Increasingly, digital spaces are proving detrimental to youth mental health. By co-designing with youth, Kooth and IDEO set out to flip the script, creating a positive digital space for young people to safely explore their mental wellbeing. 

When Kooth, IDEO, and Blackbird, IDEO’s longtime development partner, first started working on the project, the window of opportunity was narrow, and the stakes were high. The group was up against a nine-week deadline to create a working proof of concept app. Also on the line: a $188 million contract with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)—one that would open an entirely new line of business for Kooth. 

The app needed to do more than demonstrate functionality—it needed to prove its value. To ensure that they were creating an asset that truly fit the needs of young people, the team turned to an initial cohort of 13-25 year-old co-designers who explored early features, created video diaries, and shared their questions about and experiences with mental health. These young people often gravitated toward self-service tools that helped them take action based on their feelings. With their feedback, the team created new expressions of clinically-validated behavioral health tools like journaling, breathwork and white noise—and built novel tools, such as Starboard, an expressive drawing tool and a nod to art therapy. 

The team took inspiration from content the co-designers liked to consume, such as story-driven video games that enable freedom of exploration, deepened by a unifying mythology. That led them to a constellation theme, which made the experience more intriguing and playful. The co-designers also recommended a dark color palette, because they preferred exploring the app at night. 

With these insights, the team refined the proof of concept, and then conducted a one-week pilot with another 50 young people across California. Their positive feedback gave the State the confidence to invest in a $188 million, four-year contract for Kooth to bring the app to a platform at scale. 

Over the next year, the team engaged another 150 young people to help design, shape, and test the app. At the same time, Kooth and IDEO created a clinical oversight group, which included a pediatrician, therapists, and other clinical specialists. This group anchored the platform in the practices of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), cultivating psychological flexibility—the mindful acceptance of positive and negative emotions. Young people are invited to complete short reflections and surveys throughout their journey with the app, which includes rigorous, science-backed measurements to assess the therapeutic benefits.

Behind the scenes, the team developed a clinical-facing service and digital platform that empowers Kooth’s peer specialists, social workers, community curators, and clinicians to support the youth experience, all while protecting privacy and confidentiality. They also navigated a complex landscape of state requirements and government legislation, ensuring that the platform could cover topics like substance abuse and gender identity, and that users could access coaching within 24 hours, and choose from a diverse set of experts. 

The last step was to select a name that worked across multiple languages, trademarks, and competitor branding, and didn’t come off as a mental health service, something the youth co-designers believed was critical. IDEO and Kooth landed on Soluna, a name that alludes to the app’s presence in both the bright (“sol” for sun) and the dark times (“luna” for moon). 

Now, Soluna is available for free to all youth in California, and the state has set ambitious targets for reaching all young people at scale. Soluna is a living platform that will continue to receive product and design updates for years to come, all deeply rooted in youth co-design.

The US Surgeon General named mental health “the defining public health crisis of our time,” and cited social media, online bullying, and the isolation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as major drivers that have significant negative outcomes for youth.
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In California alone, more than 284,000 youth cope with major depression. 66% of kids with depression do not receive treatment. Between 2019-2020, the suicide rate for kids ages 10-18 increased by 20%.
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In 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health set aside $4.6 billion to increase access to mental health and substance abuse support, the largest commitment to youth mental health ever made by a state.

94%

of proof-of-concept app users would recommend the Soluna app to a friend, and believe that engaging with the app would be a positive addition to their daily/weekly routine

6 million

young people in California had access to Soluna at launch in January 2024

Creating a better cervical cancer screening experience is an important mission, but also a challenging one. Not only would Teal have to address the regulations that face healthcare device companies, it would also need to build a comprehensive telehealth platform and a physical product—a wand that could easily collect an adequate cell sample, even in the hands of an untrained person. 

The first challenge was to create the wand. The device would need to do a lot: It’s impossible for a person to see their own cervix, so the user would have to be able to find the cervix blind, collect the sample themselves, and remove the wand from their bodies without contaminating it on other parts of their anatomy. Because this is something users are likely to do in their bathrooms, where there is no space to lie down, they would need to be able to use the device while standing—and with one hand. From the beginning, the IDEO team set out to design functional, testable prototypes to make sure the idea was viable, and incorporate diverse voices into the research process, including trans, minority, and disabled women. 

