Transcendent Experience (ZX) broadens the focus of UX design from the individual, momentary needs of a task, to the warm and meaningful contexts of belonging.
When we nest a user’s task in the context of their unique potential to serve something bigger than themselves, we create a scaffolding for human connection.
UX Design
prioritizes one user in one moment
upstream and downstream impact ignored
critical human relationships ignored
challenging for the user to connect with the world around them
ZX Design
prioritizes a holistic sense of interconnectedness
helps a user realize gratitude, reciprocation, purpose, and shared cause
much easier for the user to connect with the world around them.
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.
The things that the Shakers made embodied a spirit of ingenious service to the people who used them, but also to the communities in which they were used. This spirit of interconnectedness strengthened and gave meaning to the relationship between a user and the world around them, warming the human experience.
The ZX model is inspired by key principles observed in Shaker design;
Conversation
Design is more akin to conversation than to problem solving.
Respectful conversation between maker and user should be both the method and the result of design.
Self-actualization
The self-actualized individual is more likely to transcend self.
Design should create a scaffolding of support that nudges the user toward becoming their best self so that they may better serve a shared cause.
Cohesion
A sense of belonging fosters
Through a sense of belonging to something bigger than oneself, the user may realize both gratitude and reciprocation
ZX Workshop May, 2025
Join us at Esalen in Big Sur, CA!
Our first independent ZX event will be at Esalen, a stunning, radical, and inspirational backdrop for learning about and developing a new design philosophy.
I’m a designer and research expert specializing in the fields of Human-computer Interaction and User Experience design. I’ve helped organizations such as Toyota, Samsung, and McDonald's embrace human-centered design for over 25 years.
But lately, like many of my clients and colleagues, I’ve felt something missing from the strategic priorities of design.
I propose the term ZX as a new perspective on User Experience (UX). When the two terms are compared, the limitations of the latter are clear; the tools and methods of Human-centered Design must be applied to connecting the user to the world outside their own skin as opposed to the isolating service of their individual and momentary needs alone.
Cultures around the world refer to principles of human connection collectively with the same word; “warmth.”
Science, religion, and philosophy tell us that warmth is essential to the biological brain and spiritual heart alike.
The Shakers warmed user experience by prioritizing self transcendence and human connection. Later, these same principles were championed by psychologist Abraham Maslow and put into practice by Fred “Mr. Rogers.”
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Within the rich material culture of the Shakers we see a carefully, and intentionally crafted user experience. The prevailing characteristic of that experience is warmth.
Like the comforting smile of someone we might describe as having a “warm” personality, the experience within a Shaker world is one of trust, support, reciprocation, and belonging.
April 2026
ZX26 will bring together experts in Design and Shaker culture at the stunning Hancock Shaker Village.
CalArts, May 2025
Lecture on Designing Warmth at California Institute of the Arts, San Francisco, CA. w/Hugh Dubberly
Rosenfeld Media, February 2025
Lecture on Designing Warmth for Rosenfeld Community, Rosenfeld Media, w/ Louis Rosenfeld
Parsons School of Design, March 2024
Lecture at Prototyping Utopia Residency, Parsons School of Design, w/ Killeen Hanson
SCAD, May 2024