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‘I Tried Tennis as an Adult and Learned the Importance of Getting Out of My Comfort Zone’
The simple act of trying something new, regardless of the outcome, has *so* many benefits.
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
The Last Seamless Bra You’ll Ever Need Is 25% Off for Labor Day (and Selling Fast)
Plus bralettes, undies, and more.
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
This Best-Selling CBD Arousal Oil Takes You From Foreplay to Finishing in Minutes—and It’s 20% Off Now
Holy orgasm…
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
5 Answers to the Most Common Questions About the New COVID-19 Boosters
Including whether you need one if you had COVID over the summer.
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
6 Types of Pilates We Guarantee You Haven’t Tried Before
If you love Pilates but want to mix up your routine, try these unique variations.
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
Matcha Contains Significantly More Caffeine Than Green Tea… but Is It *Too* Much?
And how does it compare to coffee?
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
6 Bedtime Routine Tweaks to Make For Healthier Hair and Scalp
First up: Avoid going to sleep with sopping wet hair.
Dim the lights, spark the candles, and cue the slow jams—Foria’s best-selling CBD Awaken Arousal (normally $48, now $38) oil is 20 percent off in honor of Labor Day. For the uninitiated, it’s basically a knee-shaking, sheet-gripping orgasm in a bottle. Just like the rest of Foria’s sultry lineup of intimacy and wellness products, it’s entirely plant-based and designed to enhance sexual pleasure (and overall wellness) with ingredients that are naturally good for the body and mind.
Normally $48
If you’re cool with CBD, get your hands on the original Awaken Arousal Oil, which uses all the same organic botanicals, plus CBD. There’s kava, a popular aphrodisiac, coconut oil, ginger, and cinnamon, which come together to enhance and awaken all-over pleasure. Perfect for solo sessions and partner play alike.
What is the Awaken Arousal Oil?
The Awaken Arousal Oil is a topical sex- and masturbation-enhancing oil meant to be used directly on the clitoris, inside the vagina, as well as the inner labia. It’s made from a broad-spectrum CBD, which is a natural compound found in cannabis linked to a number of mental and physical health benefits, like inflammation, pain management, and anxiety. But it’s not the only powerful ingredient Foria uses; the natural botanicals vary from product to product but include tried-and-true staples like organic coconut oil, kava, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and cacao. There are no silicones, sulfates, artificial scents or flavors to irritate your sensitive bits—it’s all au naturale, and all designed to take your sex life up a notch night after night.
What it feels like: Basically like an anti-anxiety medication for your clitoris, making solo and partnered play looser, more slippery, and intense. You can use it on its own or add your favorite lube if you’d like—either way, it enhances stimulation and/or penetration. W+G editors are big fans, and so are Foria shoppers.
“Never have I used a product like this before, and I was admittedly skeptical. But holy wow, this packs a punch. The orgasms I have with this oil are out of this world, like nothing I’ve experienced before. It changes the game! ” one customer writes.
It’s a great tool especially if you’re prone to dryness or are premenopausal. “Can you be postmenopausal and feel amazing again? The answer is YES. All the Foria products are exceptional and really make a difference,” one shopper says.
Other Foria favorites on sale
If you’re looking for a lube-lube, we highly recommend the Intimacy Sex Oil (normally $44, now $35) It’s also infused with 400mg of broad-spectrum CBD and is made from organic coconut oil. This is an even more slippery option than the Awaken oil (and you can use them both!).
Normally $44
Foria’s Sex Oil with CBD is pretty much the Goldilocks of lube: It’s not too sticky, not too oily, but is just right, and is designed to stimulate your body’s own lubricants to boot. That’s thanks to the 400 mg of broad-spectrum CBD in each bottle that absorbs through skin to stimulate natural arousal. Just note, it is an oil, so any condoms, toys, or other “sex”cessories need to be oil-safe if you want to use them together.
If you don’t dabble in CBD, Foria has a just-as-devilish CBD-free option (Arousal Awaken With Botanical) that’s just as powerful as the original tincture, minus any cannabidiol.
Normally $40
Drizzle a few drops onto you or your partner’s clitoris and labia for a slow, sultry build-up that ends in fireworks. It’s made with eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, including kava, a sultry herb that induces relaxation while heightening pleasure. Yes, please.
