Co.Design

Here’s the final nail in the coffin of open plan offices

A new study from Harvard Business School finds that open plan offices don’t live up to the hype–in fact, the idea that they promote interaction is dead wrong.

BuzzFeed unveils a sophisticated new look

OMG. Heart emoji. Heart emoji.

I tried to fall asleep in the Dreamery, Casper’s new nap bar

I had crisp, clean linens. I had white noise. I had an expensive mattress. And I was wide awake in New York’s new $25-a-pop nap nook.

VR and power tools: What could go wrong?

Lowe’s Innovation Labs wants DIY enthusiasts to strap on a VR rig and pick up a hedge trimmer.

A bleak portrait of Trump’s failed Atlantic City kingdom

“These buildings were designed to discourage interaction with the city. You drive in on a freeway that injects you straight into the parking garages attached to the casinos. You never have to step outside.”

The “for sale” sign gets its first major makeover in nearly 50 years

The real estate unicorn Compass, worth $2.2 billion, wants to connect front-lawn signage to the digital world.

Google’s blob emojis are back, a year after they were redesigned

This clever app lets Amazon Alexa read sign language

Because the voice revolution shouldn’t leave anyone behind.

Make your Venmo transactions private. Seriously

A new data-driven project reveals just how much personal information is publicly available on the app.

Exclusive: Starbucks and McDonald’s team up to rethink cups

And the companies are inviting all of their competitors in the industry to join in.

Why bad technology dominates our lives, according to Don Norman

“We are serving the wrong masters.”

First look: A memorial to the victims of the Charleston massacre

After a white supremacist murdered nine people inside Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, congregation and community members unveiled a landscape and memorial design by Michael Arad.

Are smart assistants good for users? An honest look at the pros and cons

Amazon has Echo. Google has Home. Apple has HomePod. Professor Heather Woods considers the benefits and risks of a digital assistant that is listening all the time.

This sun-chasing robo-plant is wildly impractical, and wonderful

Want to feel warm and fuzzy about the future of technology? Here’s your chance.

The simple way Apple and Google could fix notifications

Psychological scientist Kostadin Kushlev, who studies the impact of our mobile tech on our lives, discusses the road to digital well-being.

These redesigned chopsticks are simply brilliant

Never miss that last tiny grain of rice again.

Healthcare design needs rocket science

Revisiting the architecture of socialism

Socialist Yugoslavia produced an incredible amount of radical architecture. MoMA’s new exhibit looks at its legacy.

Trailer: a new film on Silicon Valley’s most important failure