demanding about the quality of the sustainable products and submit them to the same standards as any other product. AI can help us on that journey.

Recently, a fashion retailer described to us the challenges of using recycled cotton, which has a rougher texture. Trying to make T-shirts that maintain the same level of softness as those made from first-use cotton is impossible. Gen AI can use data about existing materials to formulate new ones, consider how to make them more regenerative, determine their best applications, and explore which users those products will most resonate with. 

And there are many more users to design for in a regenerative world. To make our world more circular, we must consider all the humans that follow the first user: the second user, the person who will repair the item, the person who will redistribute it, the third user. Everyone has to desire the resulting product; otherwise, it ends up in a landfill. Thankfully, AI can help us empathise more systemically, not just with the first customer of a product and the subsequent ones, but also with the communities that will be at the receiving end of those products. 

AI can help us empathise more systemically, not just with the first customer of a product and the subsequent ones, but also with the communities that will be at the receiving end of those products.

Think about the design for a new circular appliance, for instance. You aren’t always able to factor in the representation of local repair shops, local recyclers, and the whole ecosystem that will have to deal with the consequences of a new product landing in their community.

Now we can train GPTs that amplify previously-overlooked viewpoints, ask questions, and offer critique to the designers in ways that wouldn't be available otherwise. It provides us with more valuable real-world views and constraints and reduces the number of assumptions we have to make. 

AI shouldn’t substitute for human intelligence but it can do some of the heavy lifting: giving us artificial patience, artificial thoroughness, artificial persistence, and artificial long perspective.

AI can help us capture more of what it is to be human by feeding all the nuances, needs, desires, and concerns that different communities have back to us. It can help us find insights in more of the data nature holds. It can bust through our limitations and complement our shortcomings. AI shouldn’t substitute for human intelligence, but it can do some of the heavy lifting: giving us artificial patience, artificial thoroughness, artificial persistence, and artificial long perspective. It can help us ensure the best choice is the easiest one to make, helping us navigate to a crucial, often overlooked lever in the climate fight: desirability.

‍We discussed “How Organisations Can Use Artificial Intelligence to Boost Sustainability” as part of a panel at Economist Impact’s 9th annual Sustainability Week in London. This piece captures some of what was discussed and our broader thoughts on the subject.

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Parts of the images in this article were created/altered using generative AI.

Often, when we think about how AI can help us solve problems, we think of it as an efficiency driver.

Think back: Starting from the camaraderie of chat rooms in the '90s which created space for gay men to safely build community, to the social media boom of the mid-’00s that redefined global interactions, we've witnessed seismic shifts in how we connect with others and explore our identities. The proliferation of smartphones further catalyzed this transformation, embedding digital interactions into the fabric of our daily lives and birthing the attention economy that dominates today's tech landscape. Influencer culture cemented larger narratives that shape trends, fashion, and societal norms.The 2020s have centered Web3, XR, and AI in the global techno-sphere, creating new mediums for us to convene with others, rethink the design patterns of the past, and creatively express ourselves. 

As designers, we are often tasked with navigating the complex interplay between individuality and collectivity. The question becomes: How can we leverage technology to enhance personal expression while fostering a rich, diverse cultural landscape premised on care, understanding, and communal values? This challenge is not just about creating functional designs, but about understanding the broader implications of our work on the cultural ecosystem.

The good news? Technology is entirely made up, by humans, and all of it can be evolved.

When it’s done well

The positive aspects of this convergence are manifold. The spread of digital tools and platforms has led to an unprecedented explosion of creativity. Now, more than ever, global voices can find and scale messages, meshing our shared cultural fabric. 

Projects like Carne y Arena, a virtual reality installation that immerses participants in the harrowing journey of refugees crossing the US-Mexico border, exemplify the power of technologies like XR to foster understanding, transcending physical and cultural boundaries to tap into the human condition. In the installation, you take off your shoes, feel wind blowing against your skin, and then find yourself in the 360 sight, sound, and touch of the experience, thanks to VR and a body pack. 

As the director, Alejandro Iñárritu, explains, "My intention was to experiment with VR technology to explore the human condition in an attempt to break the dictatorship of the frame—within which things are just observed—and claim the space to allow the visitor to go through a direct experience walking in the immigrants' feet, under their skin, and into their hearts.”

