Circlo Blog

Category: Articles

  • The Great Reset: Redesigning Our Mindsets for the Connected Future.

    The Great Reset: Redesigning Our Mindsets for the Connected Future.

    Scientific research over the last 10 years on how engagement networks affect our overall well-being is now conclusive — and while the results are concerning, they present an opportunity for positive change. This article explores the idea of redesigning engagement networks to optimize our mindset, making us more mindful of our well-being and less mindless in our consumption.

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  • Humanizing the Design System for Better Inclusivity

    Design systems push for universal standardization and over time design patterns emerge leading to users adopting behaviors as if they are second nature. Some of these design patterns however, are either counterintuitive, outdated or flat out bad.

    This article explores popular universal design patterns that are problematic and how we can fix them to design more inclusive and accessible experiences for all.

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  • 10 Design Problems Driving Digital Systemic Inequities — and How We Can Solve Them

    Maximizing wellness over engagement for how we interact and consume online.

    How we interact with others and consume content profoundly impacts our mindset, shaping how we perceive both others and ourselves. Engagement networks are designed to enable us to stay informed, interact with others and foster new connections and opportunities. They are also battlegrounds harbouring systemic inequities including misinformation, bots, toxicity and breeding mental illness. The cloned alternatives do not provide any resolution. Can we combine design principles with the science of human behavior to standardize interactions in a way that mimics reality and aligns with the accordance of our individual values and wellbeing?

    This article explores the most pressing forms of digital systemic inequities facing humanity with a call to standardize social interaction design patterns for the betterment of human wellness.

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  • Designing for Humanity: Why Responsibility in Tech Matters Now More Than Ever

    Right now, many of the social products we use are shaped by design patterns that prioritize engagement over wellbeing—patterns that can drain our dopamine reserves, heighten anxiety, and play on our emotions through social comparison, leading to chronic stress. They often ignore our values, overstep our boundaries, and stand in the way of us becoming who we truly want to be. But let’s be clear: it’s not the people who are broken. It’s the system. And systems can be redesigned.

    Design isn’t dead. It’s just been misplaced1—underutilized at the leadership level where it could do the most good. Even though design-led companies¹ are consistently shown to outperform their peers², design is still too often treated as decoration rather than direction. We’ve ended up here because the designers who deeply care—who advocate for human outcomes over vanity metrics—are often drowned out by louder, profit-first voices.

    The future isn’t built by optimizing for attention. It’s built by restoring intention. And we have the tools, the talent, and the responsibility to do better. The creator of the UX field—Don Norman—even makes the claim that the way we design today is wrong4.

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  • The Illusion of Connection: A Deep Dive into 9 Design Interactions Affecting Mental Health Online

    The Illusion of Connection: A Deep Dive into 9 Design Interactions Affecting Mental Health Online

    What exactly is it about social media that fuels rising anxiety, depression, and suicide in teens? Can we trace these emotional outcomes back to specific interactions on these platforms? And can we measure the level of toxicity embedded in their design?

    We often hear that social media harms our mental health, but vague warnings aren’t enough. I wanted to understand the how and why. Could we identify the actual design choices behind this crisis—and more importantly, imagine better ones?

    When I couldn’t find the answers, I began my own research. What followed became the first in-depth attempt to map mental distress to common user interactions. This is what I discovered—and where I believe we can go from here.

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  • The Illusion of Social Media: Reclaiming Attention in the Age of Distraction

    The Descent into Comparison

    It starts like a game. A blank page, a dream of creating, but then the wall of resistance arrives. Fear and overthinking drown out inspiration. Seeking relief, he turns to Twitter.

    What he finds is not encouragement but intimidation. Algorithms showcase the most popular creators, with millions of followers and polished content. Comparison bias does the rest. Instead of inspiration, insecurity grows. He switches to TikTok, where brief sparks of pleasure turn into overstimulation and depletion. The spiral ends in avoidance, not creation.

    Game over. Pleasure fades. Pain wins.

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  • The Illusion of Algorithms: Reclaiming Control from Invisible Systems

    When Algorithms Shape Our Reality

    Anxiety leaves its imprint not only in the body but also in how we experience the digital world. For many, offline triggers push them online in search of belonging. But instead of connection, they meet a system designed for engagement, not care.

    At first, algorithms know nothing. In the “cold start,” content is random and irrelevant. Soon, patterns emerge—dopamine-rich posts, flawless selfies, manufactured lifestyles without disclaimers. The algorithm learns quickly: novelty, outrage, comparison. Each interaction shapes what comes next.

    What it does not understand is pain. Every dopamine high is followed by depletion. Each comparison deepens loneliness. Over time, the same algorithm that promised connection leaves users more anxious, more isolated, and more fragile. This is not malfunction—it is design.

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  • The Illusion of Design: Turning Technology into a Force for Wellbeing

    When Design Creates Anxiety

    Engagement platforms are meant to support our wellbeing. Yet too often, they unsettle us. A scroll that should offer learning becomes endless and addictive. Notifications flash red, sending signals of danger through our nervous system. Scarcity prompts—“Only 2 remaining!”—turn shopping into stress. Even booking a stay can spiral into pressure, where the fear of missing out outweighs calm judgment. It is what Nielsen Norman Group calls the anxiety-ridden vortex.

    These experiences are not about personal weakness. They are the product of systems designed to maximize engagement rather than nurture balance. And if design can create this cycle of anxiety, it can also help us break free from it.

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