Two weeks ago, I flew back to New York from Morocco and took a train to join the IDSA Women in Design 2024 Deep Dive conference in Philadelphia. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to present and want to thank everyone for joining me as we explored the unique strength of designing with emotions.

In comparison to how well we have been educating “design-thinking,” we don’t talk enough about “design-feeling.” These are two user-centric design philosophies that should coexist. This led to my decision to speak on “Feel-Good Design: The Power of Emotions in Product Design.”

Colors evoke emotions, so do materials and finishes. If these facts don’t seem like new information to us, it makes it even more important for us to reflect back how we have been taking actions. And how can we foster more emotionally-intuitive teams that recognize designers with emotional intelligence?

Unfortunately, designers with strong emotions are not always the most noticeable presenters or speakers in the room. They might not have the spotlight, but you can give them a stage. If you are a team manager, give voice to diverse team members and let their emotional skills shine in your products that truly resonate with the consumer from the heart.

And if you feel fitting to this description, be confident. Our confidence doesn’t have to come from how the world shapes the standards. It’s time for us to let the world recognize design-feeling as a valuable strength as a designer.

Many thanks to the planning committee at IDSA Women in Design, Austin Del Gallo, Maya Bayram, Caterina Rizzoni, Priyankaa Krishnan, and many others I haven’t had the opportunity to meet in person. I’m sure there will be more chances as WID brings out more events across the states. This past conference in Philly has been more than incredible. Many of the takeaways from these two days will forever change how we make career and design decisions.

Photo credits: Caterina, Priyankaa, Tati, Mariana, Daniela, Loft Design, Rebecca 💙

Photo credit: Caterina Rizzoni
Photo credit: Rebecca Keating
Photo credit: Priyankaa Krishnan
Photo credit: Priyankaa Krishnan
Photo credit: Caterina Rizzoni
Photo credit: Loft Design
Photo credit: Caterina Rizzoni
Photo credit: Loft Design
Photo credit: Rebecca Keating
Problem-solving CMF Fixer. Formerly manages the CMF Design team at Motorola, and currently a New York-based and world-traveling Design Consultant with specialty in CMF Design since 2011. 高雄囡仔,前世帶領摩托羅拉CMF設計團隊,今生定居於紐約並遊牧世界,任自由撰稿人兼CMF設計顧問,持續投入在CMF設計的科普推廣,並為提供CMF專案支持或諮詢服務。
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