Day 20 of 25: Applications of the iCORE™ Framework
Identify + Connect
Design used to sit behind a wall of complexity.
For years, creating something professional meant either mastering advanced tools or hiring someone who already had. That reality quietly limited who could participate. A lot of people with ideas never moved forward simply because the process of design felt out of reach.
Canva changed that by removing the assumption that design requires training. Instead of forcing users to adapt to software, it reshaped the experience so the software adapts to the user. Templates, drag and drop functionality, and intuitive workflows replaced what used to be a steep learning curve.
That shift didn’t just improve convenience, but expanded who could take part in the process altogether.
Small business owners began producing their own marketing materials and teachers created classroom resources without outside help. Nonprofits launched campaigns without agency budgets. These weren’t new needs, just newly unlocked capabilities.
The real impact came from opening access to people who were never truly served by traditional design tools in the first place. Canva didn’t win by competing for existing users, instead, it grew by making design usable for people who had been excluded from it.
When something becomes easier to access, the market doesn’t just get more efficient. It gets larger.
Today’s example focuses on the Identify and Connect pillars of iCORE™, and how removing barriers can expand an entire category.