A-Peel in Art Photography

A-Peel in Art Photography

BORN’s creative mavens captured ‘Comedian’ by Maurizio Cattelan for Sotheby’s (And Yes, It Involves a Banana)

An Article by BORN Marketing

Art, at its core, is meant to provoke thought, stir emotions, and occasionally, raise an eyebrow or two. So when the irreverent and decidedly ‘out-there’ piece Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan (the banana taped to a wall, for those living under a rock) hit the auction scene, it wasn’t just the art world that was taken aback, it was the entire internet. But here’s a twist in the story: we are priviledged to now reveal that the iconic image of that edible piece, famously photographed in all its duct-taped glory, wasn’t captured by just any photographer. Nope, the auction photography was shot by BORN’s photographer, Mark Babushkin. That’s right, the team behind cutting-edge digital work, design, and branding was behind the lens for one of the most talked-about art pieces of the century.

The Tale of a Banana, a Wall, and the World of High Art

For the uninitiated, Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian,made its debut at Art Basel Miami in 2019, and it did not go unnoticed. Two of the three editions, which involved ripe bananas affixed to a wall with a strip of duct tape, were sold that year for a mind-boggling $120,000 (one later “eaten” by a performance artist, David Datuna, because of course). As bizarre as it may sound, the piece sparked a flurry of commentary on the nature of art itself—

Comedian’ by Maurizio Cattelan, shot by BORN’s Mark Babushkin for @sothebys in November 2024

Is it a statement on consumerism? Is it an art-world joke? Is it a comment on fragility and impermanence? Or, more simply, is it just an incredibly expensive banana?

When Sotheby’s was going to auction with the second edition of Comedian during “The Now and Contemporary Evening Auction”, they turned to the creative experts at BORN to capture the piece. And while BORN’s usual creative work involves digital experiences, design, and immersive storytelling, this time, the agency took on the task of documenting the very thing that was challenging the boundaries of both art and commerce.  We knew that shooting it for this groundbreaking auction with our longstanding client, Sotheby’s, required wit, warmth and precision in support of the artwork’s incendiary reputation.

Shooting the Banana

Housed at Sotheby’s York Avenue HQ in a bespoke arched structure, Comedian waited for its turn in the spotlight alongside works by Monet, Picasso, and Warhol.  But surely photographing and retouching a banana should be the utmost in simplicity for experts in fine art and luxury? Not quite. Concepting, handling, lighting, shooting and delivering pixel perfect imagery of this ultra-valuable, even notorious, piece was handled as carefully as any master’s work.

As commented by BORN’s Head of Photography New York, Benjamin Fraker – “Capturing these images required extra precision”.  “During the photo shoot, we worked with a department specialist to retape the banana to smooth out wrinkles in the duct tape. We knew we had to get the perfect shots as the Comedian is ‘the masterpiece of the moment’ – and the pictures did indeed go viral around the globe.”

From Digital Innovations to the World of Fine Art Photography

BORN isn’t your typical advertising agency. It’s a hybrid creative studio with the magic touch of combining high-end technology and cutting-edge creativity. Under Tech Mahindra, we specialize in creating compelling digital stories and immersive experiences across platforms—but shooting art for Sotheby’s? That’s something else entirely.  So, how did a team known for high-tech, futuristic projects get involved in photographing Comedian, a piece that had more than a whiff of, shall we say, absurdity? While a traditional art photographer might have approached this task by focusing purely on the aesthetics or fine details of the piece, BORN’s creative directors took a more holistic, narrative-driven approach to the shoot. After all, this wasn’t just about capturing a banana; it was about capturing a cultural phenomenon that raised questions about value, meaning, and the very fabric of the art world. We were tasked with immortalizing this oddball art piece in a way that matched its disruptive, boundary-pushing nature.

Comedian’ attracting huge interest, shot by BORN for @sothebys in November 2024

A Little Tech, A Little Art, A Lot of Humor

The shoot itself was not without its challenges, as anyone who has ever tried to photograph a banana might imagine. How do you make something so simple, so banal (pun intended), look profound? How do you frame a piece of art that is already poking fun at the pretensions of the art world itself? The answer was a combination of creative lighting, perfect timing, and a touch of humor.

BORN’s photographer had to take into account the subtle play between simplicity and complexity. A banana on a wall may seem like a one-dimensional gag, but when captured through the lens, it becomes a statement. The carefully chosen lighting illuminated not just the banana but also the air of absurdity surrounding it. The final photograph was crisp, clean, and made the banana appear almost sacred, as if it were some divine relic in the world of modern art.

Replace as it Rots

With a pre-sale high estimate of $1.5 million, crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) outbid six other bidders to close on an astonishing $6.2m (fees included).

Alongside taking home the world’s most expensive perishable, Sun was given a starter kit for the sculpture, including a banana, a roll of duct tape, a certificate of authenticity and detailed instructions for displaying it, including that ‘it will be the buyer’s responsibility to replace the banana as it rots’ – not least because of Sotheby’s 5-year post sale Authenticity Guarantee. Sun said he would eat the banana – as indeed, at least two other viewers of the piece have done before as it travelled global galleries.

