What do a global design conference and the world’s biggest sporting event have in common? It may seem like an unlikely comparison, but after experiencing both recently, I realized they reveal something surprisingly similar about human nature.
This past June, thousands of designers, architects, manufacturers, and industry partners gathered again for the annual Chicago Design Week. While the keynote presentations, new products, and showrooms were inspiring, what filled my social media feed afterward wasn’t just inspiring ideas, cool new products or beautiful spaces. It was heartfelt reflections and smiling photos of hallway hugs, shared meals, celebrations, events and reunions with friends and colleagues. Again and again, people described the best part of NeoCon and Fulton Market Design Days not as something they saw, but the people they were with and the joy of the connection they shared. It reminded me that this year’s NeoCon theme, “Where Design Connects,” wasn’t just a cool slogan. It captured the reason so many of us return year after year.
More recently, much of the world’s attention has been on the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Millions of people have gathered in stadiums, sports bars, public plazas or crowded neighborhood watch parties to watch the matches together. They cheer, gasp and celebrate together with friends and neighbors, and sometimes alongside complete strangers who suddenly feel like lifelong friends. Of course, they could watch the match alone from the comfort of home, yet they choose to gather and experience it together.
Having experienced both events enthusiastically, I realized that both remind us something deeply human: We don’t gather simply to consume information or entertainment. We gather because we are looking for human connection. When we gather, we seek shared experiences that create connection, belonging and lasting memories. In an age where technology allows us to communicate instantly across the globe, genuine human connection has become more valuable than ever. Maybe one of the greatest opportunities for designers today is not simply creating better-looking spaces, but creating the conditions where meaningful human connection can flourish.
Over the past few years, I have been exploring intentional spatial design through the lenses of experiential design, sensory design, neuroscience and human experience. Originally, one of the approaches to the topic was asking what kind of spaces make experiences memorable. Along the way, however, my perspective began to shift. The more I explored, the more I realized that the most memorable experiences were not just about the environment alone, but also about the people we experienced them with, and the relationships and connections we create. Think about the moments that have stayed with you over the years. Chances are, you don’t remember every detail of the physical space. You remember exploring a new city with your family, discovering something unexpected with a childhood friend, laughing with colleagues after a meeting, or celebrating a win together after a game. Of course, the place mattered, but the shared experience mattered even more.
Neuroscience research and experiential design studies help explain why. Our brains are not wired to remember isolated facts nearly as well as they remember emotionally meaningful experiences. The brain remembers experiences more vividly when they engage multiple senses and evoke feelings. We don’t just remember what happened and where, but also how that experience made us feel. When those experiences are shared with others, they become even more meaningful as they are reinforced through collective memory and shared stories. Shared stories shape shared identity, which cultivates belonging. These explorations made me think differently about design and our role as designers. What if our job isn’t simply to create beautiful places, but to craft the conditions where meaningful shared experiences and connections can happen?
One of the ideas that stayed with me from âThe Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Mattersâ by Priya Parker is that meaningful gatherings begin with purpose. Before deciding where to meet and what people will do together, we should first pause and ask why they are coming together in the first place. I think that question is just as relevant for designers as it is for hosts. Every project, whether it is a workplace, a community center, a restaurant or a university building, offers an opportunity to ask a simple question: âWhat kind of human experience are we hoping to create?â That shifts the conversation from designing spaces to designing possibilities.
Design cannot create human relationships, but intentional design can make those connections more likely. A welcoming stair that encourages people to gather, a shared table that invites strangers to sit together, a coffee bar positioned where paths naturally cross, a cafĂ© island for team celebrations over shared meals or an outdoor courtyard that becomes the natural setting for quiet conversations between meetings â these design decisions may seem small, yet over time they shape how people experience one another and build connections.
The same idea can be applied to the future of work. For the last several years, the RTO conversation has revolved around where people should work: in the office, remotely or somewhere in between. Maybe we have been asking the wrong question. The more useful question shifts the focus from the location (where) to the purpose (why), asking why people choose to come together in the first place. The successful workplaces today aren’t trying to recreate what people already have at home. They are creating purposeful shared experiences that cannot be replicated through a computer screen.
One example that caught my attention recently was Leesmanâs report on Haskoning’s Delft office. Rather than treating interaction as something that might happen by chance, the workplace design intentionally âengineers connectionâ and intentionally encourages it. Welcoming communal spaces, central circulation routes, shared coffee destinations and environments that celebrate the company’s brand all contribute to a workplace where people naturally encounter one another throughout the day. The result isn’t simply a more efficient office, but a place that people feel proud of, connected to and genuinely want to be part of.
Human connection doesnât always have to be achieved in person in the same room. Recently, I had a unique opportunity to experience Noro, a life-size spatial presence portal that allows people to connect and collaborate naturally across different physical spaces. What impressed me wasn’t the seamless technology itself. Standing eye-to-eye with someone in another city, reading their full body language, and brainstorming while sketching together made me realize that presence is more than just physically being in the same room. Presence is about feeling connected, giving someone your full attention, and being fully in the moment. As technology and AI continue to make information increasingly accessible, I suspect human presence will become even more valuable. Organizations won’t differentiate themselves by how quickly information moves, but by how well they help people connect, share experiences, build trust, and foster belonging across distance.
This feels increasingly important today, as researchers are raising concerns about loneliness, social isolation and declining human connection. The upcoming IIDA Futures Readiness Index asks an important question: “Are you ready to combat loneliness with design?” It challenges us to think of loneliness not simply as an organizational or social issue, but as a design challenge. In a time when loneliness and isolation continue to affect well-being, perhaps one of the most meaningful things designers can do is create places where connection and belonging are fundamental design requirements.
This extends well beyond the workplace. Communities thrive when people have reasons to gather. Neighborhood cafĂ©s, libraries, parks, markets, festivals and cultural events all provide opportunities for the small, everyday interactions that gradually build familiarity and trust. These moments rarely make headlines, yet they quietly strengthen the social fabric of our communities. The more I explore experiential design, the more I believe that memorable experiences don’t have to be extraordinary. Sometimes they are remarkably ordinary: sharing a meal, watching a game, walking through an exhibition or simply taking the time to have an unplanned conversation. What makes them memorable is not their scale, but the fact that they are experienced together.
At the recent Salone del Mobile, Samsungâs Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini described design as an âact of love.â Design begins by placing another human being at the center of every decision and asking: âHow might this improve someone’s life?â I find that idea especially meaningful as it aligns with my belief that design is not merely about aesthetics, efficiency or novelty, but ultimately it is about people. From the experiential design point of view, I propose that we add one more question: âHow might this place help someone feel connected?â Every design choice we make influences how someone feels, how they interact with the spaces we create and whether they feel connected to the people around them.
We often measure design by what we build. Maybe we should also measure it by what it makes possible: a conversation that would not have happened otherwise, a new connection, a ritual or tradition that brings people back year after year or a moment when someone feels welcomed, seen and that they truly belong. Long after people forget the details of a place, they will remember the shared experiences they had there, who they experienced them with and how those moments made them feel. I believe that is one of the most meaningful things we can design.