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Designing Warmth
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
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Physical warmth activates the same brain regions as interpersonal warmth, linking tactile and social experiences.
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The 18th-century Shaker communities designed with intentional warmth that supported belonging and self-actualization.
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Fred Rogers scaled warmth into a designed experience for children that emphasized respect, trust, and connection.
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Abraham Maslow’s concept of self-transcendence encourages designing experiences that connect users to something bigger than themselves.
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Modern UX often focuses too narrowly on problem solving and usability, missing opportunities to foster true human connection.
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Users vet expert advice through their communities, revealing the importance of interconnectivity even in enterprise contexts.
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Digital experiences can and should be designed to create ongoing, respectful conversations between users and designers.
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Dunbar’s Number suggests optimal group sizes for true social warmth and connection, illustrating the role of scale in design.
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Warmth in design acts as social glue that reduces loneliness and promotes societal cohesion and health.
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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."
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