Made For Us is an award-winning podcast for anyone who’s curious about how to design for inclusivity. Join us each week for conversations with founders, designers, product inclusion leaders and other creative minds who are challening the status quo of how everyday products are designed. Each episode will bring you insights from people who've spent years thinking, perhaps even obsessing, about how to develop products or build companies that are inclusive from the start. AWARDS 2024 Signal Awa ...
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Sunscreen that works for every shade: the next big beauty trend? | Dujon Smith
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38:34Do people with melanin-rich skin need less sun protection? With sayings like “Asian don’t raisin” and “Black don’t crack,” sun care is often overlooked in communities of color. But the science tells a different story. In this episode, we sit down with Dujon Smith, founder of the inclusive sun care brand My Block Skin. We unpack the myths around sun…
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Crossover episode with Climify Podcast: Creating cradle-to-cradle clothing with Heike Petersen
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1:07:03Welcome to our first crossover episode of Season 2! This week, we’re sharing an interview from the climate design podcast Climify, hosted by Eric Benson - but we’ll be back next week with a new episode of Made For Us! Climify is one of our favourite podcast discoveries this year, and we highly recommend it if you’re curious about design and social …
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Fixing the disability data gap: why inclusive AI starts with better data | Ariana Aboulafia
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31:12In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked disability data gap in AI, and why it matters for equitable hiring. Ariana Aboulafia, who leads the Disability Rights in Technology Policy Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), joins us to share insights on designing more inclusive algorithmic systems and creating datasets that are …
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Would Stephen Hawking get hired today? The hidden bias in AI recruiting tools, with Susan Scott-Parker
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28:40Could AI hiring create more barriers for people with disabilities instead of levelling the playing field? In this episode, Susan Scott-Parker, founder of business disability international, says standardised and inflexible AI hiring systems risk shutting many people with disabilities out of the workforce. She makes the case for more inclusive HR tec…
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REPLAY: Cliff Weitzman on building 'the voice of the internet'
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34:42This week, we're taking you back to the first ever episode of Made For Us (and the most downloaded in Season 1). It’s an interview with Cliff Weitzman, the founder and CEO of Speechify, a text to speech app that has made reading more accessible for people with dyslexia, ADHD, low vision and other conditions that make reading difficult. Speechify no…
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Be My Eyes: the app powering a global volunteer movement for accessibility | Hans Jørgen Wiberg
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31:27Get the free Made For Us newsletter for behind-the-scenes content and exclusive interviews: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/ --- When Danish furniture craftsman Hans Jørgen Wiberg launched Be My Eyes, an app connecting blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers, he had no idea it would grow into a global movement. But ten years after i…
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Inside Adobe’s mission to build more inclusive tech, with TB Bardlavens - listener Q&A edition
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40:19Get the free Made For Us newsletter to access exclusive content and learn about future listener Q&As: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/ --- TB Bardlavens, Director of Product Equity at Adobe, joins us for this special edition featuring questions from Made For Us listeners. We discuss what it really means to build technology that works for every…
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AI vs the feedback gap: making workplace feedback fairer, with Textio's Mykel Rangel
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30:32Join the Made For Us community by signing up for our free newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/ --- How does bias show up in workplace feedback, and can AI help fix it? In this episode, we speak with Mykel Rangel, VP of Engineering at Textio, a company that has built AI-driven tools that are reshaping the way managers give feedback and …
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Subtitles for real life? There's a pair of glasses for that, with XRAI CEO Dan Scarfe
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33:54Transcripts for this episode are available here: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ --- What if you could subtitle everyday life? That question sparked the creation of XRAI, a company developing augmented reality glasses that display real-time subtitles right before your eyes. In this episode, XRAI CEO and founder Dan Scarfe joins us to share how AI…
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How to innovate responsibly, with McKinsey's Rikki Singh
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33:33Why aren’t more tech companies prioritising inclusion in product development? Research by McKinsey & Company found that only 17% of product managers ranked inclusion among their top priorities. Yet, it can be a powerful strategic advantage. In this episode, we speak with Rikki Singh, a partner at McKinsey and founder of the McKinsey Product Academy…
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'I don't need fixing - the world does': Lucy Edwards on redefining disability
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34:45We’re kicking off Season 2 of Made for Us with Lucy Edwards, a trailblazing broadcaster, author and content creator who is redefining perceptions of disability. Lucy shares her journey of navigating life as a blind woman, from losing her vision at 17 to becoming a disability advocate and consultant to major brands to creating content that's been se…
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Made For Us is back for another season! Subscribe now so you don't miss new episodes. --- Connect with Made for Us Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/…
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UPDATE: Made For Us is a Signal Award nominee!
