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Adapted from Nonlinear: Navigating Design With Curiosity and Conviction (MIT Press, February 4, 2025). When I open my smartphone in the morning, every social media app is full of advertisements marketing something to me. I feel like Im trapped in a circuitous loop from ads and information coming through my devices: Buy this, buy that! Were all stuck in this loop. Can we fix it? John Maeda (vice president of engineering, computational design, and AI at Microsoft) once created a computational artwork of an infinity loop that he often uses in his keynotes. We talked about my interpretation of his visual during a video livestream together back in 2020. I likened it to the accelerating paradigm of marketers marketing and consumers consuming. I often think about the harm of such paradigms accelerating and impinging on society and our planet. How might we envision actually showing up for people when and where they need us the most? What are the vectors that will lead us to that place? Instead of being encouraged to buy things people dont need, how can we creatively and intuitively deliver what they do need? We can imagine a wide range of answers to that question. In my own work at dreams design + life, I pay particular attention to those opportunities that potentially foster a better way of showing up for people and communities. I try to prioritize our time for those projects that meet people where they are versus feeding into unsustainable cycles of consumption. In my mind, there are a couple qualities I tend to lean on that illuminate how brands might show up. Utility When we design something new that captures someones attention, what path of new utility are we actually creating for them? What are we making thats actually useful for their needs? How are we helping them complete a step thats naturally part of the journey they want to fulfill? Can that step be accomplished faster, better, and more meaningfully than the things they are already doing today? One of my first client partners was a biotech venture called Invoy, founded by Lubna Ahmad. Invoy helps people lose and maintain weight without depending on food journals, bathroom scales, or single diet solutions. Instead, Invoy uses breath technology and expert coaching to generate high engagement and a positive member experience, leading to sustainable weight loss and weight management. Stepping on an outdated bathroom scale [Image: courtesy MIT Press] With Invoy, I wake up every morning and exhale into the breath device for a few seconds. Using the Invoy app, I answer a series of questions, reflecting on my behaviors over the past 24 hours, after which I allow the breath device to finish analyzing my breath sample. The app reveals a breath score at the end of the analysis (which takes no more than two minutes to finish). Later in the day, you can engage your Invoy program analyst through the chat feature in the app, and they will help you interpret your results and give you actionable recommendations that cut across diet, exercise, and many forms of habits. By breathing into the device every morning, I found myself empowered with a level of agency that I didnt have before. Information Relevance To understand any new form of utility we can bring to someones journey, we also have to understand the full context of paradigms and realities they are experiencing. In the digital age, they likely have information impinging upon them in a million different directions. To give someone confidence that your new solution is appropriate for them, they need relevant information (benefits, reviews, ratings, feedback, etc.) that shows this utility is specifically for them and their needs. If we think back to Invoy and its focus on the morning moment of truth, the new utility of a breath device requires enveloping that within a delicate orchestration of information that would give someone confidence that its worthwhile to breathe into the device every morning. The Invoy team could easily overwhelm their members with all the data that was at their disposal from every breath test. Instead, Invoys platform outputs a very simple breath score (on a scale of 0.0 to 15.0) that gives you a sense of whether youre burning fat, staying neutral, or storing fat. If the resulting breath score falls below 3.0, that means you are probably using different energy stores (e.g., glucose from carbohydrates) other than fat. That may or may not be fine, but at least you know whats exactly happening if you notice your weight trending up due to the likely storage of fat. If the breath score falls between 4.0 and 15.0, then you are surely using fat as an energy source and you should expect the fat composition in your body to decrease. Maslows hierarchy of needs [Image: courtesy MIT Press] Emotional Resonance Assuming that we create a new utility that proves itself beneficial, thats great. To give someone confidence that the new utility is for them, we need relevant and succinct information that would provide them necessary context about the solutions fit for their needs. We have to earn their respect and trust that our brand deserves the right to belong within their preferred journey. How we show