How do you build technology that sees the human at the center—not as a data point, but as a being with needs, rhythms, and vulnerabilities? That was our invitation as a small cohort gathered (remotely, this time) to move “from zero to one” on a new open-source framework for humane tech.

The workshop was less about flawless demos or final answers, more about making space for honest collaboration, messy sketches, and the belief that our shared sense of care matters just as much as the cleverness of our code.

Towards action: Building blocks for a living, breathing framework

We spent most of our time in the thick of it, reviewing our open-source humane tech repo, which is in it's early stages, and brainstorming what to build next. The key? Plug-and-play tools with ethical guardrails that let founders and teams make better choices by default.

Interactive moment: In small groups, we generated “Crazy 8s” of what the repo should hold—features for transparent data use, privacy-first defaults, and tools to catch harmful dark patterns before they go live. We debated UI building blocks:

• Would making account deletion easy be radical, or just humane?
• Could a feedback loop, visible and meaningful to end users, replace the current linear, dehumanizing reporting flows?

When someone suggested a “humane UI linter”—a tool that would flag elements like infinite scroll or manipulative animation—the room came alive with the possibility that we could operationalize care directly into our build process. Another participant emphasized the importance of workflows that let users record and share knowledge in ways that feel natural, and allow for permissioning, context, and genuine collaboration.

Designing for presence, care, and connection: Community reflections

What does it actually feel like to use a product that supports your humanity? We slowed down to ask: Does this tool make you feel cared for? Present? Connected? Fulfilled? These became our unofficial rubric, inspired by the need to move beyond traditional engagement metrics.

When we looked closer, we realized we need to go further: to add specific instructions on how to intentionally build for these elements—emotional and physical well-being, attention, sense-making, decision-making, social reasoning, and group dynamics. Designing for care means giving teams not just ideals, but actionable guidance for shaping humane user experiences from the ground up.

We visualized simple, actionable metrics for any platform: do users feel considered, present, and able to achieve what they intended? Harmonizing these principles became the heart of our open-source effort.

Next steps: What we’re building—together

Before closing, we starred our highest-priority features and made a shortlist for future work. High on the list: privacy-first defaults, user feedback loops, actionable guidance for ethical design, and an always-evolving linter to flag issues before launch.

We agreed: this isn’t about chasing perfection, but about making progress visible, collaborative, and real. I encouraged everyone not to wait for permission, but to fork the repo and begin shipping (imperfect, but honest) contributions.

Bringing it all home: Why this matters

At its best, technology can help us flourish—supporting our intentions, building trust, and making flourishing the norm, not the exception. But only if we dare to design for care, attention, and wholeness from the very start.

Here’s my invitation: What does it look like to build tech that truly honors the humanity of everyone it touches? How might your own work become a living experiment in agency, transparency, and care?

Gratitude

Endless thanks to everyone who showed up with honesty, curiosity, and vision. Your voices and ideas—whether on the call, in the chat, or in future commits—make this movement real. Special gratitude to our co-hosts and collaborators for their time, wisdom, and shared sense of purpose as we shape what humane technology can become.

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Join us shape a more humane future

We’re just getting started. We have more of these sessions throughout the week—and you’re welcome to fork the repo and contribute here

Want to join an upcoming gathering? See our next Humane Tech events here

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