A few months ago at the Target Design Meet, I had the privilege of meeting and listening to Russell Barrett. He said,

"People trust and like things that have been built with care. Everyone likes a well-tended garden, it often has the potential to catch the eye, become a point of conversation or gets people to come and spend time there. When you build things with intention, people sense and reflect that emotion, and sometimes those ideas become the most groundbreaking."

When I heard Bob, I immediately thought of Russell's talk. But why?

Because they were both talking about something I fundamentally believe in and have seen enough evidence in my life to believe it - Care.

When Bob said that designers like to build things they can be proud of, I realized that you can only be proud of something you make if you put the right kind of effort into it. The kind of effort that makes you feel like you've spent yourself in a fulfilling way. And that kind of dedication is what I mean by care.

Care is not just about understanding your user (empathy), but also that you take responsibility for every detail of their experience and commit yourself to the service of it. But how do we achieve it? How do we make sure we inject it into things we want to put out in the world? How do we scale 'care'? And how can we leverage design for care?

I don't want to make tall claims, but Design is one of the most powerful vehicles to carry care in almost every interaction, every experience. While we want to be high on empathy, if you prioritize care, empathy follows naturally.

So here are some ways to bring care into your design practice.

Design for the boring stuff

That’s service design and UX. Error states, loading screens, and empty states. All boring but all critical. These moments reveal whether you truly care about every user experience.

Zomato’s loader | Figma’s error 404 (video below)
Figma’s error 404 screen that doesn’t say much but you sure spend a hell of a time interacting with it.

Design for the surprise moments

That’s emotional design. Pay attention to yout microinteractions, unexpected thank-you notes. Things you can design to bring joy.

My favorite example is LEGO and how they always include a few extra small pieces. Not because they expect you to lose them, but because they know you might. It's their way of saying "we've got you covered." They think of the moment when you finish building and realize you have leftover pieces. Initially it may confuse you, but then delightful when you realize it's intentional!

Design who you want to be in people's life

That’s strategic design. Figure out who you are. Brand identity, positioning, product values, all grounded in design thinking. Your tone of voice, visual language, and UI behavior, all express who you are to people.

Brand archetypes can be a powerful framework here. When you take them seriously, they give you almost like a wireframe for how your communication, values, and interactions should be designed and expressed.

The Friend (Innocent archetype) - Simple, honest, optimistic communication. Think of how Coca-Cola or McDonald's speaks to you

The Guide (Sage archetype) - Wise, helpful, educational tone. Like Google or TED

The Coach (Caregiver archetype) - Supportive, nurturing, protective. Johnson & Johnson or Dove

The Hero (Hero archetype) - Confident, inspiring, courageous. Nike or BMW

The archetype you choose shapes everything. It's the difference between saying "Oops, something went wrong" versus "Let's try that again" versus "We're on it - give us a moment." When you're clear about who you want to be in someone's life, every design decision becomes easier because you have a consistent character to design for.

Design for consistency

That’s design systems. Consistency is the foundation to build trust. Through design systems, you create coherence across visuals, interactions, and behaviors. This familiarity reduces cognitive load and helps users feel grounded. Care, is felt through repetition. For someone to experience it, they need to see it show up again and again.

Take IKEA, for example. Whether you're browsing their catalog, walking through a store, assembling furniture, or visiting their website, consistency across their flat-pack instructions, product names, color schemes, store layouts, and tone of voice makes the entire experience feel dependable, no matter where you are in the world. That reliability is a form of care. It reduces anxiety, removes guesswork, and builds confidence in the customer.

Design for the people you care about

One thing I've learned the hard way in my career is that you can't solve for everything and everyone. You can't be all things to all people.

But what you can do is think deeply about the people who would benefit most from what you're trying to build. Then design your platform, product, brand, or service in the best way possible for them specifically.

Make it so good for your chosen audience that no one else can do it better.

This means making tough choices. It means saying no to features that would help some people but dilute the experience for your core users. It means accepting that some people won't "get it" because it wasn't made for them.

When you design with this focus, then people you're designing for don't just use your product - they become advocates. They tell their friends. They defend your decisions. They stick with you through changes and challenges. Because they can feel that you built something specifically for them.

One of my favorite products in recent times is mymind, Inc. It’s clear they know exactly who they’re building for. They’re not trying to organize information for the hyper-structured mind. They’re designed for people like me, people who want ideas to flow, not be filed away. Where most apps push productivity, MyMind gently captures inspiration

Love their positioning, and how in one go it tells you who their audience is.

It doesn’t try to make me someone else. It helps me see who I already am by quietly collecting what resonates with me. And if that’s not a form of care in product design, I honestly don’t know what is.

Final thought

A little more thought and care can change the way we design and build. Designing with intent is a choice. Giving teams the space to think is a choice.

Let’s start making better ones.