Caring is
gloriously
Kick-A*s.
Empathy & ethics are not “cute.” They must be built into our societies and systems — not added on. Full stop.
Radical empathy in neuroscience and design? Personally, I don’t care about the purpose-talk. I care when it moves.
My design philosophy and values are grounded in Stanford design professor McKim’s words: we should design for people, and for need.
I don’t care to connect neuroscience to design without ethics and expertise.
What does the ethics in neurodesign mean in my case?
I approach design and neuroscience — and the dozen other disciplines that inevitably follow, btw — with humility, respect, and a sharp awareness of my own blind spots and cognitive biases. (Yes, we all have them.)
Like every other thing, these tools can heal or harm — depending on how we use them.
I’m not interested in neuromarketing tricks.
I want to understand how with neuroscience and designing we can support human wellbeing, not the conversion crap.
My focus is in sustainable societies and planetary stuff (because, again, I want my kids to be able to live in Planet Earth, too. I’m too old to travel to Mars to see grandkids).
Sources & Acknowledgements
I am deeply grateful to the scientists and thinkers whose courage and clarity have lit the path for many—myself included. Especially to those who have dared to combine rigour with heart. Their work continues to remind me what matters—and why I choose to work in service of others.
Among many, I want to acknowledge Dr. Risto Ilmoniemi, Dr. Kaisa Unkila, Dr. Jan Auernhammer, Dr. Julia von Thienen, Dr. Caroline Szymanski, Dr. Satu Miettinen, Dr. Piia Rytilahti, Dr. Allan Reiss, Dr. Manish Saggar, Jan Gehl, Dr. Isabella Sjövall, Dr. Hugo Spiers, Dr. Rahul Jandial, Dr. Marika Iivari, Dr. John E. Arnold, Dr. Robert McKim, Dr. Donald Norman, Dr. Larry Leifer, Dr. Allan Reiss, Dr. Maylic Bialik, Dr. David Eagleman, Dr. Michael Egnor, Dr. M.D. William Li, Dr. Jonathan Haidth, Dr. Asta Raami, Dr. Joel Pearson, Dr. Martha Beck, Dr. Ellen Langer, James Nestor, Patrick McKeown, Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton.
And so many others whose work I keep returning to—often when I need clarity, courage, or just a better question.
it's the real stuff
our weird cracks and crumbs & stories that connect us.
→ Learn what is neurodesign
→ See curated work
→ See published novels & films
→ See my ethics & values