We continually hear talk about inclusion, that is, about trying to make the society we live in a society of all and for all.
There is a part of utopia in this, of a dream given the times but hope has always been a great driver for change.
And then there is technology and design.
What do they have to do with it?
Quite a lot if we reflect that behind some, always too few it is clear, improvements for inclusion with people with more or less serious, more or less permanent disabilities, there are talent and creativity.
Let's think about sound crossings for visually impaired people, about sunbeds and beach chairs that immerse themselves and allow even very severely disabled people to swim, let's think about so-called adaptive fashion which is a fantastic recent innovation.
Taking into account the technological and design inventions that are in the name of inclusion and which perhaps not today but tomorrow will be everyone's heritage is a way to cultivate great hope.
Design, after all, is the history of human intervention in society.
Without an architect, a building is just a box.
Without a UX designer, who professionally designs, designs and creates the graphic interface of digital products to guarantee the user the best possible user experience, a website is just a string of code.
2023 has been a year characterized by meteoric progress in the field of artificial intelligence, it can be difficult to remember that it is humans, for better or worse, who shape the world, giving space to design innovators, who ingeniously bring to life he ideas that push society forward is a way of saying that it takes more than an algorithm to understand and solve humanity's most urgent needs.
Some very recent examples, awarded at Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards, demonstrate these innovations that become everyone's heritage and companies that create products, reinvent spaces and work to design a better world.
And the challenge is to reach everyone.
Backpack maker JanSport is demonstrating how heritage brands can successfully bring accessible design to the mainstream.
Thanks to a three-year collaboration with Disability:IN, a global non-profit organization focused on increasing inclusivity for the disabled community, JanSport has launched its Adaptive Collection: a backpack and a shoulder bag, both redesigned to balance the ease of use with style.
The Center Adaptive Backpack, for example, is designed to fit securely over the back of a mobility device for better balance, but it looks just like the company's popular SuperBreak Backpack.
“The adaptive community was looking for more traditional-looking bags rather than a medical-grade look,” says Alexandra Reveles, vice president of JanSport.
It's not easy for anyone to apply mascara without clumps or achieve a perfectly blended blush.
For visually impaired people, this can be nearly impossible.
Estée Lauder, the historic beauty brand born 75 years ago, thought of something that could help visually impaired customers to apply makeup themselves and launched an app that is a real voice-enabled makeup assistant, which uses the augmented reality and artificial intelligence to analyze the makeup on a user's face, identifying if the lipstick or foundation is uneven or if there is a smudge that needs to be removed.
be correct.
Assistive technology has been commercially available for people with disabilities for many years, especially in the software industry.
But when it comes to hardware, assistive devices tend to be expensive and are often designed without the attention to aesthetics afforded to other consumer products.
Microsoft is looking to change that: It's launched its line of adaptive accessories, which addresses both convenience and style issues while offering innovative ergonomic solutions for PC users with disabilities.
With these accessories from Microsoft, people can customize their mouse, keyboard inputs, and shortcuts via 3D printable components.
Users can also download component files to modify and 3D print at home, or print them through Microsoft's partnership with Shapeways, an online 3D printing services company and marketplace.
Bryce Johnson, inclusive lead designer on the Windows and Devices team, was one of the inventors of the Xbox Adaptive Controller, Microsoft's first adaptive hardware component, and worked to develop the line of adaptive accessories in collaboration with members of the broader community of disabled people and with internal Microsoft team members with disabilities.
These are some examples.
Adaptive fashion is making important steps, above all the effort to go beyond ideas and prototypes and reach everyone as economic access is interesting.
Primark, which is a brand of Irish origin but known throughout the world including Italy, has just launched its first collection of underwear fashion, lingerie for people with disabilities: bras and panties costing around 12 euros.
For further information on ANSA Agency Adaptive fashion, what it is and why it is a decisive turning point in fashion - Fashion - Ansa.it Tommy Hilfiger pioneer, Primark and Zalando launch collections for people with disabilities (ANSA)
Good news from design for a better world
It's not just innovating in the field of disability, there are so many other examples at the Innovation by Design Awards, that just reading them gives us hope.
HoldOn has developed plant-based compostable garbage bags that start to break down in a few weeks and completely disintegrate in six months, without leaving microplastics and above all without taking centuries.
The spirits brand Inverroche, is the pioneer of the craft gin movement that has occurred in South Africa over the last 10 years. But without South Africa's bee population, of which around 70% has been lost, gin would not exist He was recognized for launching packaging that doubles as a “hotel" for solitary bees. In 2022, while a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Natalie Schaake was experiencing high levels of anxiety, a global society, when he had the idea of a relaxing armchair which he called Hug, comfortable, made with soft fabrics. Equally important, the creation of the chair, which is presented as a customizable kit that users assemble themselves, is designed to be comforting. In his research, Schaake found that crafts can help significantly reduce the level of stress hormones in people. While there are endless digital remedies such as apps and pharmaceutical options for treating anxiety, physical aids are difficult to find.
This award-winning 'relaxing' armchair is still a prototype but let's not despair!
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