That's Interesting — January
Slow by Design
For the first That’s Interesting of 2026, we have a takeover from Gian, who has recently stepped into a new role as Strategist here at Live Union.
Slow By Design
At our latest breakfast event, we hosted The Great Content Experiment, where we delivered one content strand in three ways to explore how format influences engagement.
To kick off 2026, I’m taking that train of thought a step further by considering the science behind engagement, and how that might inform how we design impactful experiences.
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In ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’, Daniel Kahneman describes two systems of thinking. The first is fast thinking, which operates automatically and uses little effort, like when providing the answer to ‘2+2’, or driving a car on an empty road.
Then we have slow thinking, which requires more effort and is used for choice and concentration, such as when parking in a narrow space or filling out a tax form.
Both systems are at work when we’re awake, but fast thinking dominates when we’re tired and overloaded with decisions. The challenge is, real change can only come when people have the space to think slowly.
But as experience designers, we have to remember that slow thinking must be invited, not assumed.
So how about we look at it in the following way?
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Fast thinking opens the door
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Slow thinking does the work
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Meaning is what people take with them
With that in mind, here are some ways we can apply this thinking to create memorable experiences.
1. Draw people in
(2min read)Draw people in by treating them like human beings instead of delegates. When our fast thinking recognises that there is any level of personalisation or consideration towards us, it disarms us, encouraging our thinking to slow down.
Priya Parker (author of The Art of Gathering) suggests a brilliant way to do this at the start of an experience: by asking a ‘Magical Question’. This is a question that everyone in the group is interested both in answering and hearing the answers of others.
Why interesting?
A prerequisite of a ‘Magical Question’ is that it must be specific, subjective and invites stories over opinions. This immediately puts people at the heart of the experience, puts them at ease and gives them space to share openly.
2. Delve Deeper
(15min watch)You have people’s attention and you’ve earned their capacity for slow thinking. The challenge is now keeping them engaged. Here is where we delve deeper, encouraging people to form a vested interest in the topic at hand.
A format I’ve recently found inspiring is ‘A Mug of Life’, an Instagram series that follows Will Shears as he offers to make strangers a cup of tea on a park bench. Will interviews his guest over a hot drink, asking them to share words of wisdom and stories about their life.
Why interesting?
The familiarity and intimacy of making the guest a cup of tea is disarming, encouraging reflection and connection at a relaxed pace.
3. Let meaning land
(4min read)Slow thinking has done the work, but the truth is that people don’t remember experiences in full. They remember the most emotionally intense moment and the end of an experience (which Kahneman describes as the peak-end rule). The end of an experience is where memory is designed, so we must leave space for people to consolidate what they have taken in and create meaning.
I’ve come across an immersive exhibition in Coventry where this is employed with impact: Stories That Made Us by Hardish Virk. Virk takes visitors on a journey through his life as a South Asian man in the Midlands, recreating spaces in detail and weaving a tapestry of stories relating to migration, family and culture from across the region.
Why interesting?
Visitors end the exhibition in a reflection space where they can process any challenging memories or even tell their own stories. This avoids a rushed conclusion, encouraging people to examine anything they engaged with passively at the exhibition and determine what it means to them.
