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The Hardest Part of Building in the Adaptive Space Isn’t the Product
When I first got into the adaptive space, I figured the hardest part would be design. Adaptive products, after all, carry real responsibility. They have to work for people who don’t have the luxury of trial-and-error, who aren’t looking for novelty or marginal improvement, but for something that meaningfully changes how they move through the world. I was wrong. Design was hard, but it was solvable. What surprised me — and what continues to surprise a lot of founders and organ
dougkatz8
9 hours ago9 min read


In a World of Slugworths, Be a Wonka
Entrepreneurial lessons from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or making good in a wary world. There are very few movies that feel universally beloved—not just popular or successful, but beloved. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of those rare cultural touchstones. I've never met anyone who actively dislikes it. That alone should tell us something. It isn't just nostalgia. It isn't just Gene Wilder's performance or the songs or the candy. It's what the movie sa
dougkatz8
Jan 303 min read


The Review That Helped Me Better Understand Universal Design — and the Headwinds It Faces
A cartoon character in a floral shirt clings fearfully to a giant knife, symbolizing a precarious and tense situation with letting go of blade orthodoxy. We’re a small startup, and we take every bit of feedback seriously — sometimes personally. When you spend years developing something you believe can genuinely help people, criticism hits differently than you’d expect. A recent Amazon review stopped me in my tracks. The reviewer called the NULU “an overpriced pizza cutter,” “
dougkatz8
Jan 55 min read


The Ability Curve: We Will All Be Disabled Eventually
We all move along the Ability Curve. Designing for each other means designing for ourselves — now and in the future Biology Always Wins: The Reality of the Ability Curve We don’t like to think about it, but here’s the truth: You will be disabled someday. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But eventually, biology catches up to all of us. It could be an injury. A chronic illness. Aging joints. Shaky hands. Slower reflexes. Lost strength. It happens to everyone — not because w
dougkatz8
Jan 23 min read


1.3%
1.3%. It’s not the interest rate on a financial product, it is not the number of bikers that are kind of outlaw and it is not the percentage of daily nutrition from your cereal. It’s the percentage of your life that each year represents in a 77-year lifespan-the average lifespan in the United States, according to the CDC. I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately: my age, these uncertain times, and the many things I still want to accomplish. Each passing year feels more signi
dougkatz8
Jan 26 min read


Why Do We Wait to Care About Universal Design?
Most people don’t think much about disability — until it touches their life. When you’re healthy and independent, the world feels like it was built for you. Doors open, shelves are in reach, tools work without much thought. It’s easy to assume it will always stay that way. But ability isn’t fixed. Illness, injury, or simply age changes how we move, grip, see, or hear. Millions live with these changes every day. And yet, our products, policies, and investments often fail to re
dougkatz8
Jan 24 min read
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