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Tech is becoming a hits-driven business. This isn't a good thing. illustration by stephan walter No one waited in line to buy the first iPod.

Meet Elle Luna, a former IDEO designer who believes design plays a role at every stage of the process--even before teams start to think visually. Elle Luna calls herself a "designer, storyteller, and startup advisor." As a mentor at the Designer Fund , which believes designers should be startup founders rather than late-stage additions, Luna feels designers have a role to play at every stage of the process, including the gleam-in-eye phase. FAST COMPANY: You recently left your position at the major design firm IDEO

Meet Ansar Khan, whose experience working at his family's restaurant informed the development of his software, Ambur. Ansar Khan (left, with cofounder James O'Leary) is one of the developers of Ambur , an iOS app that wants to cut through the clutter and poor design choices common in too much restaurant software. Ambur is poised to receive an update shortly (pending Apple's approval).

You can't stop really bad things--like Sept. 11th--from happening, but you can be prepared for them. Here are 7 ways.

[youtube pjIK5BOADVI] Apps are coming at us from all directions, and they're getting both more sophisticated and simpler--the app economy is booming. But as everyone and their dog makes something they deem fit to call an "app," the supply will arrive like a flood. Then what will we do as a consumer society--wallow, sink, or swim?

Meet the thermostat directly inspired by the iPod. Courtesy of Nest Labs Tony Fadell developed the first iPod (and 17 subsequent versions) and departed Apple in 2009. Now he's selling a thermostat--but not, of course, just any thermostat.

Meet the thermostat directly inspired by the iPod. Courtesy of Nest Labs Tony Fadell developed the first iPod (and 17 subsequent versions) and departed Apple in 2009. Now he's selling a thermostat--but not, of course, just any thermostat.

Moving forward with Steve Jobs' legacy, these are the Apple executives to watch in 2012. As the story goes, Jonathan Ive started at Apple in 1992, after an impressive career in the UK design scene. But it wasn't until the return of Steve Jobs in 1997, when Jobs decided design would be a major part of Apple's new strategy, that Ive rose to the top of the ranks.

Moving forward with Steve Jobs' legacy, these are the Apple executives to watch in 2012. As the story goes, Jonathan Ive started at Apple in 1992, after an impressive career in the UK design scene. But it wasn't until the return of Steve Jobs in 1997, when Jobs decided design would be a major part of Apple's new strategy, that Ive rose to the top of the ranks.

I am always looking for new ways to be innovative. I love that through Inc, I get the chance to speak with so many experts on innovation, such as Clayton Christensen , Sunni Brown , Adrian Slywotzky and Geoffrey Moore . These experts shake up my initial notions on innovation and inspire me to try new techniques with my company .

Is this the end of tattered, gummy, loyalty cards stuffing wallets to the brim? Perka Inc

How could anyone think that GenY's love of entrepreneurship is a bad thing? You'd be surprised

By Lance Whitney The iOS 5 update initially bricked my iPod Touch. [More]

Curt Richardson escaped a moribund industry by taking control of his company's product line and tapping into mobile technology trends. Like many fabled company founders, Curt Richardson launched his first business in his garage.

I owe this 60-Second Earth gig to Steve Jobs. Without the iPod there's no podcast. But our collective lust for iPod-like gadgets has some outsized impacts on the planet