Naughty naturals are the backbone of the Arousal Awaken With Botanicals (originally $40, now $32). It’s the exact same formula as the original version, with all eight organic botanical aphrodisiacs, sans any CBD. This allows anyone who can’t or doesn’t use CBD to get their rocks off, too. With a few drizzles over the clitoris or massaged into the inner labia, Awaken relaxes the vagina, turning you on so you can experience all the feels, before, during, and after sex or masturbation.
And a quick scroll through the reviews shows that the CBD-free tincture is just as fun as its predecessor. One user raves that it’s the “best formula yet” enhancing their experience tenfold and ending in a “deep rolling release.” Another says it’s a “MUST-have for achieving the most mind-blowing orgasms,” while another says it’s even better than the original Awaken formulation and that, “My only complaint is that I run through it too quickly! I’ll have to stock up.”
We suggest you do stock up during the sitewide sale, and while you’re at it, explore the other goodies from the brand’s Sex & Intimacy Collection, all bound to give you orgasmic results.
Normally $20
These CBD-infused and capsule-sized pieces melt right onto the skin to enhance pleasure and relaxation. Don’t take our word for it. Head to the reviews where you’ll find happy customers. “These are simply amazing,” says one Foria customer. “The difference they make is a real game changer for us. These have opened up a whole new chapter to our sex life and marriage.”
How to Sell UX Research with Two Simple Questions
Do you find yourself designing screens with only a vague idea of how the things on the screen relate to the things elsewhere in the system? Do you leave stakeholder meetings with unclear directives that often seem to contradict previous conversations? You know a better understanding of user needs would help the team get clear on what you are actually trying to accomplish, but time and budget for research is tight. When it comes to asking for more direct contact with your users, you might feel like poor Oliver Twist, timidly asking, “Please, sir, I want some more.”
Here’s the trick. You need to get stakeholders themselves to identify high-risk assumptions and hidden complexity, so that they become just as motivated as you to get answers from users. Basically, you need to make them think it’s their idea.
In this article, I’ll show you how to collaboratively expose misalignment and gaps in the team’s shared understanding by bringing the team together around two simple questions:
- What are the objects?
- What are the relationships between those objects?
A gauntlet between research and screen design
These two questions align to the first two steps of the ORCA process, which might become your new best friend when it comes to reducing guesswork. Wait, what’s ORCA?! Glad you asked.
ORCA stands for Objects, Relationships, CTAs, and Attributes, and it outlines a process for creating solid object-oriented user experiences. Object-oriented UX is my design philosophy. ORCA is an iterative methodology for synthesizing user research into an elegant structural foundation to support screen and interaction design. OOUX and ORCA have made my work as a UX designer more collaborative, effective, efficient, fun, strategic, and meaningful.
The ORCA process has four iterative rounds and a whopping fifteen steps. In each round we get more clarity on our Os, Rs, Cs, and As.
I sometimes say that ORCA is a “garbage in, garbage out” process. To ensure that the testable prototype produced in the final round actually tests well, the process needs to be fed by good research. But if you don’t have a ton of research, the beginning of the ORCA process serves another purpose: it helps you sell the need for research.
In other words, the ORCA process serves as a gauntlet between research and design. With good research, you can gracefully ride the killer whale from research into design. But without good research, the process effectively spits you back into research and with a cache of specific open questions.
Getting in the same curiosity-boat
What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.
Mark Twain
The first two steps of the ORCA process—Object Discovery and Relationship Discovery—shine a spotlight on the dark, dusty corners of your team’s misalignments and any inherent complexity that’s been swept under the rug. It begins to expose what this classic comic so beautifully illustrates:
This is one reason why so many UX designers are frustrated in their job and why many projects fail. And this is also why we often can’t sell research: every decision-maker is confident in their own mental picture.
Once we expose hidden fuzzy patches in each picture and the differences between them all, the case for user research makes itself.
But how we do this is important. However much we might want to, we can’t just tell everyone, “YOU ARE WRONG!” Instead, we need to facilitate and guide our team members to self-identify holes in their picture. When stakeholders take ownership of assumptions and gaps in understanding, BAM! Suddenly, UX research is not such a hard sell, and everyone is aboard the same curiosity-boat.
