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In todays business landscape, the most successful brands arent just selling products, theyre building movements. They dont just fill shelves; they shape values. At Michael Graves Design, that shift didnt happen all at once. It emerged gradually, as our commitment to purposeful, human-centered product design attracted something deeper than customers. It built a community and created competition. And its no accident. Today, our strategic North Star focuses on activities of daily living (ADLs), the essential tasks that allow people to live with independence and dignity, from bathing and eating to grooming and cooking. By designing around these universal needs, but in ways that feel like consumer products and not adaptive equipment, weve created products that are intuitive, accessible, and emotionally resonant. This lens doesnt limit creativity, it sharpens it. And it has become our most powerful tool for building relevance, resilience, and community. Mission is more than a marketing tool Mission-driven has become a buzzword. Every brand wants to have a purpose. But for mission to matter strategically, it has to do more than decorate your packaging or animate your social feed. Our mission is to create everyday products that improve peoples lives. But that mission only became truly actionable when we tied it to something concrete: ADLs. This framework has become our internal compass, pushing us to prioritize utility, dignity, and accessibility in everything we make. It informs the briefs we make, the retail partners we pursue, and the price points we target. In some cases, it means passing on opportunities that dont align with our principles. That discipline doesnt restrict growth, it channels it. How a brand becomes a community When your team is aligned around a mission, and your products consistently express that mission, something remarkable happens: People start to organize around your values. They engage not just as consumers, but as participants. They tell their friends. They give feedback. They push you forward. In our case, this has meant a growing network of collaborators and advocates: occupational therapists who help us understand better ergonomics, consumers with mobility challenges who engage with us and our prototypes, and retail buyers actively seeking more inclusive products. Thats not just a customer base. Thats a strategic community. We call it Design With. The deeper our engagement with that community, the more insight we gain. What features actually matter? What are we overlooking? What trade-offs are worth making? These are questions focus groups cant answer on their ownbut a values-aligned community will. And now, with decades of experience, our team has a foundation on which every new product gets designed. The compounding value of purpose A few years ago, we launched a line of universally-designed home healthcare products. At the time, we knew they were good. What we didnt expect was the ripple effect. People started sharing our products not because they were beautiful (they are), but because they made life easier for parents, caregivers, and people recovering from injury. Our inbox filled with stories. We began hearing from health systems, aging-in-place experts, and advocacy groups. They didnt just want to buy the product, they were asking us to design new products. In other words, our design work sparked a flywheel of collaboration. And that, more than any campaign or launch strategy, became the engine of our brands long-term relevance. 4 lessons for consumer brand leaders Whether youre designing kitchen tools, personal care products, or tech accessories, the lessons are the same: Anchor in something real. Your mission isnt a slogan, its the answer to why this, and why now? For us, that answer is ADLs. Design for dignity. If your product doesnt work for someone with different abilities, perspectives, or needs, youre leaving value on the table. Engage beyond the buyer. The best ideas often come from users who are outside your traditional demographic. Invite them in. Let community shape the roadmap. When customers believe in your mission, they want to help build whats next. Treat that like a strategic asset. ADLs as a strategic lens Focusing on activities of daily living gives our team a practical framework to innovate where it matters most. It grounds us in empathy, keeps us close to real users, and unlocks whitespace where other brands might see routine. Its easy to get distracted by trends. But when you design around real, everyday human needs, you stay relevant, and build trust that lasts. Ben Wintner is CEO at Michael Graves Design.
