 |
|
|
|||||
If youve ever been to a Nashville honky-tonk, youve witnessed the chorus of cowboy boots, the thrumming acoustic guitars, the roadhouse neon, the Stetsons, the buoyant bourbon-and-barbecue-fueled energy. You probably wouldnt describe this scene as simply a bar. And yet, if you’re blind or have low vision and happen to use a screen reader to read the alt text of a photo of a honky-tonk, thats likely the description you would get: This is an image of a bar. The current [state of alt text] is pretty abysmal, just to be quite candid. It’s almost a bit out of sight, out of mind, literally and figuratively, says Josh Loebner, creative marketing agency VML’s global head of inclusive design, who also happens to be blind. Images create another layer of depth to what narrative is on a website, regardless of what it isbut particularly for travel and tourism. This led VML and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to launch Sound Sitesan initiative to replace the alt text on the states official tourism website with lyrical verse from one of Tennessees best natural resources: songwriters. Now, no longer is a photo of Kings Palace Cafe in Memphis an image of a person playing guitar in a bar. Rather, as songwriters David Tolliver and Billy Montana put it: Theres blues singing offthe strings of Lucille, Ringing down the black topand sidewalks of Beale, The soul of BB King ispresent and real, The songs seem to find youand know how you feel. Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn [Photo: courtesy Tennessee Department of Tourist Development] Tuning up Often, Loebner says, accessible design is regarded as a matter of checking the box. It’s treated as an afterthought that doesnt involve any semblance of creativity. But alt text is competing with vivid sensorial power. When someone sees a photo, in an instant, they not only distill the information, but in travel and tourism, it starts to put them in that place . . . them stepping into those mountains, walking a trail where they can have a beautiful scenic vista, or sitting in front of a stage hearing an artist play their favorite song, he says. It takes creativity to bring an image to life in the truncated space of descriptive text, which best practices place at around 125 characters. If theres a group of people who excel at working in those tight borders, its songwriters. Loebner acknowledges that VML could have hired copywriters, but the states heritage of songwriters was too perfect an opportunity to pass up. Our tagline for the state is Sounds Perfect. And if you think about it, if an image doesn’t have an alt text associated with it, it really doesn’t sound perfect to people who are blind or partially sighted, Loebner says. A songwriter, at their core, is about putting words together in very evocative, sublime ways that really nobody else can do. [Photo: courtesy Tennessee Department of Tourist Development] Loebner says when VML brought the idea to Tennessee officials roughly six weeks ago, they loved it. So far theyve worked with a dozen songwriters, including Kix Brooks of the musical duo Brooks & Dunn; the aforementioned David Tolliver (who has written for the likes of Tim McGraw, Wynonna Judd, and others) and Billy Montana (Garth Brooks, Sara Evans); and Hilary Williams (granddaughter of country music legend Hank Williams Sr.). VML paired them with people from the blind communities to collaborate, converse, and help get a sense of the challenges and barriers of generating image descriptions for alt text. [Photo: courtesy Tennessee Department of Tourist Development] Pun intended, it opened up the songwriters eyes to seeing how their verse could be used in quite a unique way that hadn’t been considered before, Loebner says. Noodling around on their instruments, the songwriters have added lyrical alt text to several hundred images, with the hope of reaching a thousand as a benchmark. And while this all makes for a great PR/marketing story for VML and the state, its one that reaches far beyond the initial buzz. Loebner says the goal is to expand the scope of the project, continuing to recruit songwriters to create alt text for a variety of uses, from social campaigns to video ads and more. Tennessee native Jana Jackson, a music artist and travel agent, appears in promotional materials for the Sound Sites initiative. [Photo: courtesy Tennessee Department of Tourist Development] AN ACCESSIBLE SOLUTION The project has been dubbed a first of its kind for the tourism industry. And that tracks: Loebner says accessible design is often regarded as an insurmountable mountain, where everything must be done in one fell swoop across the board. But he believes that any element of progress is progress. He adds that its also thought to be time-consuming and expensive, but as this project shows, it can be done quickly. I can guarantee it will not break any bank of any travel or tourism department, he says. Of course, weak image descriptions are an issue in most industries, and song lyrics obviously arent a universal panacea. Image descriptions at large just need to be more evocative about telling stories in a succinct way for the benefit of alland Sound Sites serves as a powerful reminder that innovative solutions are needed for a potent problem. Loebner says 93% of all websites have at least one page that doesnt include any descriptive text, and many others lack quality image descriptions, if they have them at all. Which can be utterly detrimental to not just planning a vacationbut major life decisions at large. Think about a young person who is considering college, and they’re blind and they want to know what college to go to. If that college doesn’t have accessible websites or immersive alt text, then that college may be passed over. Or think about different careers, he says. We all want to dream. And when there’s inaccessibility as a barrier, that could diminish dreams. We want to be able to open the aperture, to hopefully allow everybody, whether they’re blind or not, to be able to dream bigger.