Say your users are doctors. And you have no idea how doctors use the system you are tasked with redesigning.
You might try to sell research by honestly saying: “We need to understand doctors better! What are their pain points? How do they use the current app?” But here’s the problem with that. Those questions are vague, and the answers to them don’t feel acutely actionable.
Instead, you want your stakeholders themselves to ask super-specific questions. This is more like the kind of conversation you need to facilitate. Let’s listen in:
“Wait a sec, how often do doctors share patients? Does a patient in this system have primary and secondary doctors?”
“Can a patient even have more than one primary doctor?”
“Is it a ‘primary doctor’ or just a ‘primary caregiver’… Can’t that role be a nurse practitioner?”
“No, caregivers are something else… That’s the patient’s family contacts, right?”
“So are caregivers in scope for this redesign?”
“Yeah, because if a caregiver is present at an appointment, the doctor needs to note that. Like, tag the caregiver on the note… Or on the appointment?”
Now we are getting somewhere. Do you see how powerful it can be getting stakeholders to debate these questions themselves? The diabolical goal here is to shake their confidence—gently and diplomatically.
When these kinds of questions bubble up collaboratively and come directly from the mouths of your stakeholders and decision-makers, suddenly, designing screens without knowing the answers to these questions seems incredibly risky, even silly.
If we create software without understanding the real-world information environment of our users, we will likely create software that does not align to the real-world information environment of our users. And this will, hands down, result in a more confusing, more complex, and less intuitive software product.
The two questions
But how do we get to these kinds of meaty questions diplomatically, efficiently, collaboratively, and reliably?
We can do this by starting with those two big questions that align to the first two steps of the ORCA process:
- What are the objects?
- What are the relationships between those objects?
In practice, getting to these answers is easier said than done. I’m going to show you how these two simple questions can provide the outline for an Object Definition Workshop. During this workshop, these “seed” questions will blossom into dozens of specific questions and shine a spotlight on the need for more user research.
Prep work: Noun foraging
In the next section, I’ll show you how to run an Object Definition Workshop with your stakeholders (and entire cross-functional team, hopefully). But first, you need to do some prep work.
Basically, look for nouns that are particular to the business or industry of your project, and do it across at least a few sources. I call this noun foraging.
Here are just a few great noun foraging sources:
- the product’s marketing site
- the product’s competitors’ marketing sites (competitive analysis, anyone?)
- the existing product (look at labels!)
- user interview transcripts
- notes from stakeholder interviews or vision docs from stakeholders
Put your detective hat on, my dear Watson. Get resourceful and leverage what you have. If all you have is a marketing website, some screenshots of the existing legacy system, and access to customer service chat logs, then use those.
As you peruse these sources, watch for the nouns that are used over and over again, and start listing them (preferably on blue sticky notes if you’ll be creating an object map later!).
You’ll want to focus on nouns that might represent objects in your system. If you are having trouble determining if a noun might be object-worthy, remember the acronym SIP and test for:
- Structure
- Instances
- Purpose
Think of a library app, for example. Is “book” an object?
Structure: can you think of a few attributes for this potential object? Title, author, publish date… Yep, it has structure. Check!
Instance: what are some examples of this potential “book” object? Can you name a few? The Alchemist, Ready Player One, Everybody Poops… OK, check!
Purpose: why is this object important to the users and business? Well, “book” is what our library client is providing to people and books are why people come to the library… Check, check, check!
As you are noun foraging, focus on capturing the nouns that have SIP. Avoid capturing components like dropdowns, checkboxes, and calendar pickers—your UX system is not your design system! Components are just the packaging for objects—they are a means to an end. No one is coming to your digital place to play with your dropdown! They are coming for the VALUABLE THINGS and what they can do with them. Those things, or objects, are what we are trying to identify.
Let’s say we work for a startup disrupting the email experience. This is how I’d start my noun foraging.
First I’d look at my own email client, which happens to be Gmail. I’d then look at Outlook and the new HEY email. I’d look at Yahoo, Hotmail…I’d even look at Slack and Basecamp and other so-called “email replacers.” I’d read some articles, reviews, and forum threads where people are complaining about email. While doing all this, I would look for and write down the nouns.
