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Ruby Steel is a trailblazer in inclusive design. She was also a “fixer” on the BBC2 show…
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Ruby Steel reposted thisRuby Steel reposted thisWhat if the “average user” doesn’t really exist? This was one of the key ideas explored in a recent discussion from Bente Becker, DEI Global Program Manager, with inclusive design expert Dawood Sufi, CEO and co‑founder of Studio Exception. People differ in their abilities, experiences and preferences and when we design with only one type of user in mind, we risk creating unintended barriers for others. Studio Exception's principle: design for one, create for all. Look at who's currently excluded from what you've built, they're often the ones who reveal what's not working for anyone. So, as you approach your next product design choices or decision‑making process, ask yourself: Who am I unintentionally excluding? 👉 Have you noticed any blind spots in your design process? Let’s discuss. #Hilti #DEI #Neurodiversity #Design
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Ruby Steel reposted thisRuby Steel reposted thisYesterday PANTHEA hosted our fourth Fuel your Future networking event! It was an absolute pleasure to have Ruby Steel in as our speaker and to learn about her experience in product design and founding her own company, Studio Exception. I would like to thank Ruby for taking part in our event, her insight and advice was invaluable and it was such a joy to learn about her career journey. Thank you again to Platō Coffee for hosting another of our events, and thank you to Werner Meyer for facilitating this. Our next Fuel your Future will be announced soon!
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Ruby Steel reposted thisRuby Steel reposted thisI'm so excited to finally share something I've been quietly working on behind the scenes... This September, I'll be hosting my first residential retreat at the beautiful Aston Hall in the Peak District. But before I tell you about the retreat itself, I want to tell you why I'm creating it. Over the years, I've met so many women who are incredibly good at looking after everyone else. They're the ones holding everything together. Supporting their families. Showing up for friends. Managing work, home life and all the things that nobody else seems to notice. From the outside, they often look like they're coping brilliantly. But underneath, many are exhausted. Not because they're doing anything wrong, but because they've spent so long responding to everyone else's needs that they've lost touch with their own. I've been there too. And that's one of the reasons I'm creating The Queen Retreat at Aston Hall. Not because I think women need fixing. Not because I think we should all be striving to become better versions of ourselves. But because I believe we all deserve time and space to pause. To step away from the noise. To hear our own thoughts again. To remember what matters to us. This retreat is an invitation to spend two nights in beautiful surroundings with a small group of women, slowing down, reflecting, reconnecting and exploring what it means to step into the next season of life with confidence, self-worth and intention. Because sometimes the most powerful thing we can do isn't push harder. It's give ourselves permission to stop, breathe and listen.
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Ruby Steel reposted thisRuby Steel reposted thisThe Fixperts in Universities survey is out! Please help us understand it's reach and impact. If you've heard of the Fixperts learning programme, used it in any way, as inspiration, a reference, an activity or as a fully assessed course in your university, please take this survey and help us understand it's reach and impact. 📝 Please take our short survey: https://lnkd.in/ezbh2rkH We know Fixperts has been taught in more than 60 universities worldwide. However, because the programme is open-source and freely available, we don't have a clear picture of everyone who has engaged with it. Your feedback will help us better understand its impact and inform the next iterations of the programme. Please also share this post with colleagues, educators, and networks who may have engaged with Fixperts. Thank you for being part of the Fixperts community! #Fixperts #HigherEducation #DesignEducation #InclusiveDesign #SocialInnovation #TeachingAndLearning #Universities #Impact #makingisawayoflearning
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Ruby Steel shared thisIt was a pleasure to meet the team at The AA on such an important day as GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) Foundation thanks for having us!Ruby Steel shared thisReally great to see the engagement last week for Global Accessibility Awareness Day at The AA. We brought together Product and Design teams for a session focused on accessibility awareness, practical examples, and open discussion around designing more inclusive experiences. A big thank you to Studio Exception, especially Ruby Steel for sharing the incredible work behind designing for the exception at Jaguar Land Rover. A lot of thoughtful questions and conversations came out of the session, especially around how designing for edge cases often creates better experiences for everyone. We also ran an interactive activity and an accessibility quiz which brought out some healthy competition and great engagement across the chat. One of the things I wanted people to leave thinking about was this question: “What’s one accessibility improvement or investigation your team could realistically add to the backlog in the next sprint or quarter?” Accessibility can feel overwhelming when viewed as a huge transformation project, but meaningful progress often starts with smaller intentional steps and conversations. #GAAD #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #UX #ProductDesign #DigitalAccessibility