Winning bidder Justin Sun (naturally, he paid with crypto)
Official headshot taken from https://www.instagram.com/p/DCn2IcYJbVr/?hl=en&img_index=4

The Takeaway (Aside From the Banana)

The sale by Sotheby’s auctioneer Oliver Barker at the house’s Upper East Side on 20 November 2024

So, what’s the takeaway from this whole delightful, absurd, and strangely profound story? First, never underestimate the power of tech and creativity coming together in unexpected ways. Second, in the world of art, anything can be a masterpiece—whether it’s a finely crafted sculpture, a deeply symbolic painting, or even a fruit snack taped to the wall.

And finally, a reminder that the next time you find yourself standing in front of a piece of art that seems too strange to understand, just remember: BORN might be behind the lens, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, with a little help from a banana.  Because, as it turns out, even in the world of fine art, sometimes you just have to peel back the layers.

Generative AI for Rich Personalization: Transforming Customer Experience

Generative AI for Rich Personalization: Transforming Customer Experience

By Osvaldo López, Marketing Strategist, BORN Group

Introduction

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital solutions, generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has emerged as a powerful tool for creating rich personalization experiences. As consumers become increasingly discerning, businesses must adapt to meet their expectations. Generative AI not only facilitates this adaptation but also redefines how organizations engage with their customers, fostering deeper relationships and driving business growth.

Understanding Generative AI

Generative AI refers to algorithms that can create new content—such as text, images, or entire experiences—based on the input data they are trained on. Unlike traditional AI systems that primarily focus on recognizing patterns, generative AI can produce novel outputs that mimic human-like creativity. This capability opens numerous possibilities for businesses, particularly in tailoring interactions and products to individual customer preferences.

The Importance of Personalization

Personalization is no longer a luxury; it has become a necessity. With the sheer volume of choices available to consumers, organizations that can deliver personalized experiences gain a competitive edge. Personalization enhances customer satisfaction, increases engagement, and drives loyalty. Studies show that companies excelling in personalization can experience a revenue uplift of up to 15%.

How Generative AI Enhances Personalization

1. Dynamic Content Generation

 Generative AI can create tailored content in real-time, allowing businesses to deliver unique experiences to each user. For example, in retail, it can analyze customer preferences and generate personalized product recommendations, promotional emails, or targeted advertisements, increasing conversions and fostering a sense of connection with the brand.

2. Predictive Analytics

By leveraging generative AI, organizations can analyze vast amounts of data to predict future customer behavior. This capability enables businesses to proactively tailor their offerings to meet evolving needs, such as streaming services generating personalized playlists based on viewing habits.

3. Enhanced Customer Interactions

Generative AI can improve customer service through intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants that simulate human-like conversations, offering personalized assistance based on individual histories and preferences, enhancing the overall customer experience.

4. Content Customization at Scale

In media and publishing, generative AI can produce a range of content variations tailored to specific audience segments, distributing personalized articles, videos, or social media posts that resonate with diverse demographics.

5. Product Design and Development

Generative AI can inform product design by analyzing consumer feedback and trends, identifying market gaps, and creating products that closely align with customer desires, leading to successful launches and greater satisfaction.

Implementing Generative AI for Personalization

1. Data Collection and Management

The foundation of effective generative AI lies in high-quality data. Organizations must invest in robust data collection and management systems to gather insights on customer preferences, behaviors, and feedback, enabling meaningful outputs.

2. Selecting the Right Technology

Businesses must evaluate and select generative AI tools that align with their objectives, considering factors such as ease of integration and scalability.

3. Creating a Culture of Innovation

Successful implementation requires a cultural shift within organizations, encouraging employees to experiment with new technologies and embrace data-driven decision-making.

4. Monitoring and Iteration

Personalization requires ongoing monitoring and refinement. Organizations must continuously analyze the effectiveness of their generative AI initiatives and adjust based on customer feedback and performance metrics.

Challenges and Considerations

While generative AI offers significant opportunities for rich personalization, it also presents challenges. Privacy concerns are paramount; organizations must navigate data protection regulations and ensure ethical use of customer data. Striking a balance between leveraging AI capabilities and maintaining a human touch in interactions is crucial, as the best results often come from a hybrid approach where AI enhances human creativity.

Conclusion

Generative AI is revolutionizing how businesses approach personalization.
By harnessing its capabilities, organizations can create richer, more engaging experiences that resonate with customers on a deeper level. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, embracing generative AI will help businesses meet today’s consumer demands and position them for future success.

At BORN, we have vigorously embraced AI and possess deep expertise in the field.
We can help your brand fully leverage generative AI, ensuring that your personalization efforts are both effective and innovative. Together, we can navigate the complexities of the digital world and create meaningful, sustainable experiences that will set your business apart.

Site Performance

The costly consequences of ignoring

Site Performance

Make no mistake, ecommerce is a race

Every year the stakes are higher and competition for sales is more arduous.  Site performance is one of the most important factors that define customer loyalty, improved conversion to sales, and growth in market share.

There are currently around 20 million ecommerce websites globally with 2 billion consumers placing orders yearly for an estimated 5.5 trillion dollars in global sales (2022). (Similarweb)

With ever-growing stakes and more competition in the ecommerce race, your online storefront needs to be powered by a high-performance platform to stay ahead of the pack.

BORN XDS has been engineering and developing global award-winning enterprise ecommerce sites for over a decade, we know exactly what it takes to beat the competition and how to design performance enhanced sites that win over customers.