(Before moving on, feel free to go noun foraging for this hypothetical product, too, and then scroll down to see how much our lists match up. Just don’t get lost in your own emails! Come back to me!)
Drumroll, please…
Here are a few nouns I came up with during my noun foraging:
- email message
- thread
- contact
- client
- rule/automation
- email address that is not a contact?
- contact groups
- attachment
- Google doc file / other integrated file
- newsletter? (HEY treats this differently)
- saved responses and templates
Scan your list of nouns and pick out words that you are completely clueless about. In our email example, it might be client or automation. Do as much homework as you can before your session with stakeholders: google what’s googleable. But other terms might be so specific to the product or domain that you need to have a conversation about them.
Aside: here are some real nouns foraged during my own past project work that I needed my stakeholders to help me understand:
- Record Locator
- Incentive Home
- Augmented Line Item
- Curriculum-Based Measurement Probe
This is really all you need to prepare for the workshop session: a list of nouns that represent potential objects and a short list of nouns that need to be defined further.
Facilitate an Object Definition Workshop
You could actually start your workshop with noun foraging—this activity can be done collaboratively. If you have five people in the room, pick five sources, assign one to every person, and give everyone ten minutes to find the objects within their source. When the time’s up, come together and find the overlap. Affinity mapping is your friend here!
If your team is short on time and might be reluctant to do this kind of grunt work (which is usually the case) do your own noun foraging beforehand, but be prepared to show your work. I love presenting screenshots of documents and screens with all the nouns already highlighted. Bring the artifacts of your process, and start the workshop with a five-minute overview of your noun foraging journey.
HOT TIP: before jumping into the workshop, frame the conversation as a requirements-gathering session to help you better understand the scope and details of the system. You don’t need to let them know that you’re looking for gaps in the team’s understanding so that you can prove the need for more user research—that will be our little secret. Instead, go into the session optimistically, as if your knowledgeable stakeholders and PMs and biz folks already have all the answers.
Then, let the question whack-a-mole commence.
1. What is this thing?
Want to have some real fun? At the beginning of your session, ask stakeholders to privately write definitions for the handful of obscure nouns you might be uncertain about. Then, have everyone show their cards at the same time and see if you get different definitions (you will). This is gold for exposing misalignment and starting great conversations.
As your discussion unfolds, capture any agreed-upon definitions. And when uncertainty emerges, quietly (but visibly) start an “open questions” parking lot. 😉
After definitions solidify, here’s a great follow-up:
2. Do our users know what these things are? What do users call this thing?
Stakeholder 1: They probably call email clients “apps.” But I’m not sure.
Stakeholder 2: Automations are often called “workflows,” I think. Or, maybe users think workflows are something different.
If a more user-friendly term emerges, ask the group if they can agree to use only that term moving forward. This way, the team can better align to the users’ language and mindset.
OK, moving on.
If you have two or more objects that seem to overlap in purpose, ask one of these questions:
3. Are these the same thing? Or are these different? If they are not the same, how are they different?
You: Is a saved response the same as a template?
Stakeholder 1: Yes! Definitely.
Stakeholder 2: I don’t think so… A saved response is text with links and variables, but a template is more about the look and feel, like default fonts, colors, and placeholder images.
Continue to build out your growing glossary of objects. And continue to capture areas of uncertainty in your “open questions” parking lot.
If you successfully determine that two similar things are, in fact, different, here’s your next follow-up question:
4. What’s the relationship between these objects?
You: Are saved responses and templates related in any way?
Stakeholder 3: Yeah, a template can be applied to a saved response.
You, always with the follow-ups: When is the template applied to a saved response? Does that happen when the user is constructing the saved response? Or when they apply the saved response to an email? How does that actually work?
Listen. Capture uncertainty. Once the list of “open questions” grows to a critical mass, pause to start assigning questions to groups or individuals. Some questions might be for the dev team (hopefully at least one developer is in the room with you). One question might be specifically for someone who couldn’t make it to the workshop. And many questions will need to be labeled “user.”
Do you see how we are building up to our UXR sales pitch?
5. Is this object in scope?
Your next question narrows the team’s focus toward what’s most important to your users. You can simply ask, “Are saved responses in scope for our first release?,” but I’ve got a better, more devious strategy.