up matters. With Invoy, eliciting a conversation with someone about their weight raises all types of stigmas and emotions. Every one of us can probably identify a life stage in which we had difficulty managing our weight. In those moments, we probably felt like failures. The reality is that we were probably working with outdated tools, such as the bathroom scale or food journal. When we look at that number on the scale, we feel judged and insecure. In reality, our weight challenges are not necessarily our fault as much as we are led to believe. Deep down (and many members have said this), members recognize thir need for structure and an objective coach, who can be a bit more data-driven than a cheerleadernot someone that will blame them for their missteps and make them feel worse. Program analysts must be objective with the data, providing clear facts about whats happening in each of their members bodies, but they also need to be compassionate in the delivery of key insights and behavioral recommendations. A good coach never beats up someone who falls off track. They must affirm and encourage a member when that member is doing something right, and they must offer constructive guidance whenever theres a deviation. Add a healthy dose of empathy and compassion to be helpful, and that has garnered Invoy program analysts success in building emotional resonance with Invoys members over the long run. * * * Finding opportunities to break out of the infinity loop is not easy. Serendipity, proactiveness, and market timing may be the variables manifesting together that allow an innovation to succeed. These are vectors we have to sense, spot, and anticipate in the forest of ambiguity. We have to anticipate which technologies and key differentiators are potentially ready for prime time and cultivated by the right team. I find myself constantly scanning for potential client partners who I feel are playing the long game in what they invest in for their future customer experiences, thinking beyond their short-term goals. Bullishly, I want to find those companies that are putting in the hard work to build differentiated capabilities and intellectual property that could be meaningfully leveraged in the future to inform a new experience. Kevin Bethune [Photo: Harrison Boyce/courtesy MIT Press] The vectors that lead to these opportunities are out there, but they will not find you: you have to put yourself in the forest and move about to increase the chances of finding them. Ideally, you talk with people in the know, scan market movements, and find vectors that will lead you to new signals. Signals lead to incredible opportunities if you keep scanning, exploring, and experimenting proactively.
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E-Commerce
A new browser from the Norwegian company Opera just launched today, and it wants you to stop stressing out so much. The free browser, called Opera Air, is billed as the first-ever mindful browser. While existing mindfulness apps like Calm and Headspace can help you take a break to reduce feelings of stress, Opera Air proposes a product that integrates mindfulness directly into working online. The browser comes with a sleek, minimal UI and built-in mindfulness toolslike breathing exercises and binaural beatsso users can code, type, or browse the web and get a brain boost simultaneously. Nikita Walia is a brand strategist at U.N.N.A.M.E.D, the creative partners behind Opera Air. According to Walia, who led the strategy behind the new browsers launch campaign, the team landed on the key insight that most people dont actually want to disconnect from technologyinstead, they want room to think clearly in a busy digital world. We noticed that there was a pretty binary relationship to technology as it’s presented by people’s opinions online, Walia says. Either you want to throw your phone in the ocean and disappear, or you’re super, super addicted to technology. We thought Opera could present a third way, where technology can be really supportive to your overall goals and your wellbeing. For the sizable portion of the workforce that relies on computers for their livelihoods, chucking your Macbook into the sea isnt exactly the solution to a better workday experience. As a remote journalist myself, ditching technology isnt a sustainable solution, and even tried-and-true mindfulness practices like meditation can feel difficult to incorporate into a busy schedule. So, I gave Opera Air a try to see if its worth abandoning Google Chrome once and for all. [Image: Opera] A browser for minimalists The first thing youll notice when you open Opera Air is that there arent many bells and whistlesand thats by design. According to Tomasz Stawarz, Opera Airs senior director of product, Opera Air is a purposefully pared-down version of Operas other browser options, a choice thats intended to combat the chaotic and overwhelming nature of the web. The browsers default settings include one simple Google search bar, an uplifting quote at the bottom of the screen, and a sidebar with five preloaded icons, including Operas AI, Aria, and the browsers two mindfulness tools. This sidebar can be updated to include any combination of apps, but Stawarz suggests