Because the product is meant for people who aren’t medical professionals, the team worked to design something as simple, intuitive, and unintimidating as possible. They used a 3-D printer to create multiples of every prototype, autoclaves to make sure that the designs they were creating were sterile, and leaned into shapes women are already used to, like the cylindrical shape of a tampon. The wand they created has that same basic form, but with a soft sponge that the user can deploy with the turn of a dial to collect the sample, then close to protect it from contamination on the way out of the body.

With working prototypes in hand, Teal set out to test their efficacy. In an initial study with 220 participants varying in age, race, socioeconomic status, and geography, Teal found that not only were participants able to successfully self-collect samples, they also preferred them over the speculum, the device doctors typically use during a screening. Some 92 percent said if they knew the results were equal they would prefer self-collection, while 87 percent reported they would stay current with screening if Teal Wand was an option. Self-collection took the vast majority under two minutes to complete, and 97% of study participants reported it was very easy or easy to use. The Teal Wand recently received a patent for its unique design.

The IDEO team also worked on the packaging and unboxing experience, which plays an important role in supporting the user through the self-screening process. The team built in thoughtful design cues to give users reassurance that they are using the wand correctly, and to provide the same level of confidence they would have in the results of an in-clinic screening. 

In January 2023, Teal raised an $8.8 million seed round from Serena Ventures, Emerson Collective, and Metrodora, and later that year, launched a nationwide clinical trial with leading health organizations including Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, the University of Colorado, Washington University, and others. In 2025, The Teal Wand became the first FDA-authorized device for at-home cervical cancer screening, with virtual medical provider support. Today, it's available in all 50 states. i’s an enormous step toward its North Star: catching cervical cancer earlier and saving lives.

Cervical cancer is nearly 100% preventable when it’s caught early, yet one in four women in the US are not up to date on their screenings.
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More than 12,000 people in the US are being diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, and more than 4,000 people die of the disease, which disproportionately impacts Black, Asian, and Hispanic women.
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More than half of cervical cancer cases are found in women that are not up-to-date on their screenings.

97%

of clinical study participants said the Teal Wand was very easy or easy to use.

87%

of participants said they would be more likely to stay current with screening guidelines if Teal Wand was an option.

94%

of participants said they would choose to collect their own sample from home rather than the current standard of care where a clinician collects it in-office.

2025

The Teal Wand becomes the first FDA authorized device for at-home cervical cancer screening, with virtual medical provider support.

Cities United already had a strong foundation with its stated mission, vision, and values. IDEO brought those to life with a new visual and verbal brand identity system that celebrates Cities United’s inclusive approach to building relationships and reimagining public safety.

To help Cities United with its verbal identity, the IDEO team defined the organization's voice, tone, and key messages, making it easier to tell its story more consistently and clearly, a crucial step toward engaging stakeholders.

To define the new visual identity, the team created a new logo, a letter C composed of interwoven shapes that represent the three tenets of their vision—“safe, happy, and hopeful;” a new design language that references city grids; and a typographic system anchored by the typeface VTC DuBois, inspired by W.E.B. DuBois’s own custom lettering and designed by the Black-owned Vocal Type Co. The team also designed a color palette that embodies the textures of city life with hues reminiscent of asphalt, sunrise, and brick. 

To amplify the refreshed branding, the team designed a new responsive website, citiesunited.org. The intuitive site shares the organization’s mission, resources, ongoing projects, and partner network, inviting stakeholders to join in their transformative work. IDEO also created a video to humanize Cities United’s mission and showcase its nationwide impact. It underscores the unity, resilience, and hope embodied by the organization through a chorus of voices.

This comprehensive rebranding widens Cities United’s reach and impact, helping the organization share its goal of creating safe, healthy, hopeful communities for young Black men, boys, and their families, and reintroduces the organization to a national audience. 

The Cities United work was supported by IDEO’s Racial Justice Impact Fund, part of a commitment IDEO made in 2020 to ​​address systemic racism and advance equity within our own organization, our client work, and beyond.

Cities United is committed to reducing the epidemic of homicides and shootings among young Black men and boys ages 14-to-24 by 50%.

