How to Design for Solitude

“Solitude-first design is not designing for loneliness; it is creating opportunities for the isolated individual to be out in the world, alongside groups of people, without feeling excluded.”

–Francesca Specter, New York Times

The traits of extraversion—gregariousness and comfort with the spotlight—are often seen as synonymous with leadership, confidence, ability, and likability—especially in the United States. Author Susan Cain coined the term “extrovert ideal” to describe this well-researched preference of people in Western societies.

But where does that leave introverts or ambiverts? Research by Adam Grant and others has shown that introverted leaders, managers, and bosses can demonstrate amazing strengths. But the “extrovert ideal” is one reason so many of us have learned to display extraversion to the outside world.

The designs of the physical spaces that create the stages of our lives largely serve an “extrovert ideal.” These environments are built on the assumption that when we force people together, they’ll be more social; if we provide constant stimulation in terms of television, music, and activities, people will be happy and not grow bored and leave.

That may be true for some people or some moments. But it can also cause a reaction like what I see in my young daughter when we first arrive at a children’s party that is already underway—a total retreat to safety. In her case, this means clinging to my legs like a barnacle. She copes the best way she knows how. Many adults cling to their phones or headphones in public spaces, retreating into a world that feels safer and more manageable than the one we are in.

What many of us crave—especially introverts, but extroverts as well—is joyful solitude. Solitude can get a bad rap at times. It can be seen as lonely or involuntary isolation, yet what the data show about solitude is the opposite. In her podcast, Alonement, Francesca Specter dedicates hours to discussing this topic with celebrities, scientists, and everyday people.

Solitude is a vital and often missing part of the conversation on design for connection.

Specter’s recent piece for The New York Times explores this concept especially as it relates to design for solitude-friendly travel. For Specter’s article, I was honored to share a story about how HKS’ design of Boarding Area B at San Francisco International Airport’s Harvey Milk terminal supports solo travelers.

Here are three more examples of how solitude-friendly design can help nurture a sense of safety and promote deep thinking, reflection, mental rest, or flow—the cognitive state of being fully immersed in an activity or creative engagement. These examples show how solitude-friendly design can enhance the hospitality world, where we expect moments of solitude; workplaces, where it can help foster focus, calm, and creativity; and health facilities, where patients, visitors, and staff often need moments of quiet reflection to heal and recover.

Quiet Hospitality

Since ancient times, people have recognized water, nature, light, and solitude as treatments for many ailments. Retreat centers, spas, and wellness centers can support connecting with oneself to better connect to the world. Design strategies for quiet hospitality include the following:

• What is not in the space matters, too. Leave your phone in another room, and if it is possible, turn off wi-fi. Prepare to make this possible.

• Opportunities for soft fascination. Soft, or passive, fascination, such as watching a stream flow by, refills cognitive reserves and calms one’s nervous system. Active fascination, such as watching TV, competes for our attention. If you’ve ever tried to write in a journal while watching TV, you can attest to how few words are on the page when your favorite show is over. (Not that I have ever done that, at least not more than a handful of times this year.)

Small focus rooms allow focused solitude (right image), and café booth seating (right) can be used for moments alone or to connect at HKS Inc.’s New York Offices.

Source: HKS/ Photo Credit Garrett Rowland

Workplace Reflections

Solitude in the workplace can be immensely helpful to support deep focus and creativity, clear distractions, and allow for flow. In recent decades, workplaces have been in a near-constant state of flux, shifting from private offices to open floor plans. Some workplaces have even added ping-pong tables and loud games. Recently, we’ve seen the “hotelification” of the workplace—and while it is hard to know for certain how this will impact workers and their work and well-being, there are glimmers of hope. Design strategies for workplace reflections include the following:

• Reduce or filter your visibility to other people, and them to you. When you see others, your mind can be crowded by trying to perform. This can lead many neurodivergent people to mask or spend energy hiding their true selves, instead of excelling at the task or challenge in front of them. Creating a space of your own is helpful for free thinking and deep focus.

• Humans are naturally inclined to be wall-huggers. From an evolutionary perspective, this tendency, called “thigmotaxis,” helps protect from potential ambush or attack; it can, even in our modern era, lead a person to split their focus to feel safe. Booth seating can allow people to feel safe and enjoy moments of deeper focus and reflection.

ProMedica Toledo Hospital Generations Tower space to rest, heal, and reflect by looking out to nature.

Source: HKS Inc./Photo Credit Tom Harris

Healing Respite

Health care spaces are often busy, chaotic, and filled with tough decisions. When a family member, nurse, physician, or caregiver can take a moment to slow down and have respite from the chaos, they can reflect on life-or-death decisions in a way that allows them to be quiet enough for some to tap into their intuition, or for others to listen to God. Design strategies for healing respite include the following:

• Greenery (live or artificial plants), views of nature or nature imagery, and artwork can help to calm frazzled nervous systems and allow moments of respite.

• Offering dimmed lighting—or, better yet, lighting controls—can create a place of respite that enables people to customize their environment. For some people, it can help to have a dimly lit place to rest when the world is so bright and loud. For others, bright daylight can be rejuvenating.

• Outdoor gardens, rooftop gardens, or greenhouses can be amazing gifts for patients, family, and staff. Small touches like babbling water can be used to provide white noise that increases one’s sense of privacy and supports solitude.

Each of these places hosts people in quite different mindsets, goals, and experiences. Each can be designed to tap into our innate ways of calming our nervous systems, allowing us to connect with ourselves in calm and potentially joyful, or at least restful, solitude.

Designing for solitude is not about isolation, or turning our backs on the world, but rather about allowing all people to coexist—introverts and extraverts alike, and those of us finding our way somewhere in between.