By now, you should have a list of clearly defined objects. Ask participants to sort these objects from most to least important, either in small breakout groups or individually. Then, like you did with the definitions, have everyone reveal their sort order at once. Surprisingly—or not so surprisingly—it’s not unusual for the VP to rank something like “saved responses” as #2 while everyone else puts it at the bottom of the list. Try not to look too smug as you inevitably expose more misalignment.
I did this for a startup a few years ago. We posted the three groups’ wildly different sort orders on the whiteboard.
The CEO stood back, looked at it, and said, “This is why we haven’t been able to move forward in two years.”
Admittedly, it’s tragic to hear that, but as a professional, it feels pretty awesome to be the one who facilitated a watershed realization.
Once you have a good idea of in-scope, clearly defined things, this is when you move on to doing more relationship mapping.
6. Create a visual representation of the objects’ relationships
We’ve already done a bit of this while trying to determine if two things are different, but this time, ask the team about every potential relationship. For each object, ask how it relates to all the other objects. In what ways are the objects connected? To visualize all the connections, pull out your trusty boxes-and-arrows technique. Here, we are connecting our objects with verbs. I like to keep my verbs to simple “has a” and “has many” statements.
This system modeling activity brings up all sorts of new questions:
- Can a saved response have attachments?
- Can a saved response use a template? If so, if an email uses a saved response with a template, can the user override that template?
- Do users want to see all the emails they sent that included a particular attachment? For example, “show me all the emails I sent with ProfessionalImage.jpg attached. I’ve changed my professional photo and I want to alert everyone to update it.”
Solid answers might emerge directly from the workshop participants. Great! Capture that new shared understanding. But when uncertainty surfaces, continue to add questions to your growing parking lot.
Light the fuse
You’ve positioned the explosives all along the floodgates. Now you simply have to light the fuse and BOOM. Watch the buy-in for user research flooooow.
Before your workshop wraps up, have the group reflect on the list of open questions. Make plans for getting answers internally, then focus on the questions that need to be brought before users.
Here’s your final step. Take those questions you’ve compiled for user research and discuss the level of risk associated with NOT answering them. Ask, “if we design without an answer to this question, if we make up our own answer and we are wrong, how bad might that turn out?”
With this methodology, we are cornering our decision-makers into advocating for user research as they themselves label questions as high-risk. Sorry, not sorry.
Now is your moment of truth. With everyone in the room, ask for a reasonable budget of time and money to conduct 6–8 user interviews focused specifically on these questions.
HOT TIP: if you are new to UX research, please note that you’ll likely need to rephrase the questions that came up during the workshop before you present them to users. Make sure your questions are open-ended and don’t lead the user into any default answers.
Final words: Hold the screen design!
Seriously, if at all possible, do not ever design screens again without first answering these fundamental questions: what are the objects and how do they relate?
I promise you this: if you can secure a shared understanding between the business, design, and development teams before you start designing screens, you will have less heartache and save more time and money, and (it almost feels like a bonus at this point!) users will be more receptive to what you put out into the world.
I sincerely hope this helps you win time and budget to go talk to your users and gain clarity on what you are designing before you start building screens. If you find success using noun foraging and the Object Definition Workshop, there’s more where that came from in the rest of the ORCA process, which will help prevent even more late-in-the-game scope tugs-of-war and strategy pivots.
All the best of luck! Now go sell research!
Breaking Out of the Box
CSS is about styling boxes. In fact, the whole web is made of boxes, from the browser viewport to elements on a page. But every once in a while a new feature comes along that makes us rethink our design approach.
Round displays, for example, make it fun to play with circular clip areas. Mobile screen notches and virtual keyboards offer challenges to best organize content that stays clear of them. And dual screen or foldable devices make us rethink how to best use available space in a number of different device postures.
These recent evolutions of the web platform made it both more challenging and more interesting to design products. They’re great opportunities for us to break out of our rectangular boxes.
I’d like to talk about a new feature similar to the above: the Window Controls Overlay for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
Progressive Web Apps are blurring the lines between apps and websites. They combine the best of both worlds. On one hand, they’re stable, linkable, searchable, and responsive just like websites. On the other hand, they provide additional powerful capabilities, work offline, and read files just like native apps.