Between 2009 and 2019, the number of Black children who “did not go to school at least one day in the past month because they felt unsafe at school or on their way to or from school” increased by 84%, according to Cities United.

Homicide is the leading cause of death for Black men and boys from birth to age 44, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

2023 SF Design Week Award

In recognition of IDEO’s brand work with Citizens United

Sleep is a critical resource for shift workers—and their employers, too. Together, IDEO and Somni worked directly with people with acute and chronic sleep challenges to create concepts that could support their sleep goals, and provide employers with the means to improve employee health.

When IDEO and Somni first partnered, the startup was an early-stage company, so the team started small, with focused sprints and workshops to redesign the core aspects of the company and product offerings. The team interviewed shift workers about their sleep patterns, which can vary quite a bit. Even when people keep to a specific schedule on work days, they often have to change their patterns on days off to spend time with family and friends, leading to a very disruptive sleep cycle. Research revealed that many third shift workers were dealing with sleep and health issues, but also a pervasive “machismo” culture,  pressure to “tough it out,” and a reliance on energy drinks to deal with lack of sleep. 

To address those issues, the team designed a digital experience for sleep cohorts, support groups where members could share their experiences and sleep strategies, and work with a coach and sponsor who already had been through the program. The platform analyzed workers’ data, and provided AI-enabled recommendations for improving their sleep. The big takeaway? Data by itself wasn’t necessarily helpful, and could be confusing for folks who were less digitally-fluent. Providing context, like a calendar that displayed sleep experiments at a glance, was crucial. 

The IDEO team also created a new user experience for a genetic testing program that could uncover factors associated with sleep issues. Somni aims to use a saliva-based genetic test to monitor for DNA damage caused by circadian disruption, then leverage its sleep improvement program to prevent further damage. Because biomarker testing is a differentiating offer for Somni, it was extremely important that the team get it right, both to make sure that users could understand its utility, and for Somni to provide real value. The design challenge was unique—and not just because of data privacy concerns. Presenting data about DNA damage in a non-human-centered way could increase the anxiety workers had around their sleep.

At the end of the project, Somni leveraged the insights the IDEO team surfaced to improve products like its sleep coaching service, and to refine its biomarker testing offering. Based on this work, Somni has also created a pilot with a Fortune 100 company, which is currently in progress, as it works to mitigate the ill effects of disrupted sleep for employees and the companies they work for.

In the short-term, circadian rhythm disruption leads to an array of jet-lag-like symptoms, and in the long-run, it may contribute to weight gain, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

It also impairs people’s ability to work, affecting productivity, creativity, and the overall work environment. Productivity loss can lead to employer baseline healthcare costs that are 26% higher, and over time, insomnia can result in an average cost of $4,267 more per employee per year.

In June 2019, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified shift work as a probable carcinogen.

75%

user retention in Somni's sleep program

$2,450

savings per year per employee for users who complete the program

33%

improvement in sleep quality, and 41 more minutes per night

Throughout all those years, from the machine shop to the digital shop, regardless of the technology we’re using or the problem we’re trying to solve, what has really gotten things done is ingenuity and creative thinking—especially in the face of dire cost and time constraints. A little bit of luck never hurts either.

So without further ado, here are my four favorite workarounds of my last decade and a half at IDEO.

2001: Using an Oscilloscope to save the sunroof

The challenge: The sunroof in your car is an invitation to luxury—catch some rays, feel the wind in your hair. The problem is, when driving at certain speeds with the sunroof open, a distinct and unpleasant booming noise can occur, making the experience rather less glamorous. The sound, a quick, repetitive thumping, is called “buffeting.”

Carmakers couldn’t figure out what to do about it. A luxury automobile company hired IDEO to find a way to make it stop.

IDEO’s workaround: My colleague Thomas Enders and I borrowed a brand new Mercedes-Benz and went for a ride! We brought along an oscilloscope (or “O-scope”) to measure the frequency and intensity of the sound waves of the buffeting effect at various speeds. With Thomas at the wheel, I held the O-scope, connected to a barometric sensor. This way, we were able to measure what was happening every time the buffeting started up.

What we discovered was that closing or opening the sunroof a small amount would change the dynamic of the air space in the car, and the buffeting noise would stop. So we designed a circuit that could detect buffeting and automatically adjust the opening of the sunroof to get rid of the annoying noise. Cruise on, in unimpeded luxury!