“Improvements to your site’s performance will directly impact customer experience and will lead to greater revenue for your company”

Performance Driven Revenue

Why site speed and performance are important and how they impact your profits

1. Revenue Increase

Investing in site speed optimization can positively impact a company’s revenue by improving conversion rates, reducing cart abandonment, boosting user engagement, enhancing user experience, optimizing mobile sales, and increasing organic traffic.  Greater sales in any industry resulting from these factors increase revenue and enables a constant revenue stream throughout.

2. User Experience

Fast-loading websites provide better user experiences which increase customer satisfaction and engagement. Slow sites lead to higher customer bounce rates (a metric representing the number of users leaving a site without interaction).  Performance improvement on a site makes the navigation more interesting and fluid for customers.  Users have become accustomed to fast-loading websites and have little patience for slow ones. When a website loads quickly, users can access the desired content or complete their tasks efficiently, leading to higher satisfaction levels. Fast site speed minimizes frustration, reduces waiting time, and ensures a smooth browsing experience.

3. Conversion Rates

Studies show that even delays in website loading time can lead to significant decreases in conversion rates. Faster websites facilitate smoother navigation, quicker product searches, and faster checkout processes, which contribute to higher conversion rates and ultimately more sales. Increased load time of 1 to 3 seconds raises the risk of customers leaving by 32%, that number increases to 123% with a 10 second delay.  This shows just how appreciative customers are when you provide them with an efficient experience, and how unforgiving they can be about performance issues.

4. Search Engine Ranking

Search engines, like Google, consider website speed as one of the factors when determining search rankings. Faster websites tend to rank higher, leading to increased organic traffic and visibility. Improved visibility can attract more potential customers to your ecommerce site, positively impacting profits.

5. Mobile Commerce

New studies show that nearly 80% of all online purchases are being made through smart mobile devices. Mobile users often have limited bandwidth and slower internet connections. Optimizing your website for mobile devices and improving its speed can enhance the mobile shopping experience, leading to higher conversion rates and increased revenue from mobile users.

6. Customer Trust and Reputation

A slow-loading website may create doubts about the professionalism and reliability of an ecommerce business. Customers may question the security of their personal and financial information when using a poorly performing website.  A fast and responsive website helps establish trust and credibility, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.

7. Better Site Management

Faster loading times make it easier for your team to manage and update the website, reducing the time spent on site updates and maintenance tasks. This efficiency allows you to focus more on personalized targeted marketing, product management, and customer support, ultimately driving higher profits.

8. Operational Efficiency

Improved website performance and speed can also benefit the operational side of your ecommerce business. To maximize profits, it’s crucial to regularly monitor and optimize your site’s performance, focusing on factors such as page load times, server response times, and overall user experience. Conducting regular speed tests, optimizing code and images, utilizing caching techniques, and investing in robust hosting infrastructure are some strategies to improve website performance and speed. [BORN can help you implement and manage these complex steps]

“…even the most passive online consumer is too savvy to tolerate bad performance

Consumers know what they want;

they expect you to provide it!

Today, every individual, whether just a casual internet user or daily online ecommerce customer, has their own expectations, needs, wants, and demands when it comes to the user experience they have come to expect; from bespoke personalized landing pages to personally tailored shopping carts, to pinpoint targeted and customized user journeys. In 2023, ecommerce business better be able to meet those unique expectations.

We often see brilliantly designed ecommerce sites that have beautiful aesthetics with award winning interfaces get totally ruined by back end failure with slow and cumbersome checkout systems that totally hinder the sales process (if not lose sales altogether). It’s the classic “form over function” dilemma, and today, even the most passive online consumer is too savvy to tolerate bad performance. This isn’t to say that ecommerce sites should consider function over UI/UX design, but rather that the two MUST complement each other to create a fast, beautiful, user-friendly streamlined digital sales experience.

The competition is intense and the leaders set the pace!

According to Similarweb, 4 out of the top 10 most visited ecommerce sites worldwide are Amazon marketplaces (Amazon.com, Amazon UK, Amazon Japan, and Amazon Germany).  The Reason: ease of use, a naturally intuitive and personalized UI/UX, and the delivery of a nearly faultless performance, which gives every single user a repeatable, simple, and hassle-free shopping experience for every visit and purchase.

Amazon closed $514 billion (US Dollars) in global online retail sales in 2022, and It dominated nearly 40% of all online retail in the US, the next highest single operator being Walmart at 6.3% (Statista.com). While Amazon’s platform will probably not win on its looks, it does offer comfort in its simplicity and ease of use. A one or two word search inside the site’s marketplace almost always delivers perfectly ranked pages of expected results. That search can then be easily filtered by cost, shipping dates available, free shipping vs paid, brand names, ratings and reviews,  and previous purchases. One click adds the item to your cart, another click checks you out.  No need to worry about tracking that purchase, Amazon will send you automated updates on when the order was received, fulfilled, shipped and “out for delivery”.

$514 billion

(US Dollars)

40%

Online retail in the US

Offer comfort

in its simplicity

Search

delivers perfectly ranked pages

Hudson’s Bay Company : Performance must be measured!

Among the hundreds of award-winning projects BORN XDS has produced, our work with Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) showcases how much improved performance can affect ecommerce websites.

HBC is the parent company of the iconic online and brick-and-mortar fashion stores, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks OFF 5th, and The Bay. With estimated yearly sales revenues of $9.5 billion, Hudson’s Bay had very good reasons to want to ensure they stayed competitive.

When Hudson’s Bay came to BORN XDS, they had an ambitious goal of improving the response time of their different ecommerce websites by 30%.

