Designing Inclusive Experiences That Scale
I've been connected to the Magical Bridge Foundation for nearly a decade, contributing in various capacities over the years and, most recently, serving as a fractional Chief Experience Officer during a period of operational growth. Magical Bridge designs and builds the world's most inclusive playgrounds, spaces where people of all ages and abilities play together by design, not accommodation. As the Foundation expanded from its first playground in Palo Alto to sites across the country and around the world, my work as CXO focused on helping them build the programming frameworks and operational systems to ensure that every new city could activate its playground through the same inclusive lens that shaped the playground itself. The role spanned strategy, research, creative direction, and hands-on production.
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Research and inclusive event principles I talked with city partners and community organizations across the network to understand how each community had been adapting Magical Bridge programming and where there were gaps. From that research, I worked with the team to develop guiding principles for inclusive community events, translating the same thinking behind Magical Bridge's playground design, things like predictable zone layouts, variable levels of participation, sensory-friendly environments, spaces for retreat, and seamless inclusion where no one feels singled out, into a framework for programming. I then designed, curated, and ran events throughout the year to test those principles in real community settings.
Programming infrastructure and tools I created systems and tools for tracking schedules, costs, budgets, staffing, safety, and program outcomes, and packaged the inclusive event principles, operational templates, and programming playbooks so they could be shared with other cities as new Magical Bridge playgrounds come online.
Magical Bridge playgrounds are powerful on their own, but activating them through programming is what truly brings the mission to life. Together, we posed a "how might we" question: how do we design community experiences that go beyond access to create belonging, empathy, and lasting connection through play? We developed a set of brand and programming pillars that mirrored the principles behind the playgrounds themselves, then used those pillars to guide every event we created and tested throughout 2025.
Activating Playgrounds Through Inclusive Community Programming
We also addressed real organizational challenges, including how a very small team could sustain meaningful programming across a growing network of sites. Part of the answer was to evolve the Kindness Ambassador program and build new partnerships with groups like the Scouts or the Rotary, creating a model in which community organizations could serve as programming partners. I was hands-on throughout, from strategy and creative direction to running events, activating volunteers, collecting feedback, and designing every framework and touchpoint to be repeatable and scalable as the network grows.
Growing Inclusive Leadership Beyond the Playground
As Magical Bridge playgrounds expand across the country and around the world, the question is how to ensure the community and youth leadership that make these spaces come alive can grow with them. The Kindness Ambassador programs, including Magical Tennis and the Magical Friendship Club, were started by teens in the Foundation's leadership program. I came in to help them articulate what they'd been building, working closely with the teen founders to co-create playbooks that brought real depth to how to teach other young people to work with people with disabilities.
I helped them identify and frame their approach through the lens of inclusive design principles, turning lived experience into practical, teachable guides. I also led a design thinking exercise with one of the teen leaders to create a playful, teen-led playground tour that introduces visitors of all ages and abilities to the inclusive design features built into every Magical Bridge playground. Together, we designed the playbooks, tour guide, and all supporting materials so that as new playgrounds open, communities everywhere have the tools to build their own culture of kindness and inclusion from the ground up.
Brand, Launch, and Beyond: Musical Bridge
Musical Bridge is an AI-powered sound installation that invites anyone, regardless of ability or musical experience, to create music together in a public space. It reflects Magical Bridge's ongoing push toward innovation, exploring how music can activate public spaces and serve as a universal connector, bringing people together across ages, abilities, and backgrounds in ways that words alone often can't.
For the debut prototype, I led brand development, the research framework, launch assets, and kickoff events. Because this was an early prototype, it was critical to test it with the widest possible cross-section of a community, not just the people most likely to show up. We intentionally sought out participants from autism centers, senior communities, design and education programs, and families across the Bay Area, ensuring the feedback would represent the full range of people this installation is ultimately designed to serve.
I oversaw the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative feedback and packaged the findings for the team, including Quantiphi (an NVIDIA Elite Partner) and Dr. Nolan Gasser, architect of Pandora's Music Genome Project, to inform the next prototype. I then oversaw the move to a second testing site in Healdsburg, designing all engagement materials, exhibit presentation, investor inquiry decks, and the community kickoff event.
We can’t wait to see what develops next!
Jill Asher
Former Executive Director, Magical Bridge Foundation
Anne is a creative and brand guru who is incredibly talented and does beautiful work. Your company, foundation, or brand would be lucky to have her creative mind and strategy supporting you.