Making banking accessible for neurodivergent users
CategoriesSustainable News

Making banking accessible for neurodivergent users

Spotted: According to the World Economic Forum, between 15 and 20 per cent of the global population is neurodiverse. This includes individuals with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and dyslexia.  

For many neurodiverse individuals, it is easy to become overwhelmed when navigating public spaces and everyday activities. Now, Magnusmode is working to help neurodiverse people gain independence in daily living with step-by-step digital guides. 

Magnusmode has developed a free mobile app called MagnusCards that provides digital ‘card decks’ for everyday activities in categories such as money, safety, shopping, and food. Each deck provides images, detailed step-by-step instructions, and positive, encouraging reinforcement for basic transactions. The collectible decks have been created in partnership with various businesses and non-profits and are designed to walk users through tasks such as ordering food in a restaurant and getting a library card.   

In December 2022, Magnusmode teamed up with Huntington Bank to create a card deck specifically designed to help neurodiverse individuals become more financially independent. The Huntington Card Decks feature real-life scenarios such as paying with a debit card, using an ATM, and paying bills. The guides feature two Huntington Bank employees who are themselves neurodivergent.

Increasingly, innovators are looking at ways to boost accessibility across various industries. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted an education platform to help unbanked communities and a plugin that helps travel agencies serve disabled customers.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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“Build empathy with users” says industrial designer Ayse Birsel
CategoriesSustainable News

“Build empathy with users” says industrial designer Ayse Birsel

Designing with empathy for the consumers of today and the future is a challenge we must take on, says Birsel + Seck co-founder Ayse Birsel at a talk filmed by Dezeen for Global Design Forum in partnership with SAP.

“If we have the users in the room thinking with us and using our tools to think creatively, that changes everything,” Birsel said.

Called Creating a Compelling Reason for Change as part of the Circular Design Series, the talk brought together a panel of design and digital thought leaders to discuss how to design for consumers in the face of global economic, environmental and social pressures.

David Yonker, Vice President, Insights Research Center at SAP, photo by Daniel Salemi
David Jonker is vice president of the Insights Research Center at SAP

“When we get to designing and changing the system, it’s a multifaceted challenge,” said vice president at SAP Insights Research Centre David Jonker during the talk.

“Those who will be the disruptors are those who are willing to question some of the fundamental assumptions that we take for granted,” he continued.

Eli Halliwell, chairman at Hairstory, photo by Daniel Salemi
Eli Halliwell is the chairman of haircare company Hairstory

There is an opportunity to design products to be inherently better and cleaner, said executive chairman and co-founder of Hairstory Eli Halliwell.

“The step-function change comes from rethinking the actual problem that you’re trying to solve, versus just iterating on the delivery mechanism or the packaging,” Halliwell said.

Ayse Birsel, co-founder of Birsel + Seck, photo by Daniel Salemi
Ayse Birsel is an industrial designer and co-founder of Birsel + Seck

Birsel also spoke about how inclusive consumer research can promote change, explaining that consumer datasets historically tend to be skewed towards men.

“For example, pianos are not measured and made for women, and that means there are very few great pianists who are women in the world, not because they are not talented, but because the products are not designed for that data set,” said Birsel.

“It’s on us to design great products for this new era, which is our future,” she continued. “We’re living longer and longer but the planet’s life is shorter and shorter.”

Birsel expressed that consumers in today’s world have the opportunity to collaborate with designers.

“When I think of circularity of design, it’s not only design and brand together anymore, it also includes the user. When we can do that, we build incredible empathy with our users. They feel heard, they feel seen,” she said.

The Standard High Line Hotel, photo by Daniel Salemi
The talk was held at The Standard, High Line in New York City

Global Design Forum is London Design Festival’s curated thought-leadership programme. Its flagship event will take place as part of the London Design Festival in September.

Photography is by Daniel Salemi.

Creating a Compelling Reason for Change is the second talk filmed by Dezeen as part of Global Design Forum’s The Future of Packaging symposium, which took place on 23 May 2023 at The Standard High Line Hotel during design festival NYCxDesign. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen as part of a partnership with London Design Festival. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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A generative AI answers users’ questions about the latest scientific research 
CategoriesSustainable News

A generative AI answers users’ questions about the latest scientific research 

Spotted: Global scholarship in many fields has been growing for years, with more researchers and scientists publishing larger numbers of articles. Trying to stay on top of the latest findings is a difficult job, even for someone immersed in a field. New company Consensus is using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the time burden of searching for the latest information.  

An AI-powered search engine, Consensus’ platform reads peer-reviewed articles to find research that addresses a users’ query. Search results are ranked according to their relevance to the query and quality of answers found. The Consensus team reminds users that the AI is trained on scholarly publications and is therefore not a general search engine that provides answers to basic facts.

Video source Consensus

Currently in beta format, users must set up an account to use the platform. Consensus provides an online best practice guide that includes suggestions for phrasing questions. The company also provides examples of search terms that return more limited results and explains the reasons why.  

The platform is constantly improving, and the Consensus team lists a few of the ways in which they are actively working to strengthen results, including broadening the AI’s understanding of text formatting in scientific papers and increasing the AI’s contextual understanding of a sentence.  

Academic publishing is complex, and technology is providing researchers with a range of new tools to help work more efficiently. Springwise has spotted a browser extension that automates citations and an algorithm that evaluates new research for its business potential.

Written By: Keely Khoury

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A vegan social media app gives users the option to own shares in the company
CategoriesSustainable News

A vegan social media app gives users the option to own shares in the company

Spotted: As the world increasingly turns to social media for news and entertainment, a new crop of sustainable startups are looking to tap into their pool of engaged users to further their social purpose. Vegan social media platform abillion is one such startup.

Launched in 2017 as a social platform for connecting people with plant-based food choices, the company is on a mission to make it easy for everyone to be an environmental hero. As the company has developed, it has shifted its focus to helping individuals and businesses become more aware of their choices and proactive about sustainability. It does this by funnelling back cashback rewards from brands to users, who can then direct those funds to their favorite environmental causes.

To date, abillion has given more than $1.4 million (around €1.33 million) to environmental causes, including Sea Shepherd and One Tree Planted. With over 60 recipients to choose from, users can easily support the causes they’re passionate about.

Now, in a first-of-its-kind move for social media, the vegan social app is giving its users the option to own shares in the company. The company says this represents a new concept of ownership and allows users of the platform to take a vested interest in its success. Previously, credits amassed by leaving reviews of vegan products could be redeemed for rewards like discounts or free products. But now those credits will be convertible into shares of abillion.

A democracy of ownership will allow users to not only connect with plant-based food choices, but also to have a say in which companies are featured on the platform. As a result, abillion is positioning itself as a leader in the sustainable food space. And with $1 in review credit equal to a $1 stake in the company when it goes public, abillion is giving its users a chance to profit with purpose.

Other innovations in environmental giving recently spotted by Springwise include a CSR platform that lets companies choose and monitor impact projects, an ad platform that rewards users for watching ads by giving them credit to donate to a cause of their choice, and a search engine that donates its profits to non-profit organisations.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Website: abillion.com

Contact: abillion.com/contact

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