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.
“The harmful consequences of a lack of social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations”
– Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., U.S. Surgeon General
“Warmth is a connecting principle. Somehow the barriers come down when warmth is involved.”
– Pema Chödrön
The early American religious society known as the Shakers is also one of our nation’s first and most influential design cultures.
But few are aware of the intentionally-crafted user experience of the Shakers. The prevailing characteristic of that experience, which can still be felt when visiting one of the surviving Shaker villages, is warmth.
Inspired by American design visionaries
People
We are design professionals and educators who believe in new priorities, new responsibilities, and new inspiration for the design of human experience.
Daniel Gloyd
Daniel is a designer and research expert specializing in the fields of Human-computer Interaction and User Experience design.
He has helped organizations such as Toyota, Samsung, and McDonald's embrace human-centered design for over 25 years. He was founder and manager of the User Interface team at Samsung’s Los Angeles Design Lab, 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.
Sarah Margolis-Pineo
Sarah is a writer and curator specializing in American craft and design.
She’s the former curator of Hancock Shaker Village (Pittsfield, MA) where she oversaw the stewardship of the museum’s collection of 19 historic buildings and over 22,000 works of Shaker material culture. Sarah served as Luce Associate Curator of American Folk Art Museum (New York), and she has held positions in the curatorial departments of Frye Art Museum (Seattle), Museum of Contemporary Craft (Portland, OR), and Cranbrook Art Museum (Bloomfield Hills, MI).
Killeen Hanson
Killeen teaches Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School for Design in New York City.
She consults as a thought partner and design strategist. Her ongoing research projects and collaborations explore the power of collective reading, how objects work as vehicles for ideology and change, and the relationship between education, publication, and civic engagement. She holds degrees from Stanford University, Pacific Northwest College of Art, and Oregon College of Art and Craft.
Join us! No matter what you design, come help us develop principles of warmth and self transcendence in order to build stronger, healthier, and more connected individuals and communities.
Events
May 2025
“Designing for Warmth: Creating Transcendent User Experiences” Esalen, Big Sur, CA
April 2026
ZX26 - A conference on designing transcendent user experience
February 2025
Lecture on Designing Warmth for Rosenfeld Community, Rosenfeld Media, w/ Louis Rosenfeld
CalArts, May 2025
Lecture on Designing Warmth at California Institute of the Arts, San Francisco, CA. w/ Hugh Dubberly
Enfield Shaker Museum, June 2024
“The Human-Centered Design of the Shakers” Enfield Shaker Museum’s Spring Forum
Parsons School of Design, March 2024
Lecture at Prototyping Utopia Residency, Parsons School of Design, w/ Killeen Hanson
SCAD, May 2024