In this edition from our In-Conversation series, NewTerritory’s Managing Director, Ben Harding, turns the tables interviewing NewTerritory’s founder and ECD, Luke Miles.
Together, they explore Luke’s reflections on the state of design today, where things are increasingly looking and feeling the same - often at the cost of deeper emotional resonance. Luke introduces the concept of The Echo Chamber, a plateau where design across industries risks becoming beautifully forgettable.
Ben Harding (BH): Luke, you talk about this idea of an “Echo Chamber” in design. Can you explain what you mean by that?
Luke Miles (LM): It’s feeling like we are reaching an era where surface mastery is no longer remarkable, it’s expected. Interfaces are beginning to look and feel the same, from photorealistic VFX, to cars and consumer tech - it’s becoming ever harder to differentiate. Like there’s less and less to hold onto. These experiences are somehow on repeat and feel emotionally hollow.
It’s like an Echo Chamber - a kind of midpoint of experience design - where moments are increasingly forgettable and seem to leave no emotional trace.
BH: Why do you think this is happening across so many industries – from automotive design to hospitality design?
LM: There’s a sense that experiences are moving into parity and don’t necessarily clearly express the brands they belong to. Certain areas of design are losing a sense of emotion - struggling to provoke thought or stir a feeling.
The same pattern seems to be showing up everywhere. An odd juxtaposition of polish meets the emotionally anonymous. When we look at certain car brands, they are minimalist and silent, but lack a kind of soul. Consumer products are sculpted for the perfect unboxing video but not for memory. Without being extreme, it's feeling like we’ve created a design culture that prizes surface mastery but neglects the deeper layers of human experience.
BH: That’s quite a challenge for designers. So, what’s the way out of this plateau?
LM: Somehow, I feel design needs to work much harder to break this loop of iteration - the rise of certain technologies is also accelerating this need. Perhaps we need to start asking harder questions: What does this make someone actually feel? What will they remember tomorrow, or even ten years from now?
It’s about us needing to lay the foundations for greater emotional resonance through stronger narratives and philosophical intent. Without those deeper layers, we’re in danger of being left with beauty that just blurs into background noise. We need to think in. A lore composite way and create experiences that stay with people.
BH: You’re suggesting risk is part of it, embracing friction, not smoothing it away. How do designers balance that with expectations for seamlessness?
LM: Seamlessness is obviously important, but it can’t be the only metric. The things we remember tend to have texture, surprise and levels symphony across the experience - highs, moments of quiet and crescendos.
So, the balance lies in knowing when to invite deeper emotional connection through the layers of narrative and context. That’s what creates meaning beyond the functional.
BH: If someone reading this wants to push their own work beyond the Echo Chamber, where should they start?
LM: Start by asking ‘what will someone feel?’, ‘What will they carry with them?’ Not just during the experience, but after. Design shouldn’t only be about optimising the present moment, it should create memories, stories and emotional connections that last. The mastery of surfaces, the frictionless interfaces, the perfect cinematic visuals, that’s just table stakes now. The real challenge is designing for real depth, for resonance, for legacy. That’s how we move into the elusive top 5% of experiences.
For more in the In Conversation with Luke Miles series, check out:
Reimagining the workplace through hospitality design
How a hospitality design studio creates culturally resonant spaces
How electrification is transforming automotive branding