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Ruby Steel reposted thisRuby Steel reposted thisWorking with a company that truly understands your mission and pours its absolute everything into realising it, that was my experience with Studio Exception. My passion for inclusion and accessibility will always be at the heart of what I do, and through Linkedin, I'm bringing you 'Adjustments', with this episode featuring Dawood Sufi. Take a moment to read through our conversation and discover what it really means to be resilient, consistent, passionate, and persistent in pursuit of a goal. #Adjustments ✨
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Ruby Steel reposted thisRuby Steel reposted thisThe Exception Method™ It was truly amazing to attend the recent keynote from Dawood Sufi, CEO and co-founder of Studio Exception. 🚀 He challenged our design conventions and pushed us to rethink how we approach innovation at Hilti. 🛠️ The design philosophy he shared is incredibly insightful. It moves us away from the myth of the "average user" toward a more rigorous, intentional methodology: • Identify the Exception: Find the person for whom the current solution fails. 🔍 • Design for One: Solve specifically for that individual’s unique barriers. ✍️ • Create for All: Scaled insights from that "exception" lead to better products for everyone. 📈 Inclusive design isn't just a social goal; it’s a high-level engineering strategy. By solving for the margins, we uncover the technical gaps that elevate the quality and differentiation of our entire portfolio. 💎 A powerful reminder: Find your exception. Let their experience lead the way. ✨ #InclusiveDesign #EngineeringExcellence #Innovation #DesignStrategy #Hilti #mechanicalengineering #ingenieriamecanica #maschinenbau
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Ruby Steel shared thisDawood Sufi and I recently had the privilege of acting as guest lecturers on Innovation Design Engineering - at Imperial College London and Royal College of Art - the course that shaped so much of how I see the world. Alongside the brilliant Weston Baxter and Larissa Kunstel-Tabet, we joined to bring an inclusive innovation lens into the Impact module - a project designed to connect students to the wider community. The projects spanned everything from delivery drivers, to first dates, to climbing trees, to living with Parkinson’s - each one rooted in real human experience, each one pushing toward something better. What stood out most wasn’t just the outcomes, but the process: the pivots, the deeper questioning, the willingness to sit in the unknown a little longer. It was also a privilege to witness Weston and Larissa teaching - thoughtful, generous, and deeply committed to the students and their growth. It’s always special to come back to IDE and contribute to a new generation of designers and engineers shaping the future. There is something about design education that fills me with so much hope. Bright minds taking on some of the world’s stickiest challenges with authenticity and passion - it genuinely makes you feel that things might turn out ok. Inclusive innovation isn’t a layer you add at the end - it’s a way of seeing. And this cohort embraced that in a way that felt both thoughtful and exciting. Thank you to Weston, Larissa and the students for the energy, openness and ambition you brought to the room. We’re excited to see where you take it next!
Ruby Steel commented on a post
6mo
Amazing congratulations Rashi!
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Ruby Steel reacted on thisRuby Steel reacted on thisDear [insert name] I’ve decided to go freelance as a director in the UK. Please see my website for latest work [insert link] Get in touch, I will be making fun things in the meantime. Cheers, Vic x
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Ruby Steel liked thisRuby Steel liked thisAt CODED, we believe AI becomes most valuable when it's applied to real business challenges. Over three days, we had the opportunity to deliver an AI in Finance & Investment workshop for the interns of National Investments Company (NIC) as part of their Bidaya Internship Program. Participants explored how AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot, can support financial analysis, research, and investment workflows. More importantly, they developed a stronger foundation in financial intelligence that they'll carry into their capstone projects and future careers. Thank you to National Investments Company for partnering with us to help equip the next generation of talent with practical AI skills for the finance industry.
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Ruby Steel reacted on thisRuby Steel reacted on thisI am proud and honoured to be able to say that this weekend I joined many of my Robinson and Fitzwilliam Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) friends in formally graduating from the University of Cambridge with a Master of Studies. It's been a long and exhausting few years, but I am so glad to have done it. While reflecting with my fellow graduands in the procession to the Senate House, someone reminded me that just getting to the starting line three years ago was an enormous achievement, and that this was the icing on the cake. I wrote and co-authored research papers, action plans and assignments on: Organisational Purpose, Sustainable Leadership, Change Management, Urban Rewilding, Foodbanks and Sustainable Diets, Sustainable "Island" Manufacturing, and Sustainable IP. I also stepped further outside my comfort zone than ever before and threw myself into sustainable insurance, banking and investment, and economics and government policy. Most significantly, though, I conducted original research and wrote my major thesis titled "Design Justice: Understanding the barriers to UK organisations utilising the unique innovation skills of disabled engineers for the benefit of individuals, organisations and global sustainability", which I am enormously proud of. Thank you to my amazing tutor group and everyone on the course who encouraged me and sweated through the assigned reading alongside me; I have learned so much from you all and I am sorry not to call each one of you out here. Thank you too Judith Plummer-Braeckman and Gianna Huhn, who supervised me, and to Steph Sloan and Louise Tooze, who supported me through the barriers I faced to academic writing. Mostly, though, to my amazing wife Cat, who I genuinely could not have done this without; I love you and thank you.
