Made For Us

Over 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 design well and what organisations can do to accelerate good ideas.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to the free Made For Us newsletter for exclusive content.

If you haven’t yet left a 5-star rating or review, this would be the perfect time to do so (it will help others discover this podcast while Season 2 is in the works).

In today’s episode, Scott and I discuss: 

• Business and cultural reasons behind design choices
• Key questions to ask early on in the design process
• Why we should think twice before using words like ‘intuitive’ and ‘user-friendly’
• The ROI of inclusivity 

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About Scott Berkun:

Scott Berkun is a bestselling author and popular speaker on UX design, innovation, leading teams, public speaking and other subjects. He’s published eight books, including How Design Makes The World and The Myths of Innovation. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist and other media.

Learn more about Scott Berkun: http://www.scottberkun.com

Learn more about How Design Makes the World: https://designmtw.com/

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Connect with  Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ 
• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/ 

Made For Us was produced and hosted by Tosin Sulaiman. Special thanks to the following people who helped to keep this podcast running:

Design & social media management: Valentin Grimoux 

Audio engineering: Justin Orive at Reliable Sounds, Alex Van Rose & Rishi Das

Post-production & marketing intern: Soumaya El Filali

On 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 be accessible to all, regardless of skill, ability, or disability.

In today’s episode, we discuss: 

• Adaptation and accommodation vs. authentic inclusion 
• What Terri learned from launching a beauty brand in the middle of the pandemic
• Why she decided to team up with the actress Selma Blair, Guide’s Chief Creative Officer
• How Guide Beauty is changing the narrative around accessible beauty tools

Loved this episode? Share it with a friend and drop us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to spread the word! 

And be sure to check out our free newsletter where you'll find exclusive content.

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About Terri Bryant:

Guide Beauty's founder Terri Bryant is a veteran in makeup artistry and education with over 25 years in the cosmetics industry. She’s worked behind the scenes as a celebrity makeup artist, in front of the camera as a presenter on QVC, QVC UK and HSN, and as an education executive, teaching makeup artistry for brands like Dior and Stila, and leading education departments for companies such as Smashbox and Josie Maran. 

Learn more about Guide Beauty: https://www.guidebeauty.com

Follow Guide Beauty on IG: @guidebeautycosmetics

Follow Guide Beauty on TIKTOK: @guidebeauty

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Connect with Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/
• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/ 

Want 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 share how everyday barbershop conversations about hair woes and aspirations inspired the creation of their acclaimed brand, now gracing the shelves of major retailers like Sainsbury's and Superdrug in the UK and Saks Fifth Avenue in the US. 

In the conversation, we discuss: 

• How barbershop dialogues helped the founders uncover a real need in the men’s grooming space 
• The journey of turning a gap in the market into an opportunity for inclusive innovation 
• Aaron Wallace’s global aspirations and how the brand broke into the US market

If you enjoyed this episode, please pass it on to someone who'd appreciate it, and kindly leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help others find us.

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About Aaron Wallace and Lina Barker:

Aaron Wallace is a South London entrepreneur who opened his barbershop, Shear and Shine, in 2014. Following the success of the shop, he went on to launch his eponymous grooming brand, earning accolades from Forbes, AskMen and more as an industry innovator. 

Entrepreneur Lina Barker transitioned from organising events at the Houses of Parliament to co-founding the Aaron Wallace male grooming brand. Passionate about marketing and brand building, her work with Aaron Wallace has earned recognition from Forbes and Business Insider.

Learn more about the brand Aaron Wallace: www.byaaronwallace.com

Follow the brand Aaron Wallace on Instagram: @byaaronwallace.com

Follow Aaron Wallace on Instagram: @aaronmwallace

Follow Lina Barker on Instagram: @linasbarker

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Connect with  Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm
• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/ 

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? Who paved the way? What were dancers of colour doing before then? And how has the landscape changed since? Join us as we dive into these questions with Cassa Pancho, the trailblazing founder of Ballet Black, a company committed to carving out space for dancers of colour in classical ballet.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

• The question that sparked the idea for Ballet Black
• Ballet Black’s role in changing what ballet repertoire looks like
• Cassa’s feedback on early prototypes of the brown pointe shoes
• The reaction to the launch of the shoes

If you liked this episode, don't keep it to yourself. Please share with a fellow podcast lover and don't forget to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help others discover the show.

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About Cassa Pancho:

Born to Trinidadian and British parents, Cassa Pancho launched Ballet Black in 2001 after graduating from professional dance training. Her initial goal was to provide role models to young, aspiring Black and Asian dancers. Ballet Black won the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company in 2009 and Best Mid-Scale Company in 2022. Cassa was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Years’ Honours List for Services to classical ballet. To date, she has commissioned over 40 choreographers to create over 60 new ballets for Ballet Black.

Learn more about Ballet Black

Website: https://balletblack.co.uk

Follow Ballet Black on Instagram: @originalballetblack

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Connect with Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/
• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/

Paying 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 and contrasting colors are all tools integrated in financial services to make them more inclusive. But our guest today, Frederic Martinez, believes banks can do more.

His team developed a talking payment card, in collaboration with partners, and he joins us to explain how it works and the reception it's had so far.

In the episode, we discuss:  

• What prompted the development of the voice payment card and the technology behind it
• The challenges banks may face in offering it more widely
• Other potential use cases for the voice payment card
• Biometric cards: another exciting inclusive financial solution

If you liked this episode, please share with someone who you think would enjoy it and don't forget to leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. You can also share feedback here.

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About Frederic Martinez: 

Frederic Martinez is driving the offer strategy for biometric cards and innovative payment solutions at Thales. With a passion for new technologies, Frederic is committed to helping banks bring better payment experiences to consumers and introduce new disruptive services.