4D experiences like Carne y Arena offer new, visceral ways of activating senses and emotional tones that we are far less able to access in 2D. VR is an incredible storytelling mechanism, and it can be an incredible tool anywhere we are designing for human experiences—like policy implications in government, or caregving in hospitals. Projects like this underscore the potential for design to bridge individual and collective experiences in meaningful ways.

Similarly, during Goliath: Playing With Reality, I immediately felt like every school curriculum should be filled with VR experiences. Through this VR-enabled, animated storyline, we delve into the life of Goliath, a person experiencing schizophrenia. Goliath's narrative highlights years of seclusion in psychiatric facilities and his journey toward finding community in online multiplayer games. The experience invites viewers into his mental world, showcasing the significant role digital communities play in fostering friendships and support, often beyond their initial design intent.

Project Common Voice by Mozilla stands as a beacon of how AI can be harnessed for cultural preservation. At its core, this project is a crowd-sourced database that gathers voice recordings from people around the world, aiming to share voice recognition technologies widely. By encouraging contributions in a multitude of languages, dialects, and accents, Common Voice plays a crucial role in safeguarding linguistic diversity. This effort not only supports the development of more inclusive voice recognition systems that can understand and respond to a broad spectrum of human voices, but also illustrates the capability of technology to support preservation of languages and dialects. In the broader context of design and technology's impact on culture, Project Common Voice exemplifies a commitment to using AI to respect cultural and linguistic diversity, thereby enriching the collective cultural landscape.

As a design tool, Common Voice pushed me to reconsider how AI can be used to design for inclusion at scale. The ability to plug in a service like this means that products can rapidly support more users in more contexts, removing some of the barriers and gatekeeping in many of our existing design paradigms for technology.

And as a final example: Someone close to me has long-term depression and anxiety. She found major collaborative iPhone games, like Clash of Clans, are a way to playfully connect with new people. For her, those friendships moved from online to real life, for life. She and her friends started to travel together—she even dated one for a while. Previously isolated, she ended up moving across the world, from the US to Europe, to live near her new friends. Her life has shifted for the better. She’s healthier, happier, and more connected in real life, as well as online.

As designers, we need to remember that the platforms that we design will be used in many ways outside of our intentions–for better and for worse. In my work at IDEO, I pay attention to how people make what we design their own; often, I fold those use cases in as the real value propositions, even if they are outside of the vision we start with as designers.

The flip side

The rapid integration of individual contributions into the collective domain has also caused irreparable damage. The accelerated pace at which personal expressions become part of the cultural lexicon compromises the depth and authenticity of cultural evolution. The risk of a homogenized, polarized, and defaulted monoculture, shaped by trends, algorithms, and the endless dopamine loops they feed, rather than organic self-understanding and cultural diversity, means that design needs to take on new values. The potential of powerful technologies to be used as surveillance arms means we need to put extra care and intention in how and what we build. The spectrum of ethical issues and social needs invite us to consider how we might use the mediums that come next–AI, XR, robotics, etc.–to preserve the richness of our personal, cultural, and social perspectives in a fast-paced digital world. That’s an opportunity for design.

As designers, we have a broader responsibility to the cultural zeitgeist. We need to advocate for designs that not only resonate on a personal level, but also contribute positively to the collective narrative. We are shaping the levers that culture will build and flow upon, and that’s a major responsibility. This dual focus on the individual and the collective calls for a nuanced approach to design, one that balances innovation with care, and personal expression with cultural nuance.

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Parts of the images in this article were created/altered using generative AI.

Over the past 30 years, technology has converged individual creativity with our collective cultural experience, reshaping our personal realms and redefining the broader cultural tapestry in which we all participate.

The toymaker came to us to figure out how to make the device safe and fun. We started thinking not just in terms of physical usability (though designing for tiny hands and making sure products can survive a drop on the ground is our bread and butter), but also about how we encourage healthy engagement patterns.

A lot of VR headsets are designed to be super sticky—so engaging that users don’t want to take them off. But when we design for kids, we spend a lot of time thinking about how we can create healthy interactions. We wanted the design of the View-Master to help children intuit when it was time to put the toy down. So, we decided not to include a head strap—or any other means of attaching the headset to little bodies. When kids felt their arms get tired or their eyes start to cross, they would know it was time to take a break.