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Ruby Steel reacted on thisRuby Steel reacted on thisSometimes the most productive thing we can do is disappear for a couple of days. It sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? We're taught that being productive means doing more. Getting through the list. Keeping everyone else happy. Squeezing one more thing into the day. But I've been thinking about my retreats over the last few years, and I've noticed something. The real magic never happens when we rush to fit everything in. It happens later. After the conversations have slowed. After the shoulders have dropped. After everyone has stopped looking at their watches and started listening to themselves again. And then... it was time to go home. It left me wondering: What if a day just isn't enough? Not because we need more information. Most of us have enough books, podcasts and courses to last a lifetime. I think what we're really short of is space. Space to hear ourselves think. Space to remember what we enjoy. Space to finish a cup of tea while it's still warm. Space to feel like ourselves again. That's why this year's Queen Retreat, part of the Archetype Series at Aston Hall, is changing. For the first time, it's becoming a two-night residential retreat. Not because bigger is better. But because I wanted to create more space. Because sometimes the most productive thing we can do... ...is disappear for a couple of days. If that sentence makes something inside you quietly whisper "yes", I'd love to welcome you. https://lnkd.in/eE5q48hP
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Ruby Steel reacted on thisRuby Steel reacted on thisJust wrapped up an incredible Design Thinking course with Studio Exception, and I’m leaving with a completely new perspective on how to approach problems and design meaningful solutions. The Exception Method challenged the way I think, helping me look beyond conventional approaches and embrace a more thoughtful, human-centered process. It was also exciting to kick off our capstone projects and start applying everything we’ve learned. A huge thank you to Dawood and Ruby, from the Studio Exception team for creating such an engaging and inspiring learning experience. Your guidance and fresh perspective have made a lasting impact! Looking forward to putting these ideas into practice and continuing to learn. Dawood Sufi Ruby Steel Reem Bin Yaqoub Dr. Maryam Saif #Bidaya #NIC
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Ruby Steel reacted on thisRuby Steel reacted on thisGreat session as part of the NIC Bidaya Program Dawood Sufi & Ruby Steel from Studio Exception joined us all the way from the UK to lead a design thinking training. Special thanks to Dr. Maryam Saif & Reem Bin Yaqoub from National Investments Company (NIC) for making this happen. Excited to apply these tools and frameworks to our work ahead. #Bidaya #NIC #StudioException #DesignThinking
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Ruby Steel reacted on thisRuby Steel reacted on thisThank you, Studio Exception Really appreciate Dawood Sufi and Ruby Steel for introducing us to the Exception Method and for challenging the way we think about solving problems. It was a great experience, and I’ll definitely be taking these lessons with me. ank you to Dr. Maryam Saif , Reem Bin Yaqoub, and National Investments Company (NIC) for connecting us with Studio Exception and giving us the opportunity to learn from such a great team.
Experience & Education
Volunteer Experience
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Lead Designer
Mycarematters
- Present 9 years 6 months
Health
The mycarematters design collective aims to support the organisation to provide a better user experience. For such an important goal (to improve the experience of people in hospital) we want to do what we can to help.
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Designer
Project H Design
- 1 year 1 month
Health
Role included:
Project strategy, running workshops, coordinating the team, project planning, testing, organisation of test solutions to help people suffering with mental health issues integrate back into a social life after treatment.
Stakeholders included:
Tower Hamlet Mental Heath Services -
Ward Runner
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- 4 months
Health
Role included:
Provide refreshments and a small amount of social contact to the residents living psychiatric hospital, The Maudsley. The challenge of communicating with such an unusual group of people was highly challenging both professionally and emotionally.
Honors & Awards
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BIMA100 2017
BIMA (British Interactive Media Association
British Interactive Media Association honors their Top 100: a list of digital trailblazers that embody BIMA’s values of innovation, community enablement, and diversity in the digital economy.
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Helen Hamlyn Award for Creativity
The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design
For project Smart Touch, an innovative and convenient blood glucose monitor for insulin dependent diabetics who possess a smart phone. In collaboration with Luc Fusaro, Kevin Bickham and Riiver Cheng.
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Helen Hamlyn Award for Inclusivity
The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design
For project Dial Log. Dial Log is a new revolutionary kind of social network that brings old and young people together through conversation.
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Highly Commended for Design Directions
Royal Society of Arts
For project 'Smart Touch'. In collaboration with Luc Fusaro, Kevin Bickham and Riiver Cheng.
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Runner Up Core77 Awards
Core77
For project 'Smart Touch'. In collaboration with Luc Fusaro, Kevin Bickham and Riiver Cheng.
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Third Place Pininfarina Design Award
Pininfarina
For project 'Smart Touch'. In collaboration with Luc Fusaro, Kevin Bickham and Riiver Cheng.
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Notable Entry for Core 77 Design Award 2011
Core77
For project 'Made In The Dark', a social enterprise that sells scented bead jewelry made by blind crafts people - a new craft called Scent Beading. In collaboration with Hal Watts and Jon Fraser.
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D&AD (Design&Art Direction) Commendation
D&AD
For photography project depicting the reality of dementia. In collaboration with Laura Whalley.
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D&AD (Design&Art Direction) Inclusion in Book
D&AD
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Winner of Make A Difference Ideas Competition
NESTA
For project 'Buddy', a service to help young people with HIV manage their medication regime. In collaboration with Emily Kavanagh.
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Philip Johnson
https://lnkd.in/erS4-RSw Fascinating to read Rory Cellan-Jones article on how the need to recoup development and regulatory costs restricts how small companies can get innovative new products used by the NHS England especially for treatment for those with Parkinson's, following a conversation with Lise Pape of Walk With Path Limited #Parkinsons #innovation #new_product_development
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