2002: Turntable-testing stylus materials

The challenge: Handspring, a company that produced hand-held PDAs (remember those?), looked to IDEO to find the best, most durable material to use for their stylus pens. We narrowed it down to a few polymers of various densities, but we had to figure out how to effectively test the materials for wear and friction over time.

IDEO’s workaround: We bought an $8 record player at the local Salvation Army, and replaced the needle with the various materials we were testing. Then we started it up and used a tachometer to track revolutions and measure distance and speed. Now we can brag about our DJ skills.

2012: Making the functional fashionable with paracord

The challenge: We worked with Vodafone and fashion designer Richard Nicoll to create a purse that could charge a mobile phone, while also being stylish enough to work the catwalk at the London Fashion Show. Part of the design was a small charm that hung outside the purse and flashed LED lights to signal incoming calls and text messages. We needed to find a coating for the charm that would protect the LEDs without being a fashion faux pas.

IDEO’s workaround: While we were brainstorming materials, I looked down at the bracelet I was wearing. It was made of paracord, commonly used for the strings of parachutes. Paracord is extremely durable, and it’s sold in a plethora of colors and patterns. We ordered a few strands online and found that we could remove the sheathing from the outside of the cord. We dressed the charm’s electrical cord with the sheathing from paracord, and voilà ! It gave the high-tech handbag a clean look and feel that was fit for the catwalk.

2013: Cooking circuit boards in a toaster oven

The challenge: Today’s electronics can be minuscule, and that means soldering up a printed circuit board (PCB) by hand can take forever. People who build a large number of PCBs use reflow soldering technology, but the necessary equipment is extremely expensive.

IDEO’s workaround: We decided that, given the type of rework electronics we do, it would be a good idea to tap into the mindset of the DIY community. Taking a page from their book, we bought a standard toaster oven. We fired it up and tested different temperature profiles and various types of solder paste, and soon came up with a working reflow soldering system.

Illustrations by Ina Xi

In my 15 years at IDEO, I’ve had a hand in roughly 130 projects. Some of the technologies I’ve worked on have become obsolete, like component research that required dozens of part catalogs (now, we just use the Internet). Many, though, have become the foundation for newer technologies, like discrete components, which were developed into MEMS sensors. And some, like the first Olympic torch to use LEDs rather than a flame, have been the very first of their kind.

IDEO New York developer Francis Tseng is—in his spare time—searching for a solution to the problem by exploring its root: the relationship between content and code. Tseng received a grant from the Knight Foundation to develop Argos*, an online news aggregation app that intelligently collects, summarizes and provides contextual information for news stories. Having recently finished version 0.1.0, which he calls the first “complete-ish” release of Argos, Tseng spoke with veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker Jason Cohn about the role technology can play in our consumption—and comprehension—of the news.

How would you describe to my mom, who just got her first smartphone, how Argos works and why it’s useful?

I’d say that it collects all of the important news and tells you exactly what you need to know about it. Instead of tracking separate publications, it pulls in new articles from a variety of different sources (right now, just a few major publications) and condenses everything into a set of bullet points. Argos uses a technique called “hierarchical agglomerative clustering” (HAC) to organize news stories. HAC takes each individual article and compares it to every other article, and comes up with a number representing how similar they are, on a scale of 0-1. If the similarity is above some threshold—say, greater than 0.7—the articles are considered to be talking about the same event, and they are grouped together into “event clusters.” The same HAC clustering technique is then applied to the event clusters to organize events into “story clusters.”

A sentence ranking algorithm generates a summary of each event cluster by analyzing the text of every article in the cluster and assigning an “informativeness” value to each sentence. It then takes the top five highest-ranked sentences and forms a summary. Right now I have a very simple version implemented, but the long-run focus will be on improving these core algorithms that do the heavy lifting.

Are journalists necessary anymore? Have I been replaced by an algorithm?

I personally don’t think that journalists will be replaced, at least not for a long time. Someone still needs to go out and do the research and the original reporting to get the information that the algorithm uses, which seems like the hardest and most valuable part of journalism.