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1:31**ANNOUNCEMENT** Made For Us won the Bronze at the 2024 Signal Awards in the 'Most Inspirational Podcast' category!! Thanks to the judges for recognising our indie podcast as one of 2024's most impactful shows. If you voted for us in the Listener's Choice Awards, we're incredibly grateful for your support. --- We have great news to share with you: …
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Why isn’t all design inclusive? Season 1 wrap-up, with Scott Berkun
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32:21Over the past few months, guests on this podcast have shared some great examples of inclusive design and innovation, but these kinds of products aren’t the norm (yet). Joining me to explore some of the reasons why is Scott Berkun, author of How Design Makes the World, a book that aims to demystify design for everyone. We discuss why it’s so hard to…
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Widening the beauty net: how Guide Beauty reimagined the makeup kit, with Terri Bryant
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27:47On the day makeup artist Terri Bryant learned she had Parkinson's, she returned home and raided her makeup kit and her husband's toolbox. She quickly pinpointed what was lacking in the tools she’d been using for years: grip and stability. This sparked the creation of Guide Beauty, a brand dedicated to reimagining makeup artistry and proving it can …
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Rooting for you: the male grooming brand winning over big retailers, with Aaron Wallace and Lina Barker
21:53
21:53
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21:53Want to be the first to hear when Season 2 lands? Sign up for the Made For Us newsletter for the latest updates and exclusive content. This week's episode: In the heart of South London, a bustling barbershop served as the birthplace for Aaron Wallace, the pioneering grooming brand dedicated to black men. Co-founders Aaron Wallace and Lina Barker sh…
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Cassa Pancho on designing the future of ballet
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33:08Can't wait for the next season of Made For Us? Sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates and exclusive content. --- This week's guest: In 2018, brown and bronze pointe shoes, tailored for dancers of colour, made their commercial debut in the UK — nearly two centuries after the introduction of pink ones. The delay begs the questions: Why? Wh…
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A payment card that talks: the new, inclusive tool in banking
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31:03Paying with a card has become incredibly easy and safe, but for the 43 million people worldwide who are blind, that's not the case. Not only are blind and visually impaired people unable to see the payment terminal when making a transaction, they also have no way of confirming whether the amount they're paying is accurate. Blind notches, braille an…
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Ahead of the curve, part 2: helmet innovation and inclusivity, with Randy Swart of Helmets.org
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20:27The struggle to find a bicycle helmet that fits is more common than you might think. People with long hair, big hair, dreadlocks, cochlear implants, turbans…the list goes on. How are helmet manufacturers addressing the needs of diverse communities and what could the latest innovations in helmet technology mean for inclusivity? Randy Swart, executiv…
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Ahead of the curve, part 1: the helmet designer bringing diversity to sports, with Tina Singh of Bold Helmets
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25:58Want to be the first to hear when Season 2 lands? Subscribe to the Made For Us newsletter for the latest updates and exclusive content. This week's episode: What do you do when traditional bike helmets just don’t work for you? Forgo a helmet altogether or choose a different sport? Tina Singh chose a third option - designing a helmet for Sikh kids w…
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‘The door is opening for us’: Cira Robinson on ballet’s turning pointe
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29:48
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29:48Want to be the first to hear about Season 2 of Made For Us? Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates and exclusive content. This week's episode: For decades, dancers of colour at classical ballet companies have used makeup to dye their pink pointe shoes a darker shade to match their skin tone. My guest this week, award-winning ballerina C…
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A new level of gaming: designing video games for all abilities, with Vivek Gohil
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23:15As a gamer living with a disability, Vivek Gohil has strong opinions about the accessibility of video games. Diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of nine, his muscles have become weaker over the years but that hasn’t deterred him from gaming. He now uses his experience to advise game developers and console makers on improving gamin…
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Game on: levelling the playing field for gamers with disabilities, with SpecialEffect’s Mick Donegan
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23:33
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23:33Enjoying Season 1 of Made For Us? Would you like to play a part in shaping future episodes? If so, please share your feedback in our quick 4-minute survey. You'll find it here or by pasting this link in your browser: https://bit.ly/madeforuspod. Thanks! This week's guest: When it comes to improving the accessibility of video games, it’s often simpl…
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Bridging the gap, part 2: How data is shaping the future of eyewear, with Reframd's Shariff Vreugd
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34:12Your feedback is important to us — shape the future of Made For Us by taking our quick survey and sharing your insights: https://bit.ly/madeforuspod. This week's guest: When pitching their inclusive eyewear brand to investors, Reframd ’s co-founders Shariff Vreugd and Ackeem Ngwenya often faced doubts about whether a market existed for their produc…
