Designing for a Neurodivergent Mind. Can Your Designs Be Doing More?

Design impacts more than how a space looks. It shapes how people think, feel, focus, and function. This interactive workshop invites designers to take a deeper look at neurodiversity versus neurodivergence and how the built environment can either support or intensify neurodivergent symptoms. Together, we will explore what intentionality really means when designing for neurodiverse clients and how small, thoughtful decisions can create outsized impact in comfort, usability, and emotional safety.

Attendees will participate in a guided workshop designed to assess their current level of intentionality when designing for neurodiversity, followed by facilitated breakouts. These discussions will focus on real world experiences with neurodiverse clients, the symptoms designers may have encountered, how they responded in the moment, and how to more effectively meet clients where they are throughout the design process.

The workshop will be facilitated by Katrina Sterling of Sterling Sanctuaries, whose work centers on creating spaces that support well being, regulation, and lived experience through thoughtful, human centered design.

Food will be provided, and immediately following the workshop, join us for a relaxed happy hour hosted by Frndz, offering a chance to continue the conversation, build meaningful connections, and decompress after a powerful and practical learning experience.

Come ready to challenge your assumptions, sharpen your approach, and elevate your impact. Your designs can do more. This is where that shift begins.

Info: 1. Setting the Foundation
Understanding neurodiversity versus neurodivergence and exploring how the built environment can influence, support, or intensify neurodivergent symptoms.

2. Designing with Intentionality
A guided discussion on what intentionality truly means for professional designers working with neurodiverse clients and how design decisions can become tools for regulation, comfort, and function.

3. Interactive Self-Assessment Activity
Participants will engage in a reflective exercise designed to assess their current level of intentionality when designing for neurodiversity and identify opportunities for growth and refinement in their process.

4. Collaborative Breakouts and Group Dialogue
Small group or full group conversations, depending on attendance, focused on real-world experiences with neurodiverse clients. Topics will include symptoms designers may have encountered, how they responded, what worked, what did not, and practical strategies for meeting clients where the

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

west elm, 2501 University Boulevard, Houston, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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