It seems like some new tech applications derive from the recognition of a new technical capacity, which you then look for novel ways to use. In other cases, it begins with the recognition of a need, and you look for extant technologies that provide a possible solution. Which way did you approach Argos?

Both. I’ve always had a fascination with artificial intelligence, and that fascination has probably made me more sensitive to problem areas where AI approaches could be applicable. Personally, I find information overload, especially when it comes to keeping up with the news, really anxiety inducing and overwhelming, and I think because I was already familiar with some of these text processing techniques, it made sense to try applying them to this particular problem.

I’m glad you brought up information anxiety and overload. I think it’s a huge barrier to understanding the news today. There is so much information and analysis, but I don’t trust any of it, and I don’t know how to begin to get to the bottom of what’s really happening. Do you think Argos, or technology in general, can be an aid in this problem?

That's a particularly good example of the fact that there are different kinds of information overload. There’s one that is just about having too much information, but there’s another that is about figuring out which information you can trust. In general I would say technology has the potential to salve these kinds of anxieties, but it can just as easily do the opposite. More than anything, I hope Argos reduces the problem rather than adds to it, but one of the big failings I’ve felt with this first version is that it doesn’t accomplish that; it ends up generating more noise. Based on the feedback I’ve gotten, I'm looking at new designs and reevaluating techniques in order to rectify that.

What did you learn through building the first version that will influence the next one?

When I originally conceived of Argos, I was (and probably still am) naive about the extent of the issues that plague digital journalism. The more I looked into it, the more problems came up. Initially, the idea was about reducing information overload, mostly by supplying missing context to stories. But after completing this first version, I think that reducing overload and providing context might be really big and different issues. So right now I’m trying to determine how—and if—they can be solved simultaneously.

You mean because providing more context increases—by a lot—the amount of information a news consumer requires?

Exactly. The other main goal was increasing the understanding one got out of reading the news, which is what context is supposed to help with. But that’s kind of useless if all that information ends up driving people away from reading the news in the first place.

What changes are you planning for the next version of Argos?

In the first version the design was focused more on providing an experience similar to a traditional news publication or news reader. The app was organized around different feeds, or streams, presented as full-screen images with the title and summary of each event.

One issue was that the design wasn’t distinct from other news readers—you can’t really tell from looking at it that it’s offering anything different from a traditional RSS reader or news application. And it’s really hard to expect that every news story will come with a nice big image. Also, though, I think that in approaching the app as a traditional news publication, I missed the point of what I was trying to accomplish. The feedback I've gotten has helped me understand that Argos can have a more useful and unique place in being kind of a “daily scan” of the day's news events. So the new designs are more akin to brief updates about events around the world, to provide people with an entry or starting point for reading more and getting involved in discussions.

And you give them avenues for digging deeper into contexts and definitions?

Yes. The original source material is there to read, and context is optionally provided. You can choose to read more about the event itself, or about the people, places, organizations, etc. that are involved.

What about the issue of bias? As journalists, we’ve always had to be wary of our sources. And as consumers of news, it’s always been a good idea to assume that someone with an agenda is feeding reporters their information. How does Argos handle biases and opinions that are embedded in a story?

The issue of bias in journalism is one of those big problems that cropped up when I looked more closely at what I wanted Argos to do. It seems like a perennial issue. One potential solution is that, if you sample a large enough set of publications, bias might “average out,” so that any summary that is formed from their aggregate has less bias than any individual article. I don’t know if that works in practice though. My cop-out answer would be that Argos isn’t really trying to solve the problem of bias, but personally I hope that one day it can. Looking at the history and associations of the author who wrote the piece could actually be a very good technique. In the new version of Argos, I want to incorporate more community dialogue around the events and stories. In my experience, a lot of these issues about bias—being as complex and nuanced as they are—are best hashed out by individuals discussing them.

I think I have to disagree with you on that! My feeling about web comments on news stories is that they rarely shed much light relative to heat.

It is very difficult to pull off correctly. A lot of comments devolve into knee-jerk shouting matches. Occasionally, though, I’ve found something really insightful. On Reddit, sometimes experts will come in and succinctly explain things, and every once in a while you see a very levelheaded discussion about a story. I think the potential is there, but it’s hard to get it right.