To start this project, BORN XDS conducted an in-depth performance review of their websites’ operational speeds, the front and back end technologies, and third-party integrations. During this process several performance issues were determined; which included 3rd party integration problems, connectivity issues, and product ataloguing issues.

After the BORN technical audit was concluded and performance issues were identified, the sites experienced TTI (Time to Interactive) and LT (Load time) improvements of up to 49% in key pages of the sites like Search Page, Product Array, Product Details, and Cart Page.

The following figures show the dramatic front-end response time improvements experienced by Hudson’s Bay’s key web sites, after BORN XDS’s intervention:

48%
Home Page Speed
64%
Shopping Cart Page Speed
48%
Search Page Speed
53%
Overall Site Speed
33%
Product Page Speed

Hudson’s Bay Company : Performance Results

As part of BORN XDS’s comprehensive audit and website overhaul, a series of back and front-end changes and industry best practices were implemented. Among many others, Java script errors and unused code packages were removed, page caching was fine-tuned, image formats were standardized, and ‘Wishlist’ features were optimized— as a result, HBC’s revenue increased by an astonishing 7%.  BORN XDS has the expertise to measure real results and pinpoint the performance improvements required to enrich customer experience that result in greater revenue.

Staying ahead through Continuous Improvement

All that is gained from a robust performance rebuild can be lost over time; healthy ecommerce demands constant monitoring, testing, and care. Much like an elite athlete, a top-performing ecommerce site needs to constantly develop in order to stay ahead of the ever-encroaching competitor. Techniques and technology that win today can change tomorrow and if your brand doesn’t stay in top shape, it can soon find itself out of first place.

If your brand is ready to impress the world with the power of performance that can go the long haul, we’d love to show you how we can enhance your site for results.

For a FREE Performance Audit Contact BORN XDS

Marketplaces are as old as human history.

A Look at Marketplace Strategy and Design

Marketplaces are as old as human history.

Read the articles below to learn more about BORN Group’s proven approach to marketplace strategy and design.

Buy or Build? Determining the Best Strategy for Marketplace Creation

Buy or Build? Determining the Best Strategy for Marketplace Creation

By Ramy Youssef, SVP & Global Head of Marketplaces, BORN Group

The verdict is in, and it could not be more clear: Digital marketplaces represent the most effective way to expand your reach and grow your revenues. But this reality prompts an important question for any company looking to put the power of digital marketplaces to work: Should you build your own marketplace capabilities or should you buy a marketplace solution?

When it comes to software investments, the build or buy question is always a tough one, and the answer cannot be generalized. But the route to the answer is crystal-clear, as we have discovered over the course of many different marketplace projects with a wide array of clients: You must start from a position of insight and understanding – with a deep-dive along two dimensions: first, strategy and goals; second, organizational readiness.

You will already have some good ideas about why you want to develop a marketplace, but in our view, the key strategic question is this: What do current marketplaces in your sector look like, and how can you differentiate yours?

The answer will depend on your sector, obviously, but to take a simple example from the retail category: Amazon’s marketplace is defined by incredible breadth coupled with a consistently excellent customer experience. Customers know they can find what they’re looking for, they can buy and receive things fast and easily, and they are protected against fraud. A marketplace like Etsy, on the other hand, differentiates itself by its focus on unique, handmade, and vintage items. Customers know they can find something different when they shop at Etsy.

When thinking about your marketplace strategy, it’s crucial to distinguish between marketplace features that are commodities and those that are differentiators for your enterprise. Commodity features are basic functionalities that any marketplace should have, while differentiators are unique capabilities that set the marketplace apart in the market. “Buy it now” or “Save for later” are examples of commodity features. An example of a differentiating feature might be creating a Zero-Touch Marketplace.

Once we’ve explored the strategic components of marketplace decision-making, we look at the level of effort, investment, business expertise, and support required to implement the marketplace – in other words, your organizational readiness for this new challenge. Here, we ask questions like What are the specifics of your existing ecosystem and business model?

And we look at a slew of relevant factors including the eight we consider to be of paramount importance:

  1. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): A comprehensive TCO analysis – looking at all costs associated with the development or purchase, implementation, maintenance, and scaling of the marketplace – helps in understanding the true financial impact over time.
  2. Time to Market: Realistically, how quickly can your marketplace go from concept to reality? Building in-house may take longer but allows for more customization while buying a ready-made solution can significantly reduce time to market.
  3. Resource Expertise: Marketplaces usually demand unique expertise, so we evaluate your existing in-house team’s capabilities versus the expertise provided by a vendor.
  4. Resource Availability: Are the resources – human and technological – you need readily available, or would you have to acquire them? Addressing these issues requires assessing current workloads and the availability of specialized skills.
  5. Feature Scalability and Relevance to Market: A key upfront step is to evaluate the ability of the marketplace to scale as the business grows and what features will be essential at launch and to future development. Your solution design must be flexible enough to adapt to future needs.
  6. Risks: A thoughtful examination of the potential risks of both scenarios, buying and building, is crucial to the decision-making process. For example, building in-house might entail risks relating to project delays and technological challenges, while buying might entail risks related to vendor dependency and integration issues.
  7. Opportunity Cost: As you know, whatever decision you make has an opportunity cost beyond its actual costs. What might you have to forgo by allocating resources to building or buying a marketplace?
  8. Value Proposition: At the end of the day, the buy vs. build analysis must articulate the unique value proposition that your marketplace will bring to your organization and your customers. This part of our analysis circles back to the original strategic objectives for the marketplace in terms of enterprise strategy as well as customer expectations.

