Designing Warmth

Wed, September 30 - Sat, October 3

A warm weekend this fall to learn, explore, & experience the principles of designing warmth.

ZX26 is a small gathering of world-builders – people who design human experience in digital or physical spaces – responding to a new era of responsibility in design.

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Designing Warmth

Themes

As design transitions to broader “fourth order" systems, how do we look after the quality of the relationships that people experience within those systems?

At ZX26, you’ll learn about Transcendent Experience (ZX) Design — a new perspective on UX that looks beyond the individual and prioritizes the warmth of connection with other people, the natural world, and the cosmos.

The primary concern of ZX26 isn't whether systems are efficient or sustainable, but whether they cultivate the warmth, belonging, reciprocity, awe, stewardship, and connection that sustains us.


“What I mean by good design is helping people find their natural, proper place in the cosmos.” 

– Richard Buchanan

The Vision of Warmth

When we think of design as conversation – not problem solving – users see and feel seen both during the design process and after, while using the final product or service for their related task.

The Power of Warmth

When we build a scaffolding for support for Self Actualization – becoming one’s best self – we can activate the power of an individual’s purpose, self-worth, and natural tendencies for reciprocation.

The Heart of Warmth

Prioritizing connection to something bigger than oneself – a shared cause – helps people realize gratitude, experience attunement, and engages their sense of justice.

What you’ll take away

Be part of a crucial course-correction in the design of human experience and recharge your passion for world-building.

  • Learn about inspiring examples of designing warmth - from people and places you might not expect.

  • Differentiate yourself and learn to articulate the value of ZX and designing warmth to others.

  • Join the conversation now as we define new priorities for the design of human experience.

  • Recharge your creative batteries during this thoughtfully-curated exploration of warm places, spaces, people, and ideas.

Registration is now open!

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Program Highlights

We’ll explore worlds where human experience is intentionally warmed by prioritizing our interconnectedness.

The Hancock Shaker Village

Immerse in the warm worlds designed by the Shakers, one of America’s great design cultures.

Within its 20 historic buildings, the Hancock Shaker Village houses exquisite design artifacts. This National Historic Landmark is the most comprehensively interpreted Shaker site.

James Turrell Skyspace

Experience a James Turrell masterwork that nudges viewers to “sense our sensing.”

“We live within this reality we create.”- J.T.

“Master of Light” James Turrell is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts.

Technologies of Relation

Interact with art that examines how technology mediates our relationship with the outside world.

We’ll explore “Technologies of Relation,” thought-provoking work from an international group of artists curated by MASS MoCA, one of the largest centers for contemporary art in the U.S.

Tourists (ZX26 Homebase)

Feel at home at Tourists, nestled in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains.

Tourists is a hotel and riverside retreat inspired by the classic American roadside motor lodge, set on the banks of the Hoosic River in the Berkshires city of North Adams. The perfect backdrop for designing warmth.

Unique Design Perspectives

Meet an inspiring variety of speakers who have built worlds warmed by principles of connection.

Be inspired by an eclectic sampling of passionate world builders assembling to help us explore and experience the warmth of intentionally-designed connection.

Set & Setting

The vibe is warm, the dress code is chill.

Bring a sweater and sneakers, we won’t be in a hotel conference room all day.* Nothing strenuous, but ZX26 will lead you off the beaten path in more ways than one.

* Our experience is in accessible spaces

Voices

We’ll explore designing warmth through the work of artists, technologists, storytellers, spiritual teachers, and other unlikely guides.

Scott Dille, Founder, Exec Director, Braver Collective

Scott built Braver Collective, a safe, welcoming, and accessible online community where survivors of sexual trauma find connection, belonging, and healing.

Braver Collective

Sarah Margolis-Pineo, Curator and collections specialist of American craft and design.

Sarah is an esteemed expert in American craft and design and our guide to the Shaker’s radically-human-centered design. She’s the former curator of Hancock Shaker Village where she oversaw the stewardship of the museum’s 22,000 works of Shaker material culture.

