The Soft Interface: Designing for Belonging New York is a city of transients—where belonging can feel fleeting by nature. As technology moves beyond screens and into the spaces around us, our environments are beginning to sense, respond, and anticipate our needs. frog invites you to interrogate the Soft Interface: can invisible, empathic agents help us build roots, or do they simply offer a frictionless substitute for genuine human community? Join us at NY Design Week for a panel conversation exploring the invisible layer of technology quietly embedding itself into daily life.

We are moving toward an ambient state where our environments mediate relationships and nudge us toward wellness. But as we outsource more of our social navigation, we must examine the impact on the human experience. If we remove all social friction, do we also lose the tension that makes community real?