One thing I’ve been focusing on is that I’m trying to get my hands mostly on reporting that’s coming from the field. The rest is just analysis, which, in my opinion, is more susceptible to ideological influence.

Yes! I have been thinking a lot about how to incorporate grassroots and community reporting. I’m dissatisfied with Argos’s current approach of relying on major publications, but it’s just easier at this stage.

Do you need to have content licensing relationships with news organizations to harvest the data or can you just… borrow it?

It’s possible this usage of the content falls under the terms of “fair use.” All the original articles are cited, and I’m hoping that these high-level summaries can interest people in reading the original posts. Since things are still quite experimental, I’m not worrying about the potential legal consequences now, but at some point I will want to talk to the publishers.

It seems to me that one really useful type of story for Argos is something like the lost Malaysian airliner. There was a big burst of real news when the plane disappeared, and then there was an endless cycle of conjecture and empty reportage with very little actual “news.” If you were following that story on Argos, would you avoid being updated every five minutes to discover that they still haven’t found the missing plane?

Yes, if the clustering algorithm works well enough, it should be able to recognize that these articles are talking about exactly the same thing as the ones from last week, so it’s not a new event.

It would be nice if cable news worked like that.

Maybe with Argos it will!

*Argos is a personal project of Francis Tseng's and is not affiliated with IDEO.

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Digital journalism has evolved to a point of paradox: we now have access to such an overwhelming amount of news that it’s actually become more difficult to understand current events.

Generative art, or art derived from computer code, is a relatively new format, in which the artist-programmer realizes a vision or idea by defining parameters and commands. But making generative art is, in many ways, just like painting or any other classical fine art.

When you create a painting, you start with an inspiration and sketch it on paper. You then prepare your oils, brushes, and canvas, and you refine the painting until it’s just right. I follow a similar process with generative art. When something inspires me, whether it’s a contour map in a geographic magazine, a chart representing a mathematical formula, or the various mechE tools in my father’s workshop, I sketch it on paper and jot down the keywords that best describe it. Then, I sit down at my computer and compose the code (using the Python programming language) that will “paint” the right “brush strokes.” I run the code to generate images on my computer, and go through multiple iterations until the code outputs the shapes, colors, opacities, and shadows that perfectly express my original idea.

I leverage the power of my computer to generate the artwork. Where a classical fine artist would pull out their oils and brushes to express colors and shapes, I do the same with parameters. For example, I defined a palette of colors for painting waves like this:

As if the computer was a hand holding a brush, I tell it how to paint by defining command codes, like draw_wave:

Delightful randomness

While most of the parameters in my code are set statically, I have also added an algorithm that allows certain parameters to be generated randomly, so the visual elements of the image change randomly within a defined range. This way, the final product is unpredictable; I’ll never know exactly what image will be generated.

This function returns a float number randomly ranging from 0.1 to 0.7:

The random parameters are not only unpredictable, but also non-reiterative, so these images cannot be recreated—they are completely unique.

Algorithm as art

Computer graphics are based on mathematics, so when I paint with code, I am exploring and visualizing the beauty of structure, abstraction, and complexity in mathematics that most of us don’t get to see in our daily lives. It often happens that when I play with a new algorithm and see the images it generates, I'm inspired to develop them into artwork, as was the case with Tsunami, below. The inspiration for this series came while playing with an algorithm named Cornu Curve, which generates a fantastic visual effect of crazy waves. From the same code, I made six different images using a combination of a hundred curves in varying opacities and shades of blue.

Unlimited complexity

Creating art with code allows me to make complex images that I could never have made by hand, such as All Seeing Eye, below. It is composed of millions of lines and hundreds of layers, and each line has its own shadow, blur, and opacity.

My goal was to use the complex texture to create the visual effect of catching or entrapping the audience in the “eye.” The computer is an exciting tool for creating art like this, which requires repetitive, intricate work. A piece of generative artwork composed of millions of shapes can be drawn in just a few minutes. Rendered by hand, the same piece might take a human ten years to accomplish.

Like a painter selecting the perfect tool, I used the following piece of code to define a “brush” with just the right characteristics to create the lines I wanted:

Then, just as a painter would use a specific gesture to create a certain visual effect, I used the following code to tell my computer how to hold and draw with the brush I created:

Functional designs

The exciting thing about generative art is that it is not only beautiful, but also usable. We can create new patterns and unique fabrics for the fashion industry, or we can move beyond two-dimensional creations and use generative art to make sculpture, furniture, and even architecture.