Category:
E-Commerce
Six hours after OpenAIs launch of GPT-4.1, Sam Altman was already apologizing. This time, it wasnt about hallucinations or bias or Scarlett Johansson. No, it was about the model name. GPT-4.1 seemed nonsensical to many, difficult to parse from their already launched models like GPT-4o and GPT-4.5. How about we fix our model naming by this summer and everyone gets a few more months to make fun of us (which we very much deserve) until then? Altman wrote. Streamers take the brunt of the internet’s name-mocking: Are you a Hulu, Tubi, or Fubo subscriber? But AI companies are just as bad, if not worse. Their model names are often incoherent and unmemorable. From Sonnet to Llama, AI companies have a branding problem of their own creation. The history of bad AI model names OpenAI chose a numeric naming system for their models. This streamlined their products, moving from GPT-1 to GPT-2, GPT-3, and eventually GPT-4. Now, instead of continuing their linear progression, OpenAI is launching models within the GPT-4 umbrella. First, there was GPT-4o (as in omni), then GPT-4.5. Now, theyve reversed back to GPT-4.1. Users are left not knowing which models do what, or which is the most recent. Anthropic was founded by OpenAI alumsand they have the same problem with model naming. Theyve now moved to decimals, tracking from Claude 1 to 2 to 3, before pivoting to 3.5 and 3.7. Worse, their individual models are named after literary works: Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku. Naming your models after a creative class you threaten to displace is an act of cruelty. Google named its model Gemini because of the dual-natured personality of the zodiac sign. The choice is sweetly symbolicuntil you realize Google is calling its chatbot two-faced. Iterations of Gemini also come in decimals, but at least they’re consistent in moving in halves, from 1.0 to 1.5 to 2.0 to 2.5. But they also have addendums like Flash, Flash-Lite, Pro, Ultra, and Nanoterms that are minimally descriptive. But Meta is the worst among them. They chose to name their family Llamaor originally LLaMA, short for Large Language Model Meta AI, though the capitalization has been mostly given up on. Its an overly smiley, somewhat cloying choice. No, Metas family of LLMs is not a petting zoo. Moreover, their individual models are named things like Scout and Maverick, because Meta seems to think their AI needs to sound like Top Gun movies. What should an AI company look like? A model name should have some basic tenets. It should show the companys progress, and allude to the models use cases. (For how confusing GPT-4o was, the omni did demonstrate its value, which was that it was multimodal.) But the model names are also a prime opportunity for branding. The AI companies knew as much when they were first launching. The initial race was between DeepMind and OpenAI, both of whoms names reflected their positions. DeepMind was deep, placing their tech at a high value as they raced towards AGI. OpenAI was open, centering transparency for the then-nonprofit. When Anthropic came around, promising to produce more ethical AI, they centered the human in their name. Model names can do the same. They dont need to be zodiac signs and poems, farm animals and number splatters. These models can present their companies futures; they just need to pivot.
Category:
E-Commerce
Beth Kaplan is a belonging researcher and advocate. She has spent her career studying how people construct their sense of belonging. With more than two decades of experience as an executive and having conducted research into workplace trauma, she is a sought-after consultant for Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, government, and educational institutions that seek to improve their retention and culture. Whats the big idea? Braving the workplace means showing up as yourselfevery single dayin a world that constantly tells you to be someone different. Too many of us feel unseen, undervalued, and unhappy at work. Its time to stop shrinking and molding to keep your seat at the table. Managers need to create environments where employees thrive because they feel that they are enough, exactly as they are. Below, Kaplan shares five key insights from her new book, Braving the Workplace: Belonging at the Breaking Point. Listen to the audio versionread by Kaplan herselfin the Next Big Idea App. 1. The opposite of belonging is fitting in. Belonging is the innate desire to be part of something larger than ourselves without sacrificing who we are. Its not just about being included; its about knowing you can show up as yourself without fear of rejection or exclusion. Belonging is something individuals determine for themselves. It cant be imposed from the outside. It must be felt, experienced, and owned internally. Only you can decide if you belong. For years, weve been conditioned to believe that fitting in is the same as belonging. But fitting in is the opposite of belonging because if all youre doing is adapting, molding, and minimizing yourself to be accepted, you are sacrificing your core self. True belonging requires no self-sacrifice. It doesnt demand that you compromise who you are to stay employed, be liked, or get ahead. Instead, it means showing up as yourself, fully and authentically, and knowing that you are valuednot in spite of who you are, but because of it. The problem? Most workplaces reward fitting in more than they foster belonging. They encourage employees to blend in, conform, and play the game rather than create environments where people feel safe enough to be real. But if you must change yourself to belong, you dont belong. When organizations use harmful phrases like, Were a family, even when well-intended, they create unrealistic expectations for emotional loyalty and sacrifice. Families are built on unconditional love, but workplaces operate on performance, roles, and shifting priorities. Fitting into a family is naturalyoure born or welcomed into it. But fitting in at work? That often means conforming, suppressing parts of yourself, or overextending just to feel secure. Work is not familyits a professional environment where people collaborate to achieve shared goals. Blurring these lines erodes boundaries, makes it harder for employees to advocate for themselves, and pressures them to prove their worth through overwork and self-sacrifice. Real belonging isnt earned through self-sacrifice; its built through trust, respect, and the freedom to show up fully. When workplaces prioritize fitting in over true belonging, they create environments where people feel like they have to perform instead of participate and conform instead of contribute. Real belonging doesnt ask you to shrink. 