It should be clear that we are essentially agnostic about the buy vs. build decision. The analysis leads us, and our client, to the right decision. But in our extensive work in this area, we have discovered some interesting trends:

  • Approximately 30% of the opportunities we encounter involve enterprises that have outgrown their build model approach.
  • Almost all our clients, and particularly large ones (Fortune 500 enterprises) consider adopting a marketplace platform goes hand-in-hand with rethinking their business model – and this generally leads to replacing their previously built solutions.
  • Marketplaces mean more participants (customers and prospects), and this inevitably amplifies the requirements of platforms. Many clients that initially favored the build model, hoping to revamp an existing ecommerce ecosystem, ultimately opted to acquire marketplace platforms due to the inherent complexity and need for scale.
  • Enterprises that decide to build their own marketplace solutions come to appreciate the importance of separation of concerns, particularly in managing third-party sellers and providing them with the comprehensive support they need. This often becomes a key factor in their decision to adopt dedicated marketplace platforms.
  • Most successful marketplaces demand feature-rich platforms capable of managing the complexity that rises from more entities – company, partners, third-party sellers – and more buyer personas.
  • Developing a marketplace always demands ongoing investment because market trends evolve continuously. For instance, we’ve seen a growing interest in hybrid models that combine third-party (3P) and drop-shipping.
  • Finally, unlike the configuration of an existing platform, constructing a marketplace doesn’t add any distinctive business model or value proposition (although it does offer the opportunity to add differentiating features).

For all kinds of businesses in all kinds of sectors, a marketplace strategy can be a game-changer. But once you’ve decided you want to pursue this approach, the hard work lies in understanding what’s possible, what’s necessary, and how to get there. Analysis is the path to effective, more informed, and more strategic decision-making.

To learn more about the BORN Group’s approach to marketplace creation, we would love to walk you through our proven approach.

Transform Your Customer Experience into a Revenue Driver — BORN’s Approach to Success

Transform Your Customer Experience into a Revenue Driver — BORN’s Approach to Success

Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (U/X) are often used interchangeably, yet they denote distinct aspects of a client’s journey in selecting a product or service. U/X pertains to a customer’s interaction with the specific qualities of a product or service, while CX encompasses the entire journey, including every touchpoint a client encounters in the acquisition process.

In today’s digital marketing landscape, companies in Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), and Manufacturing recognize more than ever the critical roles of U/X and CX in positioning their products and fostering enduring relationships with consumers. The era of impersonal transactions is long past. Leading brands understand the significant returns that stem from establishing emotional, personalized relationships with their clients, bringing the brand closer to the customer for extended periods—sometimes for life. These relationships ensure loyalty by anticipating and catering to customers’ preferences, shopping habits, and needs. Technological advancements now make it possible to understand clients deeply and even influence their behaviour, offering numerous opportunities for business growth.

Customer loyalty, however, is delicate and directly linked to the client’s journey in acquiring a product or service. Clients demand transparent, highly personalized, and holistic experiences from the brands they choose. Therefore, companies must provide every possible engagement option their clients desire, from personal interactions to self-service across digital channels, or a combination of both.

This relationship requires high maintenance, with customers dictating the journey. A new term, Total Experience (TX), has emerged, reflecting the growing ability of customers to design their engagement journey with a brand.

For a long time, BORN has been a catalyst for change and a global leader in ecommerce digital solutions, providing the digital retail market with the technological tools necessary for brands to succeed in this dynamic environment.

Our extensive portfolio includes work that has propelled world-renowned brands in the digital market, particularly in the CPG, Retail, and Manufacturing sectors. Notable projects include third-party integrations and innovative, award-winning content for Oreo delivered in record time, and a flagship, fully connected bespoke solution for Gerber’s clients.

We created a stunning, personalized interface to enhance product discovery and user engagement for Lindt, while a complete Global Reference Architecture (GRA) build enabled Hanes to align their brands into a global standard platform, facilitating efficient website launches both in terms of delivery timelines and cost.

Ongoing collaborations such as those with John Lewis & Partners and ASOS highlight our commitment to consistent quality and efficiency. For John Lewis & Partners, we deliver assets to strict timelines across their entire ecommerce estate, and our nine-year partnership with ASOS provides a 24/7 production model that meets stringent KPIs and SLAs, delivering significant cost savings of approximately 40%.

In the Manufacturing sector, BORN has partnered with globally recognized brands like Delta Faucet, Makino, and Hillyard. For Delta Faucet Company, a division of Masco Corp., we conducted journey mapping and persona synthesis exercises based on stakeholder workshops and user interviews to better understand professional and consumer home improvement and maintenance spaces, earning high praise from the client. For Makino, an industry leader in machinery design and innovation, we enabled users to browse products, manage accounts, and receive customized pricing, while a back-office integration improved business productivity. For Hillyard, a leading manufacturer and distributor of cleaning solutions, we provided a complete eCommerce overhaul to better serve users and support seamless future growth.

BORN offers a comprehensive suite of tools and services to elevate your brand’s U/X and CX, including Machine Learning and AI, Extended Reality, IoT, Blockchain, Design Thinking, Brand Experience, Service Design, Behavioural Experience, Book of Record, Data Science & Experience, Cybersecurity, Business Process Operations, and Postproduction Services.