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Bridging the gap, part 1: crafting eyewear for diverse facial features, with Covry's Athina Wang and Florence Shin
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30:59
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30:59After struggling for years to find glasses that fit comfortably, Athina Wang and Florence Shin realised that it was the eyewear industry that needed to change and not them. That was the inspiration for launching Covry, an inclusive eyewear brand that came to life through an oversubscribed Kickstarter campaign. In the interview, we discuss: Why havi…
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Making it as a plus size male model, with Raul Samuel - Episode 10
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26:06“Where are the plus size male models?” It’s a question the Internet seemed to be asking just a few years ago. Now, a six-pack is no longer a prerequisite to grace the pages of the top fashion magazines. It’s proof, says my guest, Raul Samuel, that there's demand for more realistic-looking models. Still, as we discuss in the interview, not everyone …
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‘No going back’: lessons from P&G’s product inclusion journey, with Sam Latif - Episode 9
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45:35Want to be the first to hear when Season 2 lands? Subscribe to the Made For Us newsletter for the latest updates and exclusive content. This week's episode: Sam Latif, P&G's first Company Accessibility Leader, joins me this week to share how she is driving innovation to make the company’s 65+ brands inclusive and accessible for the 15% of people ar…
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A perfect match: how bandages became inclusive, with Intisar Bashir & Dom Apollon - Episode 8
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30:58For many people of colour, wearing a plaster, or Band-Aid, that blends with their skin tone is a novel experience. While inclusive bandages are now widely available in countries like the UK and US, that's only happened in the last few years. My two guests share their unique perspectives on this. Intisar Bashir is the co-founder and CEO of Browndage…
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'Plus size' men's clothing: fashion's best kept secret, with Charlotte Griffiths of BRIDGE Agency - Episode 7
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32:07When Charlotte Griffiths’ agency BRIDGE launched the UK’s first men’s division for bigger, broader male models in 2016, it was based on a hunch that the fashion industry was ready to embrace men of different shapes and sizes. In this week’s interview, Charlotte tells me how her gamble paid off and why brands need to let go of outdated stereotypes a…
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Unlocking innovation through disability inclusion, with Microsoft’s Hector Minto - Episode 6
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48:17When Hector Minto joined Microsoft seven years ago, he knew it was time to bring disability inclusion into the mainstream. In this episode, Microsoft’s Lead Technology Evangelist on accessibility tells me why “this is not a niche topic anymore” and why companies need to get ahead of regulation and build accessible products. Hector drives and measur…
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BONUS: Reflections on creating the headscarf emoji, with Rayouf Alhumedhi
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29:00Do you have what it takes to create your own emoji? My guest, Rayouf Alhumedhi, did just that when she launched the Hijab Emoji Project at the age of 16 to push for digital representation for Muslim women around the world. She was named one of Time magazine’s most influential teens and also featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Rayouf recently g…
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The emoji puzzle: how to fit everyone in, with Emojipedia’s Keith Broni - Episode 4
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26:57As emoji usage has gone global over the past decade, demand for more inclusive emoji has soared. But how effectively can emoji capture human diversity? And what challenges does this pose from a design perspective? I’ll be exploring these questions and more in a two-part special on emoji. First up is Keith Broni, the editor-in-chief of Emojipedia, t…
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Changing the narrative around accessible fashion, with Maura Horton - Episode 3
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29:40Your feedback is important to us — shape the future of Made For Us by taking our quick survey and sharing your insights: https://bit.ly/madeforuspod. This week's guest: Maura Horton is the CEO and Founder of MagnaReady, a company that provides accessible apparel for those with limited dexterity. Maura developed the concept for MagnaReady after her …
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Ade Hassan on moving beyond 'one-nude-fits-all' - Episode 2
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27:58Couldn’t wait for the next installment of Made For Us? Well, here’s an additional episode just for launch week. My guest is Ade Hassan, founder and CEO of the lingerie brand Nubian Skin. Founded in 2014, the company brought a simple yet innovative product to the fashion industry - nude lingerie and hosiery for women with darker skin tones. In 2017,…
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Cliff Weitzman on building the ‘voice of the internet’ - Episode 1
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34:19Joining me on the very first episode of Made For Us is Cliff Weitzman, the Founder and CEO of Speechify, a text-to-speech app that uses AI to turn text from documents, websites and email to audio. Speechify has been downloaded by over 20 million users and is the #1 rated AI text-to-speech app in its category on Apple’s App Store. Among its user bas…
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Introducing Made for Us, a new podcast exploring the intersection of innovation and inclusion. The weekly show tells the stories of the founders, inventors and nonconformists who've made it their mission to create products that work better for everyone. Produced and hosted by Tosin Sulaiman, a podcaster and former business journalist with Reuters a…
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