Category:
E-Commerce
We can all agree that the internet is an never-ending repository of information. But new research out of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has found that, in some cases, Googling can get in the way of a good brainstorm session and actually hinder creativity. In a recent study published in the journal Memory & Cognition, researchers asked participants to brainstorm new ways to use one of two common objectsa shield or an umbrellaeither with or without internet access. In some trials, study participants could access Google search; in other trials, they couldn’t use a search engine. Of the groups, those with access to Google, for the most part, came up with the same common answers, often in the same exact order. “[That’s because] they relied on Google, while non-Google users came up with more distinct answers, explained lead study author Daniel Oppenheimer, a professor at CMUs Department of Social and Decision Sciences. That is to say, researchers found that while individual creativity may be enhanced by internet access, groups articulate fewer novel solutions when provided internet access, suggesting that internet access may constrain collective creative fluency. Said another way: “Thinking outside the box means thinking outside the search engine.” This could be an example of fixation effects, in which being shown a possible solution influences participants to think of similar answers, but also obstructs them from thinking of new or different answers. For example, Oppenheimer said, when given a prompt such as “things you might spread,” participants with access to Google might suggest “butter” or “jam,” while others who lack internet search access might suggest something along the lines of “disease” or “rumors. Oppenheimer said we should accept that internet access is changing the way people think and solve problems, but instead of banning search engines, we should learn how to use them better. The internet isnt making us dumb, but we may be using it in ways that arent helpful, he added. Oppenheimer and study coauthor Mark Patterson, an assistant teaching professor at CMUs Department of Social and Decision Sciences, think different prompt engineering strategies might lead to different, even better, results. Our hope is that by studying how human thought interacts with technology use, we can figure out ways to glean the best of the internet while minimizing the negative consequences, Patterson said. Their advice: Do some offline brainstorming before turning to the internet.
Category:
E-Commerce
NASA has sent astronauts to the moon, flown scientists through hurricanes, fetched asteroid debris, and launched a program to clean up space trash. Its next mission? Streaming on Netflix. On June 30, NASA announced that live programming from its in-home streaming service, NASA+, will be available on Netflix via a new partnership starting this summer. The move marks the most recent play in a yearslong effort on NASAs part to build out its media presence by switching from traditional cable to streaming. For Netflix, the news comes as the worlds largest video streaming service has continued to solidify its global dominance: In April, Netflix reported first-quarter earnings of $2.9 billion, a 24% year-over-year increase. The streamers stock is currently up nearly 45% since the beginning of 2025. For NASA, the news comes as the agency is being hit by serious budget and job cuts by the Trump administration, as well as uncertainty over its new leader. Heres everything to know about NASAs upcoming Netflix debut. What is NASA+? NASA+ was founded in 2023 as an ad-free, no-cost streaming service, available online and via NASAs app. It features live mission coverage and original shows that offer viewers a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes efforts of scientists and engineers. The streaming service is a modern evolution of NASA TV, a traditional cable channel that began in the early 1980s and continued through August 2024. NASA TV shows included a weekly segment called This Week @ NASA, a kids program called Education File, and a historical program called NASA Gallery. In the wake of the 2010s cord-cutting era and the rise of streaming (as of this June, more Americans are watching streaming platforms than both broadcast and cable TV combined for the first time ever), NASA decided to shift its digital focus to NASA+. Less than a year after the streaming services founding, it’s already gained four times more viewership than NASA TV, per a press release. Cheryl Warner, news chief at NASA, says the NASA+ app has been downloaded more than 40 million times. Now, it seems, NASA is looking to give viewership numbers a boost. What will NASA+ be streaming on Netflix? According to an official statement from NASA, the content set to air on Netflix will include rocket launches, astronaut space walks, mission coverage, and breathtaking live views of Earth from the International Space Station. Rebecca Sirmons, general manager of NASA+, added: The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 calls on us to share our story of space exploration with the broadest possible audiencea goal thats much more achievable for NASA through Netflixs global audience of 700 million than via its own platforms. This February, NASA astronauts also began streaming on Twitch live from space for the first time ever. “We are excited to include broader streaming opportunities as part of our NASA coverage,” Warner says. “We are intentionally meeting our audiences through the platforms and services they use. Our coverage with Netflix is focused on live programming at this time, and there were no funds exchanged through our agreement.”
Category:
E-Commerce
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