With offices in nine countries, a workforce of over 15,000 employees, more than 1,000 clients, and over 500 awards, BORN is the partner your brand needs to unlock remarkable new possibilities through intelligent data, human insight, and compelling creativity.

If you are interested in learning more about how BORN can support you in this, we would be happy to walk you through our proven approach.

Asking the right questions: Lessons from gender-inclusive design in healthcare

Asking the right questions:

Lessons from gender-inclusive design in healthcare

 By Caitlin Gebhard – Senior Content Strategist

Content warnings: harm to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, trauma, suicide

As Pride Month celebrations begin to wrap up, we take this moment to remind ourselves that acknowledgement, respect, and celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community shouldn’t end. Nor should our work to improve the lives of the queer community.  Across the US, there is a growing wave of new efforts to minimize, and in some cases actively harm, queer, trans, Black, POC, disabled, and other marginalized people. Through our work in design and in industries across the globe, we can start to change the tide and make positive change for everyone.

Today, we focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. We’ll share how we can use inclusive design to continue our acknowledgement, respect, and celebration of people along the gender and sexuality spectrum all year long.

Our understanding of gender is changing. The American Medical Association (AMA), the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), and others define gender as more than a binary. Gender is best understood as a spectrum of different ways we can think about ourselves, our roles in society, and how we represent ourselves and interact with the world. Some people identify as men or women, but there are myriad genders that don’t fit neatly into those labels.

Many people who exist outside of the gender binary identify as LGBTQIA+. This acronym encompasses the broad range of gender and sexual identities other than straight and cisgender, including: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual, Transgender, Genderqueer, Queer, Nonbinary, Intersex, Agender, and Asexual people.

Information about gender identity can help drive better personalization outcomes, address erasure, and improve diversity and equity in many other sectors, from fashion to education and beyond – all of which contribute to the wellbeing of the LGBTQIA+ (or queer) community.

But when we ask people about their gender, such as during enrollment or onboarding experiences, we need to pay attention to how we ask for it. Many people will identify with one of the ubiquitous male/female options. When they don’t, it can be a hurtful indication that this experience wasn’t designed for them.

The way we ask about someone’s gender is particularly important in healthcare. Our mental and physical wellbeing are, in many ways, closely tied to the complexities of our identities. By collecting gender information in an inclusive way, institutions can provide more accurate and effective health care services.

Regardless of the products and services we provide, we can look to the healthcare industry to help us reframe the conversation on gender and design. The conversation isn’t always easy. Building inclusive design practices can be challenging. But with recipes to help ground our work in community-based, proven best practices, we can start to do better.

“Queer”

“Queer” is an umbrella term often used to describe sexual preferences, orientations, and habits of people outside the cisgender, heterosexual, and monogamous majority. But queer is complicated. This word has been used as a slur to insult, belittle, and harm LGBTQIA+ people throughout history. Today, many LGBTQIA+ people are reclaiming the label, and in younger generations, even favoring it. Queer is used to express that gender and sexuality are complicated. They might not always fit into labelled identities, and they may evolve over time. “Queer” is used as a political identity and a community-building affirmation. More and more, it is considered the most respectful and inclusive way to refer to people with diverse genders and sexualities.

As with all labels and descriptions, asking individuals about their preference, particularly regarding words with complicated histories, is important. This article uses “queer” to encompass and respect the vast range of gender identities and sexualities beyond the majority.

The Queer American Landscape

The percentage of Americans who identify as queer is rapidly increasing, particularly in younger generations. According to recent Gallup polls, 7.6% of U.S. adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something other than straight or heterosexual.[1] For younger generations, the numbers are higher: roughly 22% of Generation Z Americans who have reached adulthood – those born between 1997 and 2012 – identify as LGBT.

Pew Research also revealed that 1.6% of U.S. adults identify as trans or gender-nonbinary. For adults younger than 30, the population is more than 5%.


[1] While this survey included transgender in a grouping of sexualities, we understand that transgender is a gender label and is not a sexuality.

While some queer people are thriving and finding new ways to support and celebrate their community, many others face myriad hardships. Queer, particularly transgender, people are more likely to experience unstable housing, underemployment, wage disparities, limited access to healthcare, and discrimination and violence at school, at work, and at home. The prevalence is even higher for people who are Black, People of Color, and/or disabled.

Queer Health

Queer people also experience a host of health disparities, including undiagnosed or untreated diseases, lack of gender-affirming care, lack of health insurance, under-representation in medical research, and even face-to-face discrimination and harm in healthcare settings.

Queer people are also more likely to experience certain physical health issues, often related to the stigma and discrimination they experience in their daily lives. Unfortunately, some health issues pose unique risks to queer people and queer bodies. For example, while tobacco use is more prevalent in the queer and transgender community, smoking is a particular risk for transgender people who take estrogen, as the combination increases the chances of blood clots.

Studies also show that lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults are twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition. Transgender adults are nearly four times as likely. This is especially true for LGBTQ+ youth, who consistently report significantly higher rates of depression and suicidal ideation than their straight and cisgender peers.

Access to Healthcare

Health concerns are partly caused by the mistreatment and discrimination queer people experience when trying to access healthcare. According to the 2022 Health Equality Index Report, more than half of queer respondents reported that they had experienced at least one type of discrimination, from being refused care to being verbally harassed.