Over the past four decades, the IDEO Play Lab has designed and licensed more than 250 toys and games, from classics like the Barbie Camper to the first set of Sesame Workshop smartphone apps for kids.

With every product, we think about how to design fun and engaging experiences that delight parents, entertain kids, and lead to success for our partners. But we also put a lot of thought into making design decisions that support healthy habits, and help kids—and their families—thrive. 

Here are a few examples of how we’ve navigated those design choices.

Designing for movement: Dusty Wing Control

Most of us have learned to use a joystick or a set of arrows to drive a remote-controlled toy or move a character around a screen. But when we set out to help bring the character “Dusty” from the popular Disney movie Planes to life in an action-oriented vehicle toy, we took a step back to rethink how littler kids would engage with it.

As we tested designs, we saw that small children not only struggled with small buttons and the spatial skills necessary to operate the typical remote control joystick, but also that there was no fun in sitting still and tapping buttons. Instead, during our design research sessions, kids pretended to be the characters: They went full airplane mode, hands stretched out, zooming around the living room, dodging furniture. 

Taking a cue from their play patterns, we put Dusty’s remote control mechanism in toy wing tips that fit on little hands, enabling them to interact in a way that is not only more fun, but also instinctive, better mirroring how they naturally play. Players drive Dusty forward by pressing and holding a controller button, enabling his propellers to spin. When they bank left and right, Dusty matches their every move. Dusty even calls out flying commands that they can perform together.  The toy is not just easy for them to operate; it also gets them off the couch and moving, playing the main character in their own stories.

Designing for confidence: Pictionary Air

When we set out to re-invent the classic drawing game for the digital age, we had to figure out how to bring the core interaction to life in a new way. During ethnographic research, we noticed that when players were under pressure, they would often stare at their drawings looking embarrassed, and hesitate to keep drawing. To get people out of their heads and back in the game, we designed a new interaction that keeps participants looking up and laughing with each other. We combined a light pen and a smart device’s camera to allow picturists to create life-size illustrations in the air in front of them, an early foray into AR for classic games. For another layer of fun—and another option for those with less confidence in their drawing skills—players could interact with their sketches to provide more clues, much like in charades. We also decided to make drawings disappear quickly after each round was finished, to lower the stakes for self-conscious players.

Designing for all ages: Twister Air

In classic Twister, the fun hits when players are frozen in contortionist poses, hovering and balancing over each other. Our challenge from Hasbro: What does Twister look like in the TikTok era? And how do we make it fun for everyone? As we tested out potential interactions, we observed that for younger kids and older adults (basically everyone but the teenagers), the choreography on most popular dances was a bit much to learn or to even attempt. While kids found it hilarious when parents messed up (you’ll see lots of dance flops posted online!), we also wanted to find a way to create a sense of achievement for all ages. We started looking for the sweet spot between silly fun and accessibility, stretching players just enough to make them feel challenged, but not too overwhelmed to keep trying. In our prototypes, we preserved the classic Twister interaction while building in opportunities for rockstar moments where players can flop or shine. The footage made for viral family group chat nuggets, helping everyone feel part of the fun.

Designing for development: Little People Klip Klops

Preschoolers love the action of cars zipping down racetracks. But typical matchbox cars move too quickly for their little hands and slow reaction times.  When we set out to create a similar action-oriented—but also character-driven—toy for Little People, we needed to figure out how to slow down the experience, without sacrificing the action. Through several rounds of prototyping, we built out Klip Klops, leveraging a very simple mechanism that allowed princesses on ponies to teeter back and forth down a ridged downward track. By centering  the “clip clop” sounds of the hooves and building out a multi-story castle setting where the princesses and their steeds would live, we created opportunities for kids to enjoy the intentionality of the movement and built in the space for layered storytelling, allowing little kids to practice multiple development skills at once.

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Navigating your own toy design journey, or trying to get your team at work to stretch its imagination? Get in touch at helloplaylab@ideo.com. We’d love to collaborate.

Almost a decade ago, when we were all exploring VR of the early aughts, Mattel set out to redesign its classic View-Master as an affordable VR headset for a new generation of kids.

I help organizations cut through complexity by shaping how they show up, through brand strategy, identity, and storytelling.

