How to Design for a Sense of Belonging: Creating Community Through Product Design
In a world still recovering from lockdowns, isolation, division, othering, and increasing global turmoil and stress, the need for connection and belonging has never been more critical. Although we are seemingly more connected than ever before, research indicates that we are in a loneliness health epidemic. According to a recent APA poll, 1 in 3 Americans feel lonely on a weekly basis. While most people see technology as a positive force for social connections, they are split on whether these connections are meaningful (54%) or superficial (46%).
As product designers, we have the unique opportunity to craft digital spaces that foster a sense of community. In speaking to other designers, many of us pursued design as a career to help create intuitive and delightful experiences. However, when it comes to designing for belonging or community, it’s clear users are divided. To truly succeed, we must balance inclusivity and exclusivity to cultivate niche communities where like-minded individuals can thrive.
The Psychological and Social Benefits of Belonging
Belonging is a fundamental human need, deeply rooted in our psychology and social behaviour. Belonging to a community can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of isolation, as demonstrated in many studies such from notable organizations such as Pew Research Center. The isolation exacerbated by lockdowns and the ongoing global challenges have heightened our awareness of these needs, making the creation of digital communities even more essential.
When people feel they belong, they are more likely to engage, contribute, and remain loyal to their community. This sense of belonging fosters trust, collaboration, and a supportive environment, all of which are crucial for building strong, vibrant communities. In developing successful products that rely on a dedicated community of users, developing a sense of belonging among users is crucial to build that community.
Successful Examples of Community-Building Apps
While community is at the heart of many apps, some do this better than others. The ones I believe have been more successful are able to strike the right balance between inclusivity and exclusivity to create dedicated spaces for focused groups.
Reddit: While Reddit as a whole caters to a broad audience, it hosts thousands of niche subreddits where like-minded individuals connect over shared interests. This dual approach allows Reddit to serve the masses while providing more specialized spaces for deeper connections.
Facebook Groups: While Facebook as a platform has struggled with creating a cohesive community, its Groups feature has successfully fostered niche communities. Groups provide a more focused environment where users can connect over specific interests, creating a stronger sense of belonging.
Discord: Discord has thrived by offering spaces for specific communities to gather and interact in a more personal and controlled environment.
The Trade-Offs between Inclusivity and Exclusivity
Designing for community involves trade-offs when balancing inclusivity and exclusivity. Inclusive designs aim to welcome as many users as possible, promoting diversity and broad participation. However, this can sometimes lead to superficial interactions and a lack of depth in community bonds. On the other hand, creating exclusive spaces for niche communities can foster deeper connections and a stronger sense of belonging. The trade-off is the risk of creating echo chambers, excluding valuable voices, or trying to solve the issue of othering with more othering. It’s essential to manage these spaces responsibly to ensure they remain welcoming and inclusive while still providing the intimacy that makes them special. One way to do this is by allowing more niche spaces to naturally form for like-minded individuals, while maintaining an open-door policy where anyone can join the platform and find their own community.
Principles for Designing for Belonging and Community
To design digital spaces that foster a sense of belonging while balancing exclusivity, we can follow these key principles rooted in core values, creating a framework for decision-making:
Open-door policy: Even if we assume the space or product may appeal to some over others, we don’t want to exclude people before they’ve even started. Welcome everyone, even over curating initial participants. Ensure accessible entry points and diverse representation. It’s up to individuals to decide if this space is for them.
Safety over absolute freedom: Prioritize creating a safe environment even over allowing unrestricted freedom. Communities should feel like safe spaces where individuals can freely express their thoughts and opinions with respect and without fear of judgment.
Personal connections over group dynamics: Focus on fostering individual connections even over group dynamics. Individual connections are a foundation for building stronger, more personal relationships within the community.
Niche focus over broad appeal: Prioritize creating niche communities even over broad, general ones. Building focused, niche communities fosters deeper connections and a stronger sense of belonging among members with shared interests.
Quality interactions over quantity of members: Foster respect and welcomeness even over rapid growth. Ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment is key to creating a sense of belonging.
Build strong key relationships: Nurture relationships with key community members even over broad outreach. Engage with and reward key members to create a more engaged and loyal community.
Individuality over uniformity: Highlight individual contributions even over uniform group identity. Acknowledge the complex and dynamic identities of users even over simplified categorization. Design with an understanding that users' identities are varied and change over time.
Active engagement over passive consumption: Mindless scrolling for the sake of consumption and passive engagement is not what creates a community. Encourage meaningful participation through engaging content, and create opportunities for users to actively contribute, enhancing their sense of belonging. Foster a sense of shared responsibility even over individual accomplishment.
As we design products to create a sense of belonging for users, we must address the trade-offs between inclusivity and exclusivity and decide what should be prioritized. By focusing on principles like fostering safe environments, nurturing personal connections, and prioritizing niche communities, we can create vibrant, supportive spaces open to all where like-minded individuals can connect and flourish. As we navigate this balance, we have the power to transform digital spaces into spaces people feel seen, respected, and belong.