ZX2026
Designing the Space Between Us
the Berkshires, September, 2026
Warmth can be designed.
The goal of Transcendent Experience Design (ZX) is to design worlds where people experience the warmth of connection - between one another, the living earth, and the cosmos.
No obligation, save your space!
Join us this Fall in the Berkshires!
An intimate conference designed for exploring the principles of warmth through immersion and embodiment.
Wed, September 28 - Sat, October 2
❋ Explore the sacred Hancock Shaker Village in Western Massachussets.
Enjoy special access to this stunning space designed by America’s original design visionaries - and designers of warmth.
❋ Commune with inspiring thought leaders and practitioners.
You’ll enage with other builders of worlds forging new methods in response to an era of responsibility in design.
❋ Be inspired by builders of human experience with unique perspectives.
Explore the practices of chefs, actors, religious leaders, doctors, and artists about building for our interconnectedness.
No obligation, save you place!
People
We’re design professionals and educators who believe in new priorities, new responsibilities, and new inspiration for the design of human experience.
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Daniel, founder of Designing Warmth, is a designer and research expert specializing in the field of Human Experience design.
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, 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.
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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).
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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.
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Stephanie Smith is a design strategist and team leader who develops innovative products, services, and customer experiences.
She has led teams for multiple organizations, including Thrivent Financial, Deloitte (Doblin), and Humana. She has a passion for mentoring, developing, and teaching emerging design leaders and scaling the skillful application of design in business, with a particular emphasis on how buddhist-articulated principles powerfully inform human-centered design.
Stephanie was an adjunct professor at IIT Institute of Design in Chicago creating new courses on design leadership and design critique. She spearheaded the study Lead with Purpose.