Working at the intersection of brand and business, I bring an editorial eye and a bias toward making—turning ideas into tangible experiences that people can understand, trust, and believe in.

My work spans government, healthcare, financial services, media, and consumer goods, from launching Gen Z-focused ventures to building innovation labs and reimagining legacy brands. I relish moments of ambiguity and enjoy translating across teams, perspectives, and priorities to move ideas forward.

I started my career in editorial and digital design, shaping cross-platform experiences and identity systems in publishing and agency environments. That foundation still shapes how I work today: I’m detail-oriented, collaborative, and overreliant on the Oxford comma. I hold a BFA in Visual Communication from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

For 25 years, I've asked the same question: Who does this design exclude—and what are we going to do about it?

My work spans human-centered strategy, inclusive design, and qualitative research, with clients ranging from Microsoft, Google, and Verizon to the National Science Foundation, and San Francisco Unified School District.

Before IDEO, I taught elementary school in East Palo Alto and spent a decade doing design work with social service organizations—where I learned firsthand what it costs people when systems are built without them in mind.

I am currently writing User Error, a nonfiction book about digital access and the design decisions behind it. I live in Oakland, California.

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My expertise spans brand, communication, and product design across tech, education, the arts, and social impact.

I believe great work demands both high-level vision and obsessive attention to detail, and only happens through collaboration.

I bring an inclusive, hands-on approach and a deep understanding of business, which enables me to consistently deliver excellence while always asking why.

Before joining IDEO, I worked at the brand firms Pentagram and VSA Partners. I began my career as a designer, leading teams at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Milwaukee Art Museum. I hold an MFA in graphic design from Maryland Institute College of Art and a BFA in communication design from the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and have taught at some of the best design schools in the US.

I am responsible for IDEO’s long-term success in China and working with clients to use design as a tool to enable growth. Specifically, I have helped Chinese companies design holistic brand solutions through the development of their products, communication, services, and innovation teams, and I have helped multinationals expand their presence and influence in China.

I advise global leaders on developing China-led innovation and capabilities.

In over 15 years in IDEO Shanghai, I have worked on projects that use design to elevate the quality of the experience of healthcare products and services, streamline processes that increase productivity, create spaces and programs that promote and enable inclusive communities, and build next generation mobility solutions that are planet-positive.

Before joining IDEO, I worked at Philips Electronics and the Electrolux Group in Italy, the Netherlands, and Singapore on a number of breakthrough commercial products. I am a member of the Young President Organization in Shanghai.

Most AI products today are built for work—a space with clear problems and established systems. One founder noticed a gap: personal life is messier, harder to systematize, and mostly left behind by the AI boom. So she built Cue, a personal AI that lives inside iMessage and group chats, to go where the other tools haven't.

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In this episode, Becca Carroll, IDEO's Chief Strategy Officer, talks with Sida Li, co-founder and CEO of Shared Context Lab, about staying anchored to a human need while the technology around her keeps changing shape, why she treats her business model with the same rigor she'd bring to a product, and what it feels like to build a company at this particular, disorienting moment in AI.

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The conversation also gets into how Sida makes design decisions: the language Cue uses to describe itself, the tradeoffs behind building inside iMessage instead of a new app, and a real story about a business idea that didn’t pan out.

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This is the second in a two-part series profiling founders from IDEO's Startups-in-Residence program. The first conversation is with Johannes Seemann, founder of Sooner, on designing GenAI for the emotional side of money.

Most personal financial tools are built to run the numbers and optimize towards a budget. While that works for some, most people experience money as a lived relationship that does not neatly fit into a spreadsheet. Johannes Seemann and Becca Carroll discuss why money is emotional before it is mathematical, and what a human-centered approach to building a generative AI financial product looks like in practice.

Mina Seetharaman talks with Scott Shigeoka, author of Seek and Head of Curiosity Cultivation at the Eames Institute, about what distinguishes genuinely curious leadership from performative curiosity, how power dynamics shape curiosity, and why practicing curiosity can restore energy rather than drain it.

Mina Seetharaman talks with David Epstein, author of Inside the Box and Range, about why total freedom often produces average work, how leaders can design useful limits on purpose, and what organizations such as General Magic and Pixar reveal about the relationship between boundaries and creativity.