“Warmth is a connecting principle.”
– Pema Chödrön
“The harmful consequences of a lack of connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and organizations.”
– Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., U.S. Surgeon General
v.s.
“What I mean by good design is helping people find their natural, proper place in the cosmos.”
- Richard Buchanan
Just this one person, just this one time. Too often that’s where User Experience design (UX) stops.
We’re developing ways to help users transcend self in order to experience interconnectedness with other people, with nature, with the world outside their own skin.
Transcendent Experience (ZX) design broadens the focus of UX design from the individual, momentary needs of a task, to the warm and meaningful contexts of belonging.
Join us in the Berkshires this Fall!
An exclusive event designed for exploring the principles of warmth through conversation, immersion, and embodiment.
Designing Warmth
2026
Wed, September 28 - Sat, October 2
Background
“No role exists in isolation.”
– Fred Rogers
Can you recall someone with a warm personality who makes you feel seen, like you matter, like you belong?
温もり
hlýju
الدفء
теплотой
Cultures around the world know the principles of human connection by the same name; “warmth.”
Our modern worlds grow cold because too often, the human in human-centered design is really just one human, one time.
Source and Inspiration
The Shakers exemplified both the principle and the courage to practice design in a manner that looked after the human experience of life on earth.
People
Daniel Gloyd, founder of Designing Warmth, is a designer and research expert specializing in the field of Human Experience design.
His forthcoming books about Shaker design and the experience of warmth share his research and principles for warming human experience.
He has helped organizations such as Toyota, Samsung, and McDonald's embrace human-centered design for over 25 years.
Daniel was founder and manager of the User Interface team at Samsung’s Los Angeles Design Lab, and former principal V.P. of Research Services at Gist Design, acquired by TrueFit Innovation in 2014.
He’s the inventor on five U.S. design patents for human-computer interface innovations.
Daniel Gloyd