Learn more about Thales Banking & Payments

Website: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/banking-payment

Follow Frederic Martinez on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/fmartinez2

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Connect with Made for Us

• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/ 

The 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, executive director of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, has answers to these questions and more.

What we discuss in this episode:

• Challenges of designing helmets for different head shapes and specific needs
• The tension between inclusivity and affordability in helmet design
• The pros and cons of solutions such as 3D printing and airbag helmets

This is the second of two episodes on inclusive helmets. Be sure to check out part one, an interview with Tina Singh, founder of Bold Helmets, here: https://pod.link/1711282282 

If you liked this episode, please share with someone who you think would enjoy it and please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help others discover the show. 

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About Randy Swart 

Randy Swart is the executive director of the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (BHSI), a bicycle helmet advocacy program explaining helmet technology to consumers and working to improve helmet standards. BHSI is funded entirely by consumer donations and does not accept funds from the industry.

Learn more about BHSI: helmets.org 

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Connect with Made for Us

• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/

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 who, like her three sons, keep their hair uncut. Although her company, Bold Helmets, was created with her community in mind, Tina hopes other overlooked groups could one day benefit from her re-imagining of the helmet.

What we discuss in this episode:

• The tough choices faced by Sikh parents who want their kids to participate in helmet-mandated sports
• How Tina started with zero knowledge of helmet design and what she would do differently
• Why she ended up pivoting the brand name
• How she coped with media attention when Bold Helmets launched

If you liked this episode, please share with someone who you think would enjoy it and please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help others discover the show.

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About Tina Singh

Tina Singh is the founder of Bold Helmets, an Occupational Therapist, Digital Content Creator and mom of 3. In December 2022, Tina launched the Bold Helmets brand which has created the first safety certified multi-sport helmet for Sikh kids who keep their hair. As an Occupational Therapist who worked in the area of head and brain injuries, Tina knew that a helmet was essential for her kids. When she couldn't find one to fit her kids, she made her own.

Learn more about Bold Helmets: www.boldhelmets.com

Follow Bold Helmets on Instagram: @boldhelmets

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Connect with Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/
• X: https://twitter.com/madeforuspod

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 Cira Robinson, tells me about the day she got tired of ‘pancaking’ and asked the renowned shoemaker Freed of London to make a pair of brown pointe shoes for her.

The episode covers:

• Cira’s experience with Dance Theatre of Harlem under the legendary Arthur Mitchell
• Her move to London to join Ballet Black
• The role pointe shoes play in a dancer’s life and the need for customisation
• How she worked with Freed and Ballet Black to create inclusive pointe shoes and the impact they've had

If you liked this episode, please leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help others discover the show.

You might also like:

Cassa Pancho on designing the future of ballet

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About Cira Robinson

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cira began her ballet career as an apprentice with the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. After a few months, she became a full member and danced many works from the DTH repertoire under the guidance of Arthur Mitchell.

She joined Ballet Black in London in 2008 and in 2013 was nominated for Outstanding Classical Female at the Critics Circle National Dance Awards. While at Ballet Black, Cira worked with the company and with Freed of London to create the first Brown and Bronze pointe shoe for dancers of colour. After retiring in 2022, she took up a new role as Director of the Yorkshire Ballet Seminars.

Follow Cira on Instagram: @ciraoslynn

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Connect with Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/
• Newsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/

As 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 gaming for people like himself with severe motor disabilities. In this interview, he talks about the solutions he’s found, including coding accessibility features into games that lack them, and why he’d like to see more developers tapping into the expertise of gamers with disabilities. 

Other topics we cover in this episode:

• How Vivek has adapted his gaming setup
• How accessibility in gaming has evolved and areas for improvement
• The impact of the Xbox Adaptive Controller
• The representation of disability in games

This is the second of two episodes on accessible gaming. Check out part one, an interview with Mick Donegan, founder of the gaming charity SpecialEffect, here: https://pod.link/1711282282

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About Vivek Gohil

Vivek is an accessibility consultant who lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He uses his lived experiences to advocate and elevate the voices of disabled gamers with similar conditions. Vivek regularly writes for the gaming website Eurogamer focusing on accessibility.  

Vivek’s website: https://uncannyvivek.com/ 

Follow Vivek on Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncannyvivek 

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Connect with Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/

When it comes to improving the accessibility of video games, it’s often simple things that can make a big difference, says this week's guest, Mick Donegan. Since 2007, the charity he founded, SpecialEffect, has helped thousands of people with severe physical disabilities play video games by creating bespoke setups suited to their abilities. In today’s interview, Mick shares how SpecialEffect has become a catalyst for change in the gaming industry by sharing its knowledge with game developers and hardware manufacturers, including Microsoft and Sony, the makers of the Xbox Adaptive Controller and the Playstation Access Controller.

In this episode we discuss:

• The power of play and gaming’s impact on mental health
• The most challenging cases SpecialEffect has worked on
• What’s behind the drive towards inclusion in the gaming industry
• SpecialEffect’s impact on the industry

This is the first of two episodes on accessible gaming. Look out for part two next week!

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About Mick Donegan

Dr Mick Donegan, MBE, is the Founder and CEO of SpecialEffect, a charity dedicated to providing enhanced opportunities for people with severe physical disabilities to access technology for leisure, creativity and communication. He is also Adjunct Professor of Assistive Design at OCAD University, Toronto. 

Learn more about SpecialEffect: https://www.specialeffect.org.uk/

SpecialEffect DevKit: https://specialeffectdevkit.info/

Follow SpecialEffect on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@specialeffectcharity

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Connect with Made for Us

• Show notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/madeforuspodcast 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeforuspodcast/