From Feedback to Furniture

In short:

Accessibility isn’t a checklist — it’s something you can design into every surface.
When lived experience shapes the layout, inclusion becomes visible.
From feedback to furniture, small changes changed the whole experience.

TPG Telecom: Turning Friction into Design Opportunities

When TPG Telecom partnered with Knowable Me, they wanted to understand how customers with disability experienced their Vodafone retail stores. The brief was simple: find the friction and help turn it into design opportunities.

Across a series of interviews, store visits, and accessibility walk-throughs, we heard hundreds of small details that added up to a big story.

What we learned

Some issues were practical — like counters that were too high for wheelchair users, or demo phones tethered out of reach. Others were environmental: reflective lighting that made screens hard to see, music masking staff voices for people with hearing aids, and store fittings that didn't allow for easy access.

Then there was the human side. Many team members wanted to help but weren't confident in how to start a conversation about access or assistance.

Turning insight into action

Knowable Me translated those findings into design recommendations and staff resources that could be implemented quickly. Together with TPG Telecom's Vodafone retail experience teams, we helped:

Introduce dual-height service counters to improve reach and visibility
Adjust store layouts for clearer navigation and mobility space
Ensure surfaces and lighting were optimised for diverse visual needs
Make furniture design choices that support comfort and accessibility

The result

The new designs are easier to navigate, more comfortable to spend time in, and more welcoming for everyone — not just customers with disability.

Knowable Me members reported feeling seen and supported. Knowing that Vodafone is taking these steps creates brand recognition and loyalty. And Vodafone gained a scalable model for inclusive retail design that can inform future fit-outs and refurbishments.

Why it matters

Accessibility and inclusive experiences aren't an add-on. They're design principles that benefit everyone who walks through the door. When lived experience informs the details — counter heights, lighting, sound, and conversation — inclusion becomes something you can see, hear, and feel.

From feedback to furniture, this project proved that listening closely can transform how a brand shows up in the real world.

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Kelly Schulz

Director - Knowable Me

Kelly Schulz is the Founder and Chief Curiosity Officer of Knowable Me, a social enterprise connecting organisations with the lived experiences of people they may never have thought to ask.

Through a nationwide community of diverse humans, Knowable Me provides research, data and practical insights to help organisations design better products, services and experiences. Kelly’s work challenges organisations to move beyond assumptions, compliance checklists and conveniently “average” customers — because humans have never been particularly cooperative about fitting into neat boxes.

Kelly has held senior roles across customer experience, accessibility and inclusion, complaints, brand and communications. She combines strategic thinking, human-centred design and an unapologetic curiosity about how people actually experience the world.

Kelly is an experienced Chair and non-executive director, and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

She describes herself as “blind, with just enough vision to be dangerous” and is ably assisted by her guide dog, Zali.

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Kelly