Creating art with code, I’m constantly making new discoveries of exciting visual possibilities. Computers have revolutionized countless aspects of human life, and now, generative art has the potential to revolutionize artistic expression, opening infinite space for innovation.

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By day, I code mobile apps and design digital experiences. In my free time, I create art. I recently began exploring both at once with generative art, a sublime combination of computer programming and graphic art.

Wild ideas emerged: a Hug Deli, where patrons might order Ninja Hugs off the menu; a mystery bar, serving up a drink chosen by the previous guest. The big idea was to get people out of their “thinking minds“ in order to freely create.

And that brought us to Fauxtobooth.

A riff on the classic photobooth we all know and love, this version is completely handmade and doubles as a creative confidence booster—forcing people to draw on a deadline.

How it works

The subject takes a seat inside the booth, facing a mirror. Thirty seconds after pressing a button, the subject receives a slip of paper through a slot below the mirror with—whoa!—a hand-drawn sketch of his or her face on it.

Um, how exactly did that work?

When the host brings the subject around to the back of the booth, the inner workings of the machine are revealed: table, chair, paper, Sharpies. The subject was actually posing in front of a two-way mirror and now it's his or her turn to take on the role of fauxtographer—of capturing the next unsuspecting subject.

How it's made

To make a full-scale prototype, you’ll need some foam core and tape. A crude model will help you get a sense of the dimensions and how long it would take to build. The massive black exterior offers an opportunity to advertise your offer. We used vinyl decals for our slogan: “Automatic portraits while you wait!“

Enlist friends: Building a Fauxtobooth takes a village (who likes to cut foam core alone anyway?).

Glue together pieces of foam core to provide structural integrity, and attach the parts using industrial strength velcro, making it possible to easily deconstruct and transport the booth.

Finishing touches

A few key elements bring the Fauxtobooth to life: a two-way mirror, a giant red “Start” button, and graphic flourishes:

• Two-way mirror: The artist can see the subject, but not the other way around. Position the Fauxtobooth under direct light on the subject’s side (you can also use a spotlight), and make sure the curtain is closed on the other side to completely conceal the artist.
• “Start” button: Program an Arduino to keep time (we used an interval of 30 seconds). When pressed, the button lights up for 20 seconds; for the last 10 seconds it blinks and counts down. This serves a dual purpose: the subject knows to hold still for their portrait and the artist knows how much time they have to complete the portrait.
• Graphics: IDEO designer extraordinaire Njoki Gitahi loves bold, vintage signs, and playful, typographic compositions. She took inspiration from Lou Dorfsman’s “Gastrotypographicalassemblage.“ The team vinyl cut and applied the graphics—a tricky process, but well worth it in the end. The white lettering creates a dramatic display against the black backdrop.

What we learned

Once we narrowed in on the Fauxtobooth concept, we realized that (1) you can capture the gestalt of a person in a very short time, (2) people have fun with it, and (3) the collection of images make for an awesome display wall. Here are a few other things we discovered along the way:

• Get back to basics. Building with common materials like foam core, tape, and Velcro reconnects you to basic skills and tools. And the analog experience charmed the pants off people.
• Velcro is your friend. Not only is the sticky stuff forgiving if you don’t get the alignment just right on the first try, it also allows you to disassemble and reassemble structures on location. Consider it the new duct tape.
• Fine-tune light and sound. We were able to position the subject’s side of the booth under a light and keep the artist’s side relatively dark. Check your space ahead of time and use a spotlight if necessary. Also, as the party heats up, the sound of the Start button may be drowned out. Turn up the volume!

Your turn

Up for the challenge? We put together a handy manual so you can learn from our mistakes. If you do build a Fauxtobooth, we’d love to hear about it. Send us a few (real) photos!

Download the replication manual and vinyl graphics

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There was a lot of work to be done. IDEO's New York studio was to host an event to celebrate Tom and David Kelley's new book, Creative Confidence, and whatever we designed had to reflect their ideas. Pressure on, we brainstormed over lunch—tools and sticky notes spread out across the largest room in our office.

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.