This spring, we wrapped up our third annual Youth Design Team. Hosted in partnership with In Tandem, this cohort of 10 teenagers from across the country engaged with our 2026 Well-Being by Design Fellows to help the professional designers embed youth well-being into their products and programs.
The premise is simple: designers working on products for young people should hear from young people. What continues to impress us is how seriously our Fellows take that premise, and what can happen when they do.
Listening, then building
Over the course of the winter, our nine adult fellows led workshops during which the Youth Design Team offered feedback on early-stage products, prototypes, and ideas. Youth designers valued the chance to engage:
“I really feel like I got to know all of the designers and began to care deeply about the products because we met often and I got to hear about them repeatedly. It made me feel more invested.”
That investment ran in both directions. At a culminating session, fellows shared examples of decisions they had made differently as a direct result of their work with the youth designers. Their answers were specific:
- One fellow reconsidered his thinking about what age demographic might be the best fit for his product after youth noted that younger kids might engage with the same content in different and compelling ways.
- A second reported that a discussion about player agency helped her identify something she could act on immediately: going back through all of her game’s tutorials to make sure they were crystal clear, because, as she put it, “that’s where agency starts.”
- Another described swapping out an analogy in an AI literacy game, replacing a reference that kids might not connect with for something more universal, after youth flagged the disconnect.
These aren’t sweeping overhauls. They’re the kind of specific, consequential design nudges that happen when practitioners take youth perspectives seriously and have a structured opportunity to act on them.
The youth designers noticed:
“My favorite experience was feeling like my ideas and input were heard when the designers told us how they’ve incorporated our ideas into their design.”
“I loved hearing all of the questions the Fellows had for us youth designers! It really showed how deeply they care about their work, and how seriously they wanted to cater to youth’s needs.”
A model worth repeating
What makes this story worth sharing isn’t that the Youth Design Team is a novel concept—it’s that it works. Fellows walked away with specific things to change, and youth walked away knowing that their perspectives matter. That combination takes deliberate investment, but it’s well within reach for practitioners who are willing to genuinely engage young people, listen to what they say, and follow through.
We’re proud of what this year’s teen cohort contributed, and grateful to this year’s fellows for running with the opportunity.
Join us on May 19
On May 19, this year’s fellows will present case studies from their projects at a virtual celebration event. It’s a chance to see where their work has landed after a season of learning, workshopping, and building. We hope you’ll join us. Register here.
