The previous chapters laid out the science and the tools. This one turns them into a process.

Most designers already use neuroaesthetic principles, even when it’s more by instinct than intention. They understand the value of things like natural light, organic forms and human-scale proportions. But intuition doesn’t scale. It varies from person to person and can’t be reliably transferred across a team, studio or firm. A repeatable process gives designers a disciplined way to apply what science tells us about human experience to every project.

The eight steps below are a working guide for how to address neuroaesthetics in the design process. They translate the research and frameworks from earlier chapters into criteria project teams can apply from pre-design through occupancy. Though these steps aren’t strictly linear, they build on each other. The steps move from defining human needs to setting design priorities to identifying the specific features that influence how people experience a space.

The graphic above maps these steps across a typical project life cycle—from RFP through post-occupancy—alongside the supporting activities that put them into practice. The text below defines each step. The graphic shows when and how they get applied.

1. Design with intent.

Every space we design is performing a biological intervention. Our work affects the people inside, whether it’s modulating physiological responses and setting their body’s rhythm with light or sending subtle signals of safety or alertness through the use of color and materials.

The brain makes an initial assessment of a new environment faster than we can blink. Designing with intent means accepting responsibility for what our choices about a space will do to the people who experience it.

2. Adopt a human-centric, neuroinclusive approach.

Kick off each project by studying the people who will occupy the space. We need to understand their physical, sensory and cognitive needs. Our growing knowledge of how environments affect the body and brain means we can define “human-centric” with far more specificity than was previously available. That includes accounting for the full range of sensory processing differences, from those who are easily overwhelmed by stimulation to those who need more stimulation to function effectively.

3. Design for equity and inclusion.

People don’t experience space the same way. The distinction between equality and equity matters here. Equality gives everyone the same resources and opportunities. Equity adjusts for people’s different circumstances and needs so outcomes are more equal. Inclusion takes it further, requiring every individual’s perspective to be integrated into the design process.

As neurodiversity advocate Ludmila Praslova has noted, people’s identities don’t fit into neat categories. Organizations that address inclusion one group at a time risk leaving behind individuals who exist at the intersection of several identities. To help the most people feel welcome, designers need to design for the most sensitive first and then layer in options.

4. Leverage the Neuro-Architecture Triad.

The Triad describes how people experience space along three dimensions. As a project step, it becomes a set of questions that a team asks at every phase. The answers change depending on the building type and the people inside it.

a. Coherence: How easily can people understand the space? In an airport, coherence is essential. Already stressed travelers need to know clearly where they are going. In duty-free areas, however, that clarity is often deliberately reduced to keep people shopping.

b. Hominess: This is about more than just designing a workplace where people feel comfortable. Think about how stressed people feel when they show up at an airport terminal, hospital or courthouse. We want to use design to help them feel more at ease.

c. Fascination: Is the space engaging enough to keep people’s attention? If we’re designing an arena, it absolutely needs to engage the fans coming to the game. But calibration matters. A space that excites one person may barely register or even completely overwhelm another. The trick is to find the right balance of sensory richness.

5. Embrace biophilic principles.

Biophilic design provides the connection to nature that people need. That connection can be direct, like views of greenery and the sound of water, or indirect, through organic curves, natural materials and colors from nature. In our interview with Dr. Anjan Chatterjee in Chapter 5, he describes a building as a kind of semi-permeable membrane separating people from the outside world. The more intentionally that membrane lets in nature, the better the space tends to perform for the people inside.

6. Leverage the elements and principles of design.

Chapter 2 maps the designer’s toolkit and its biological and psychological effects. This step is the commitment to use those tools deliberately, testing each decision throughout the design process against the Triad and the needs of the people in the space.

7. Select products and materials that support the principles of neuroinclusivity and neuroaesthetics.

Every product and material in a space sends a sensory signal through touch, temperature, sound, smell and sight. A flooring choice can affect acoustics. A door handle communicates something the moment someone touches it. The color and texture of a surface can calm one person and overwhelm another. This step applies the principles from the earlier steps at the specification level, evaluating finishes, furniture, hardware, lighting and acoustical products not just for durability and aesthetics but for how they serve people across the sensitivity spectrum. The goal is to leverage these elements to support the intent of the space, and where possible, give occupants choice and control over their sensory experience.

8. Design for psychological safety.

Before they can function in a space, people need to feel safe. That starts with prospect and refuge. We instinctively seek positions where we can observe what’s going on around us without being exposed. But it’s more than just positioning. To help people feel psychologically safe, we can give them intuitive wayfinding, open sightlines, the ability to preview a space before entering and some control over their immediate surroundings.

We’ve long said that we design experiences, not just environments. Now we have the science to say what that means: designing for the body and the brain to help people flourish.