that users get a feel for their most-used programs before updating it to keep the screen decluttered. [Image: Opera] Users can choose from a set of custom-designed CGI wallpapers by U.N.N.A.M.E.D and the creative studio Future Romance as their backdrop (I chose a green mountainscape). Opera Airs features and launch campaign both emphasize a visual bubble metaphor, which pulsates and bounces to mimic the tempo of relaxed breathing. And all of the browsers UI elements, including search bars, tabs, and icons, are rendered in what Stawarz calls a frosted glass effect, which is essentially a minimal, semi-transparent look. Weve kept distractions to a minimum by limiting the color palette and embracing clean, minimalistic design,” Stawarz says. [Image: Opera] As a loyal Chrome user, I found Opera Air quite easy to navigate. My main qualm with the browser itself is that, once youve racked up enough tabs, it becomes difficult to select one without inadvertently clicking the X and exiting out of ita minor annoyance that got pretty frustrating after about the tenth time it happened. Still, I appreciated the simplicity of the default settings and the browsers streamlined aesthetics. [Image: Opera] Putting Opera Air to the test The true test of Opera Air is in its two mindfulness features, called Boosts and Take a Break. I decided to give these tools a trial by fire by testing them out for the first time during a workday with several quick turn-around deadlines. The first feature, Boosts, uses something called binaural beats to help users achieve sensations ranging from Energized Focus to Deep Relaxation. Binaural beats are an auditory technique wherein two slightly different frequencies are played in each ear, causing the brain to generate its own perceived third frequency. According to a press release from Opera, This is known to influence brainwave activity, helping to promote relaxation, focus, or a meditative statealthough, it should be noted that scientists are still debating exactly how effective binaural beats actually are, and under what conditions. [Image: Opera] Currently, Opera Air comes with 19 Boosts, each of which is composed of three elements: background music, ambient noise (like bird sounds or waves), and binaural frequencies. The Boosts have been created by the Opera Air team with different effects in mind. Focused Calm, for example, includes a slower music track and comes with more prominent binaural beats. Energized Focus, on the other hand, features a more upbeat soundtrack and less noticeable beats. Users can browse the Boosts descriptions to select one thats right for their current task, and even customize them by adjusting the volumes of the three components of the beats. Both Boosts and “Take a Break” are easily accessible as icons in the browser’s sidebar, so it’s pretty simple to change your Boost or tweak its volume from whatever tab you’re working in. [Image: Opera] I frequently use binaural beats to get into a flow state while writing, so, predictably, I found myself better able to focus on my work while a Boost was playing. Still, Im not entirely sold on the utility of this tool, considering that thousands of similar compositions are just a few clicks away on YouTube. Opera Airs second mindfulness feature, Take a Break, is a bit more involved. This tool takes users to a variety of exercises, including guided breathing sessions, meditation, neck exercises, and a full-body scan, all designed to encourage a moment of relaxation. Each of the four categories includes several different session options, ranging from a three-minute destress breathing session to a 15-minute full body scan. During my workday trial, I was pleasantly surprised by a four-minute neck exercise, which gave me some much-need tension release after a few hours spent hunched over my laptop (though the program relies on tracking your facial movements, which I noticed could be somewhat finicky, especially for those with longer hair). Similarly, I observed a noticeable difference in my stress levels before and after a five-minute box breathing exercise. All of the sessions include voiceovers from a male or female narratoryou can toggle between Alex or Emmawhich made it easy to close my eyes and really commit to slowing down for a moment. Going into this test, I was concerned that I might be irritated by the browsers reminders to use Take a Break, but I actually found myself wishing it would badger me more. Opera Air lets you decide whether you want to be reminded to do your activities, and you can determine the frequency of reminders, ranging from every 45 to 180 minutes. When your time is up, the Take a Break icon on the browser sidebar will begin subtly flashing. Despite setting my reminder frequency to 45 minutes, I found that I often missed the flashing cue, and then ultimately decided to just skip the exercise and do it next time. Granted, theres only so much a browser can do to convince us to actually practice self-care, but I hope the next iteration of Opera Air will include an option for more aggressive notification. Do I think Opera Air is the answer to my work-induced stress? No. But could it help make staring at my screen for hours more manageable? Definitely.