2. The most common workplace trauma is belonging uncertainty. Lets talk about something happening in every office, Slack channel, and Zoom call: belonging uncertainty. Belonging uncertainty is that nagging voice in your head asking, Do I really belong here? Do they see me? Do they even want me here? Its when your ideas get dismissed in meetings, when youre passed over for projects without explanation, when your workplace says they care about diversity, but no one in leadership looks like you. This low-grade, everyday questioning of your worth is workplace trauma. And it has real consequences. Employees who feel uncertain about their belonging dont just wonder about itthey feel it in their bodies. It leads to self-silencing, disengagement, burnout, anxiety, depression, and even an increased risk of heart disease. When we experience belonging uncertainty, our bodies react as if we are under threat. Cortisol levels spike, heart rates increase, and our nervous system shifts into fight, flight, or freeze mode. This isnt just an emotional responseits a physiological one. Our brains perceive exclusion the same way they perceive physical pain, activating the same neural pathways. Over time, this stress response can lead to long-term health consequences. When belonging feels fragile, our bodies stay on high alert, making it harder to focus, collaborate, and bring our best selves to work. Belonging is a biological need. People dont innovate in rooms where they feel invisible and uncertain. They dont take risks when failure feels like proof they dont belong. They shrink. They check out. And eventually, they walk away. If companies want to retain their best people, they need to stop assuming everyone feels like they belong and start earning that trust every day, clearing up and mitigating the risks of belonging uncertainty before it has a chance to take over. 3. More than anything, employees want managers to care. Employees dont leave companies. They leave managers who dont care. In fact, a manager is the number one influence on an employees sense of belonging. Research shows that a persons manager has more impact on their mental health than their therapist, doctor, or even their spouse. When a manager creates psychological safety, recognizes contributions, and treats employees with dignity, people feel seen and valued. But when a manager ignores them, criticizes without support, or withholds opportunities, it erodes belonging at the deepest level. Care is kindness, but its also candor. Care is support, but its also accountability. Care is saying an employees name in a room full of decision-makers when theyre not there to advocate for themselves. Care isnt just about being nice. Great leaders know that care isnt just about checking inits about showing up in ways that actually make a difference. 4. How can leaders create environments of care in the workplace? Expand the notion of Care as Kindness: Create a safe space where people feel seen, valued, and respected. Its taking the time to ask, How are you really doing? and actually listening to the answer. Check in beyond the deadlines and deliverables. Another way to expand care is to look at Care as Candortelling people the truthbecause you want them to succeed. Dodging tough conversations isnt kindness; its avoidance. If youre not coaching your people with honest, constructive feedback, youre not leading them. Giving honest feedback helps people grow. Finally, managers can execute Care as Advocacy. This is where the rubber meets the road. Care is mentorship, sponsorship, and ensuring your people get the visibility they deserve. If your employees are only being noticed when they fight for themselves, youre not leadingyoure making them do all the work. Ifyoure a leader, ask yourself: When was the last time you made someone on your team feel seen? Supported? Invested in? If you dont know the answer, its time to rethink how you lead. 5. Belonging is personal. When companies try to force belonging, it makes employees feel like theyre the problem if they are not feeling it. Instead of creating real connection, it pressures employees to fake it. Belonging is deeply personal. Its not a policy, slogan, or mandatory team bonding exercise. Its something that happens when employees feel cared for, seen, heard, and valued. Its built through trust, psychological safety, and real relationshipsnot performative culture-building. A company says, You belong here! Its in onboarding speeches, town halls, and posters on the walls. The message is clear: belonging is non-negotiable here. But belonging cant be imposed. Its not something a company can announce into existence or demand employees accept. Its something we feelnot something were told. If companies want to stop imposing belonging and start earning it, they need to: Create psychological safety. Make it okay to say, Im not feeling a sense of belonging right now. Ditch the blanket statements. Instead of saying, You all belong here, ask, What does belonging look like for you? Train managers to be belonging leaders. They have the greatest impactthey must learn to recognize when employees feel unseen or disengaged. Understand the belonging spectrum. Not everyone seeks deep personal meaning at work. Allow for different levels of connection without penalizing employees who need less. Its time to build workplaces where belonging isnt conditional or imposedits real, earned, and deeply felt. When employees are forced to perform belonging rather than experience it, they smile, nod, and show up to team events, but inside, theyre thinking, I dont belong, but I cant say that out loud. This creates workplace Duck Syndrome: On the surface, employees appear calm, engaged, and aligned, but underneath, theyre frantically paddling just to keep up the illusion. Faking belonging is exhausting. It leads to burnout, disengagement, and resentment. When belonging is real, people thrive. When its imposed, people check out. Its time we do better. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||