Killeen Hanson, Assistant Professor, Associate Director, Strategic Design & Management, Parsons School of Design

Killeen is an expert on how objects work as vehicles for ideology and change. Her course Prototyping Utopia leads students in investigating the ideal of utopias through critical theory, hands-on making, and an immersive design/build residency at the Hancock Shaker Village Museum.

Tu Lee, Chef, Owner, State

Chef Tu’s food carries the quiet influence of his Vietnamese upbringing. His culinary approach is also profoundly linked to his adopted home in the Berkshires. He imbues his patrons’ experience with story, connection, and the generosity of someone feeding a community.

State Food & Drink

Daniel Gloyd, Founder ZX, Designing Warmth

As a human experience designer, Daniel’s pursuit of the principles of warmth have led him to study the scientific, philosophical, and spiritual perspectives of the phenomena. He lectures and gives workshops about Transcendent Experience (ZX) design, a new lens on UX that prioritizes interconnectedness as a design concern.

Other inspiring voices you’ll join at ZXC26.

Jodi Forlizzi

Jodi is the esteemed Herbert A. Simon Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and Senior Advisor to the AFL-CIO Technology Institute.

Hugh Dubberly

An early pioneer and impactful leader at Apple Computer, Netscape, and Art Center College of Design, Hugh co-founded and now leads San Francisco-based Dubberly Design Office, and teaches design Berkley, and CalArts.

Cristina Córdova

Cristina is an American sculptor from Puerto Rico and 2026 recipient of the Smithsonian’s Delphi Award. Her work is in important collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Everson Museum of Art, and the Mint Museum.

Logistics

  • Day 1

    • Arrival (check in at 3:00)

    • Private Dinner

    • Fireside Keynote

    Day 2

    • Yoga/river/forest/social time

    • Coffee & Breakfast at Tourists

    • ZX Introduction

    • Intro to Shaker material culture, curator talk

    • Material-led tour of Shaker Village

    • “A Braver Collective” featured lecture at the iconic round barn

    • ZX Futures: generative discussion

    • Dinner (Chef prepared, Shaker inspired)

    Day 3

    • Yoga/river/forest/social time

    • Coffee & Breakfast at Tourists

    • ZX Principles

    • “Technologies of Relation” tour and curator talk at MASS MoCa

    • Dusk viewing of James Turrell’s “Sky Space”

    • “Source & Story” a curated dinner with Chef Tu at STATE Food & Drink

    • ZX Futures: generative discussion

    Day 4

    • Yoga/river/forest/social time

    • Coffee & Breakfast at Tourists

    • “After Glow” session

  • Each experience, plus Tourists motor lodge, is accessible and ADA compatible. Feel free to contact us if you have any concerns or specific requirements.

    • Attire is casual; we’ll spend time outside during the program so bring layers and appropriate shoes; temps are usually mild days and cool evenings, with average highs around 63-67F and lows 43-45F

    • Transportation will be provided, departing from Tourists in the morning and dropping off at Tourists after our last activity of the day

    • Lodging at Tourists is highly recommended; if you choose to stay elsewhere, you’ll need to arrange transportation to/from Tourists each day

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Event Location

Tourists

915 State Street

North Adams, MA 01247

 

Planes

Albany International Airport (1 hour drive)

Bradley International Airport (1.5 hours)

LaGuardia International Airport (3 hours drive)

JFK International Airport (3.5 hours drive)

Trains

Manhattan, NY (3 hours via Albany, NY)

Automobiles

Boston, MA (3 hours drive)

Manhattan, NY (3 hours drive)

Hartford, CT (3 hours drive)

Philadelphia (5.5 hours drive)

2026 Planning Committee

We’re design professionals and educators who believe in new priorities, new responsibilities, and new inspiration for the design of human experience.

  • 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, VP 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 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 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.

  • 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.