A resurgence of anti-queer hostility and rhetoric across the U.S. political landscape is making things worse. 2024 marks the fifth consecutive record-breaking year for anti-trans legislation, targeting education, legal recognition, and the right to publicly exist – with an escalating focus on healthcare. Last year, 86 anti-trans bills passed in 24 states, 23 of which create significant barriers to gender-affirming care. As of June 2024, an unprecedented 61 bills are being considered at the federal level.

These experiences have driven a great distrust in the healthcare system. Studies show that some queer people avoid seeking healthcare out of concern that they would face discrimination or poor treatment. In one report, 73% of transgender respondents and 29% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents reported that they believed they would be treated differently by healthcare providers because of their identity.

Progress

But there has also been significant progress. The number of healthcare institutions that embrace and make progress on queer equality is growing. Institutions are working to build safer spaces and more culturally sensitive services. When providers demonstrate knowledge of and sensitivity about queer communities, queer patients are more likely to build trust and establish relationships and practices that support their health.

Best Practices: Learning from healthcare

Grounded in research and collaboration with the queer community, healthcare institutions have developed best practices for asking people about their gender identity and sexual orientation. Collecting this information not only helps to provide culturally sensitive and effective treatment, but also helps to end queer erasure in health care and to measure quality and progress in eliminating disparities.

We’ll explore recommendations and best practices for patient intake, enrollment, and digital health experiences. For some organizations, these recommendations may be a first step to developing queer inclusive practices. They can help us better understand the nuances of gender, the queer experience, and how we can best support people of all genders, within the healthcare industry and beyond.

Collecting information

Choose your words carefully.

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) strongly urges providers to use appropriate language in their practices and policies. This can help providers and their patients build a more trusting, effective relationship – and help patients get the care they need.

As with any population, it is important to talk to and about queer people in the way that they want to be referred to.

In general, avoid gendered language. Use singular “they” instead of “he/she” or “s/he”. Consider using “people” or “people of all genders” instead of “men and women”, as appropriate.

Neutral language can also help us check our assumptions about queer identities. For example, instead of “transgender men and women,” say “transgender people.” Not all transgender people are (trans) men or (trans) women; in fact, about one-third of trans people are non-binary.

Additional best practices:

PreferredAvoid
Assigned male/female at birth
Raised as a boy/girl
Biological gender / sex
Biological female / male
Different sexOpposite sex
Gender transition
*Not synonymous with sexual reassignment
Sexual reassignment
Gender-affirming care
Transition-related medical care
Sex change
PronounsPreferred pronouns
Sexual orientationLifestyle
Sexual preference
Trans / transgender woman
Trans / transgender man
Trans / transgender people
Transfeminine
Transmasculine
Male-to-female, female-to-male Transgendered
Transsexual
Transvestite
Transgender people, transgender man, transgender woman Transfeminine
Transmasculine
Transgendered
Not out
Out
Closeted
Openly gay

For more comprehensive guidance, see:

Collect multiple data points.

Many healthcare institutions recommend collecting information about someone’s gender using a set of multiple questions, for example:

  • Current gender identity
  • Sex assigned at birth
  • Trans identity or experience

It is essential to ask a range of questions about someone’s identity while also providing a diverse and inclusive list of gender identities to choose from.

While some people assigned a different gender at birth refer to themselves as transgender, others do not. Many use the labels “trans men” or “trans women.” Others may be a combination of genders or outside of the male/female binary altogether (e.g., nonbinary, genderqueer, agender, etc.). Nonbinary people may or may not also identify as transgender.

By asking about current gender identity, sex assigned at birth, and trans experience, organizations can better understand the full range of an individual’s needs – such as anatomically appropriate preventive screenings – and provide more accurate and effective services.

Example from Fenway Health

An alternative way to separate transgender from the binary of man/woman is to list the transgender option separately, and allow for multiple selection:

  • Female/Woman
  • Male/Man
  • Transgender
  • Nonbinary, genderqueer, Two Spirit, or not exclusively male or female
  • Another gender ______

If you need to use the binary…

You may need to include a question that only offers the binary male/female option. For example, your databases or a third-party partner, such as an insurance company, may not collect or be able to integrate more diverse data.

This type of question should be additional and separate and include an explanation of why it provides only the two options. In the following two examples, the healthcare institutions also acknowledge that the question does not align with their own inclusive practices, which may help mitigate any discomfort with this question.

Create space for unlisted genders.

Some people may feel overwhelmed when presented with a long list of gender options. But excluding some gender identities can cause harm – and introduce inaccurate data.

When providing a shorter list of options, as above, include space for someone to write-in their gender identity if it is not listed explicitly on the form. Be sure to phrase this option without using “other” (e.g., “other gender”). This language explicitly others people who fall outside of the acknowledged genders on the form. Instead, label the field with “another gender” or something similar.

Allow more than one selection.

Gender identity is also fluid and may be described in different ways. A transgender person may be trans as well as nonbinary. Someone may identify as man, woman, and genderfluid.

When asking about someone’s gender identity, let them select multiple options.

Ask for name and pronouns.

In addition to asking about someone’s gender identity, healthcare organizations suggest asking for their pronouns and their current name or alias. In healthcare settings and in general, routinely using a name or pronoun that doesn’t match someone’s current identity (i.e., their “deadname”) is stigmatizing and can create a more hostile environment.