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E-Commerce
Water scarcity is often viewed as an issue for the arid American West, but the U.S. Northeasts experience in 2024 shows how severe droughts can occur in just about any part of the country. Cities in the Northeast experienced record-breaking drought conditions in the second half of 2024 after a hot, dry summer in many areas. Wildfires broke out in several states that rarely see them. By December, much of the region was experiencing moderate to severe drought. Residents in New York City and Boston were asked to reduce their water use, while Philadelphia faced risk to its water supply due to saltwater coming up the Delaware River. Before the drought, many people in the region werent prepared for water shortages or even paying much attention to their water use. As global temperatures rise, cities throughout the U.S. are more likely to experience hotter, drier conditions like this. Those conditions increase evaporation, drying out vegetation and soil and lowering groundwater tables. The Northeast drought was easing in much of the region in early 2025, but communities across the U.S. should take note of what happened. They can learn from the experiences of cities that have had to confront major water supply crises such as Cape Town, South Africa; So Paulo, Brazil; Melbourne, Australia; Las Vegas; and New Orleans and start planning now to avoid the worst impacts of future droughts. Lessons from cities that have seen the worst Our new analysis of these five cities experiences provides lessons on how to avoid a water supply crisis or minimize the effects through proactive policies and planning. Many cities have had to confront major water supply crises in recent years. Perhaps the most well-known example is Cape Towns Day Zero. After three years of persistent drought in the region, Cape Town officials in fall 2017 began a countdown to Day Zerothe point at which water supplies would likely run so low that water would be turned off in neighborhoods and residents would need to fetch a daily allocation of water at public distribution points. Initially it was forecast to occur in April 2018. Water rates were raised, and some households installed flow restrictors, which would automatically limit the amount of water that could be used. Public awareness and conservation efforts cut water consumption in half, allowing the city to push back its estimate for when Day Zero would arrive. And when the rains finally came in summer 2018, Day Zero was canceled. A second example is So Paulo, which similarly experienced a severe drought between 2013 and 2015. The citys reservoirs were reduced to just 5% of their capacity, and the water utility reduced the pressure in the water system to limit water use by residents. Water pricing adjustments were used to penalize high water users and reward water conservation, and a citywide campaign sought to increase awareness and encourage conservation. As in Cape Town, the crisis ended with heavy rains in 2016. Significant investments have since been made in upgrading the citys water distribution infrastructure, preventing leaks, and bringing water to the city from other river basins. Planning ahead can reduce the harm The experiences of Cape Town and So Pauloand the other cities in our studyshow how water supply crises can affect communities. When major changes are made to reduce water consumption, they can affect peoples daily lives and pocketbooks. Rapidly designed conservation efforts can have harmful effects on poor and vulnerable communities that may have fewer alternatives in the event of restrictions or shutoffs or lack the ability to pay higher prices for water, forcing tough choices for households between water and other necessities. Planning ahead allows for more thoughtful policy design. For example, Las Vegas has been grappling with drought conditions for the past two decades. During that time, the region implemented water-conservation policies that focus on incentivizing and even requiring reduced water consumption. Since 2023, the Las Vegas Valley Water District has implemented water rates that encourage conservation and can vary with the availability of water supplies during droughts. In its first year alone, the policy saved 3 billion gallons of water and generated $31 million in fees that can be used by programs to detect and repair leaks, among other conservation efforts. A state law now requires businesses and homeowner associations in the Las Vegas Valley to remove their decorative grass by the end of 2026. Since 2002, per capita water use in Las Vegas has dropped by an impressive 58%. Solutions and strategies for the future Most of the cities we studied incorporated a variety of approaches to building water security and drought-proofing their communityfrom publishing real-time dashboards showing water use and availability in Cape Town to investing in desalination in Melbourne. But we found the most important changes came from community members committing to and supporting efforts to conserve water and invest in water security, such as reducing lawn watering. There are also longer-term actions that can help drought-proof a community, such as fixing or replacing water- and energy-intensive fixtures and structures. This includes upgrading home appliances, such s showers, dishwashers and toilets, to be more water efficient and investing in native and drought-tolerant landscaping. Prioritizing green infrastructure, such as retention ponds and bioswales, that help absorb rain when it does fall and investing in water recycling can also diversify water supplies. Taking these steps now, ahead of the next drought, can prepare cities and lessen the pain. Sara Hughes is an adjunct professor of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan. Michael Wilson is a professor of policy analysis at Pardee RAND Graduate School. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
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