Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Summary
In order to thrive, we humans need to experience the interconnectedness between ourselves and the world around us. But despite unprecedented connectivity, the modern commercial, social, and educational frameworks where our daily interactions and transactions take place focus on the individual. Increasingly, the technological worlds we inhabit grow cold because connectivity is not the same as connection. Warmth is a connecting principle. For individuals, it leads to reduced stress, anxiety, blood pressure, depression, and heart disease. For communities, it’s like social glue increasing cohesion, unity, and productivity. Changes in UX design priorities are needed to help users get over themselves, to see over the impediments blocking their eyes and hearts from other people, other communities, and the upstream and downstream impact of their consumer behaviors.
Key Insights
-
•
Physical warmth activates the same brain regions as interpersonal warmth, linking tactile and social experiences.
-
•
The 18th-century Shaker communities designed with intentional warmth that supported belonging and self-actualization.
-
•
Fred Rogers scaled warmth into a designed experience for children that emphasized respect, trust, and connection.
-
•
Abraham Maslow’s concept of self-transcendence encourages designing experiences that connect users to something bigger than themselves.
-
•
Modern UX often focuses too narrowly on problem solving and usability, missing opportunities to foster true human connection.
-
•
Users vet expert advice through their communities, revealing the importance of interconnectivity even in enterprise contexts.
-
•
Digital experiences can and should be designed to create ongoing, respectful conversations between users and designers.
-
•
Dunbar’s Number suggests optimal group sizes for true social warmth and connection, illustrating the role of scale in design.
-
•
Warmth in design acts as social glue that reduces loneliness and promotes societal cohesion and health.
-
•
Transparency about product sourcing and impacts can foster consumer trust and sense of purpose in capitalism.
Notable Quotes
"After holding a warm cup of coffee, people perceive others as more trustworthy and engaging."
"I spent the whole car ride home thinking, what just happened? — after singing together at a Shaker conference."
"Rather than problem solving, it’s conversation that should drive design."
"We’ve been over-indexing on the individual and not considering belonging and connectivity enough."
"Fred Rogers wasn’t just kind, he carefully designed warmth into the children’s experience."
"Once you meet your basic needs, Maslow says you can transcend yourself and connect with something bigger."
"Users don’t just trust the advisor’s opinion; they vet it through their community networks."
"Warmth needs scale; if a group is too large, social warmth can break down."
"The epidemic of isolation is tied to digital design that creates connectivity without connection."
"It’s psychopathic behavior to know about harm in a product’s sourcing and ignore it rather than seek transparency."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"It’s not always a charismatic repository that people flock to, but tools that seek you out where you work are more effective."
Ned Dwyer Emily Stewart James WallisThe Intersection of Design and ResearchOps
September 24, 2024
"Government is seven plus years behind industry – not bleeding edge, more like the dull butter knife edge."
Michael LandEstablishing Design Operations in Government
February 18, 2021
"How do we train AI models to prevent bias and preserve privacy, especially considering disability data is often seen as medical data?"
Sam ProulxTo Boldly Go: The New Frontiers of Accessibility
November 18, 2022
"User experience is not like the sauce you put on your steak to make it taste better. It is the actual protein within the steak."
Vasileios XanthopoulosA Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach to User-Centric Maturity at Scale
January 8, 2024
"Sometimes vocal feedback reveals problems that digital behavior can’t see—like offline factors affecting perception."
Andrew Custage Michael MallettThe Digital Journey: Research on Consumer Frustration and Loyalty
March 29, 2023
"Don’t schedule your pilot during the holidays — our first pilot had one graduate because it went through December."
Marjorie Stainback Kelsey KingmanTransforming Strategic Research Capacity through Democratization
October 24, 2019
"When people feel disconnected, they start to objectify others as obstacles or vehicles to get work done."
Alla WeinbergCross-Functional Relationship Design
December 6, 2022
"Everyone wants to see themselves reflected in the research questions and findings."
Jerome “Axle” BrownHow to Use Self-Directed Learning to Ensure Your Research Insights are Heard and Acted Upon
March 11, 2021
"The hiring process typically includes two manager screens and a final interview with project presentations."
Jen Crim Jess Quittner Saritha Kattekola Alex Karr Gurbani PahwaCulture, DIBS & Recruiting
June 11, 2021