Note that someone’s pronouns aren’t their preferred pronouns; they are simply the pronouns that someone uses. They also aren’t inherently tied to gender identity or biology. Avoid describing pronouns as:

  • preferred pronouns
  • masculine/male pronouns
  • feminine/female pronouns
  • non-binary pronouns

The CDC recommends listing the most common pronouns and leaving space for people to write-in their own if they aren’t listed (e.g., neopronouns):

  • He/him
  • She/her
  • They/them
  • Not listed:______________________

Collect anatomical information with care.

Someone’s gender identity doesn’t necessarily reveal details about their anatomy – an important consideration when providing healthcare. If you need to collect this information, the Healthcare Equality Index recommends explicitly and inclusively collecting anatomical information (e.g., “organ inventory”).

Using neutral language helps us ask about someone’s body with sensitivity and respect. It also helps us check our assumptions about gender and biology. For example, not everyone who can get pregnant identifies as a woman or a mother—just as not everyone who identifies as a woman or a mother can get pregnant. Instead, healthcare providers and others should use more generic or broad terminology, such as “people who can become pregnant”.

Being sensitive about someone’s body and anatomy isn’t just about respect. People with gender dysphoria may be deeply triggered when gendered language is used to describe their body, particularly reproductive anatomy. Instead, use more generic terminology (e.g., genitals, reproductive organs, chest) instead of gender-loaded words (e.g., vagina, penis, breasts).

Make it easy to change.

Gender is fluid, and someone’s understanding of their own identity can change over time. Their name and pronouns might change. They may make changes to their anatomy. But expressing and sharing these changes can be challenging – and traumatic – in many areas of someone’s life.

In healthcare and other spaces, make it easy for someone to change their record or profile as their life evolves.

Transparency

If you need it, explain why.

For healthcare settings, collecting gender, orientation, and anatomy information is critical to providing effective, patient-centered care to queer patients. This information can be important in other settings and industries, too.

However, we need to ask ourselves why we need this information and communicate those reasons to our audience:

  • Are you monitoring diversity and acting on the data?
  • Are you determining if they are eligible for services?
  • Are your required to communicate this information to a third-party (e.g., insurance company)?
  • Is it for segmenting personalized services?
  • Is it for marketing and communication purposes?

Be honest about what you’re asking and why. This transparency is an important step towards providing a safe experience and fostering trust between individual and organization.

Make it optional.

Even if you explain why you’re asking questions about someone’s identity, some people may still have (valid) concerns about the data collection. They may wonder:

  • Will there be consequences if they answer incorrectly (e.g., they didn’t find the right label on the form)?
  • Will they be outed somehow? (i.e., will their identity be made public?)
  • Will this information lead to discrimination or harm?

Your audience knows better than you if it’s safe or appropriate to disclose their identity in certain contexts.

If this data isn’t critical, make questions about gender identity and sexuality optional.

If you don’t need it, don’t ask.

If you don’t know why you’re asking questions about someone’s gender, or if the information will not be used to benefit the user, then don’t ask.

Privacy

While gender and sexuality are not considered PII (personal identifiable information, protected by law), this information is sensitive and should be kept confidential. Let individuals know who will have access to that information and how the data will be protected.

These assurances are particularly important for the safety and trust of transgender people. Research shows that when asked to provide information about their identity, transgender individuals required much more information about the level of confidentiality of data before they would consider answering those questions. While some queer people are “out” and have made their identity public, others may be deeply concerned that they would face discrimination if their identity or experience was inadvertently revealed.

Safety

The confidentiality of gender and sexuality information is even more critical for queer people of certain cultures. There are parts of the world and cultures where discrimination against queer people is dangerous. Some countries block online search terms like ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’. In other countries, being queer is condemned, criminalized, or even punishable by death. It is no wonder that some queer immigrants and refugees to the U.S. do not identify themselves as queer because the consequences could be dire in their home country or culture.

It is important to note that significant stigma, ostracization and violence against queer people still exist in certain communities of the U.S. too.

Consider your visual design.

When we consider queer inclusivity in our designs, we need to approach it from a perspective that protects people who may face significant consequences if their identities are revealed. Designers must carefully consider overtly queer-focused visual design (e.g., rainbows) and inclusive messaging with a sometimes-necessary covert experience.

Provide escape routes.

Some wellbeing organizations provide a quick and easy way to leave their website if someone feels that viewing the site is no longer safe. For example, if a person who feels unsafe revealing their identity is browsing the Trevor Project website – a crisis support resource for trans and queer young people – and their parent walks into the room, the young person can immediately and covertly close the website using keyboard shortcuts. The Trevor Projects communicates this option as soon as someone visits their site.

The Trevor Project

Listen, learn, and support.

Inclusive design is more than choosing words and components, but also empowering the people we aim to support throughout the design process itself. Talk directly with queer people from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Continually collect feedback as you maintain and iterate on your designs. When you can, enable and support queer people as they take the lead on finding and implementing solutions for the needs of their communities.

Queer-inclusive design isn’t easy. As society continues to evolve, we need to adapt our approach to design along with it. Understanding what needs to change cannot happen alone. Instead, we can turn to community experts, design leaders, and organizations who have already started evolving their inclusive design practices. More importantly, we can listen to the experiences and expertise of the queer community directly – and working together, adapt and implement inclusive best practices together. When we acknowledge, respect, and actively support queer people in our designs – for healthcare and beyond – we can make the world healthier and safer for everyone.

“The views and opinions expressed in this content are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect BORN’s official policy or position. Any content provided by our authors or speakers is their view, and they are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone else.”