As a design surface, PWAs are really interesting because they challenge us to think about what mixing web and device-native user interfaces can be. On desktop devices in particular, we have more than 40 years of history telling us what applications should look like, and it can be hard to break out of this mental model.
At the end of the day though, PWAs on desktop are constrained to the window they appear in: a rectangle with a title bar at the top.
Here’s what a typical desktop PWA app looks like:
Sure, as the author of a PWA, you get to choose the color of the title bar (using the Web Application Manifest theme_color property), but that’s about it.
What if we could think outside this box, and reclaim the real estate of the app’s entire window? Doing so would give us a chance to make our apps more beautiful and feel more integrated in the operating system.
This is exactly what the Window Controls Overlay offers. This new PWA functionality makes it possible to take advantage of the full surface area of the app, including where the title bar normally appears.
About the title bar and window controls
Let’s start with an explanation of what the title bar and window controls are.
The title bar is the area displayed at the top of an app window, which usually contains the app’s name. Window controls are the affordances, or buttons, that make it possible to minimize, maximize, or close the app’s window, and are also displayed at the top.
Window Controls Overlay removes the physical constraint of the title bar and window controls areas. It frees up the full height of the app window, enabling the title bar and window control buttons to be overlaid on top of the application’s web content.
If you are reading this article on a desktop computer, take a quick look at other apps. Chances are they’re already doing something similar to this. In fact, the very web browser you are using to read this uses the top area to display tabs.
Spotify displays album artwork all the way to the top edge of the application window.
Microsoft Word uses the available title bar space to display the auto-save and search functionalities, and more.
The whole point of this feature is to allow you to make use of this space with your own content while providing a way to account for the window control buttons. And it enables you to offer this modified experience on a range of platforms while not adversely affecting the experience on browsers or devices that don’t support Window Controls Overlay. After all, PWAs are all about progressive enhancement, so this feature is a chance to enhance your app to use this extra space when it’s available.
Let’s use the feature
For the rest of this article, we’ll be working on a demo app to learn more about using the feature.
The demo app is called 1DIV. It’s a simple CSS playground where users can create designs using CSS and a single HTML element.
The app has two pages. The first lists the existing CSS designs you’ve created:
The second page enables you to create and edit CSS designs:
Since I’ve added a simple web manifest and service worker, we can install the app as a PWA on desktop. Here is what it looks like on macOS:
And on Windows:
Our app is looking good, but the white title bar in the first page is wasted space. In the second page, it would be really nice if the design area went all the way to the top of the app window.
Let’s use the Window Controls Overlay feature to improve this.
Enabling Window Controls Overlay
The feature is still experimental at the moment. To try it, you need to enable it in one of the supported browsers.
As of now, it has been implemented in Chromium, as a collaboration between Microsoft and Google. We can therefore use it in Chrome or Edge by going to the internal about://flags page, and enabling the Desktop PWA Window Controls Overlay flag.
Using Window Controls Overlay
To use the feature, we need to add the following display_override member to our web app’s manifest file:
{
"name": "1DIV",
"description": "1DIV is a mini CSS playground",
"lang": "en-US",
"start_url": "/",
"theme_color": "#ffffff",
"background_color": "#ffffff",
"display_override": [
"window-controls-overlay"
],
"icons": [
...
]
}
On the surface, the feature is really simple to use. This manifest change is the only thing we need to make the title bar disappear and turn the window controls into an overlay.
However, to provide a great experience for all users regardless of what device or browser they use, and to make the most of the title bar area in our design, we’ll need a bit of CSS and JavaScript code.
Here is what the app looks like now:
The title bar is gone, which is what we wanted, but our logo, search field, and NEW button are partially covered by the window controls because now our layout starts at the top of the window.
It’s similar on Windows, with the difference that the close, maximize, and minimize buttons appear on the right side, grouped together with the PWA control buttons:
Using CSS to keep clear of the window controls
Along with the feature, new CSS environment variables have been introduced:
titlebar-area-xtitlebar-area-ytitlebar-area-widthtitlebar-area-height
You use these variables with the CSS env() function to position your content where the title bar would have been while ensuring it won’t overlap with the window controls. In our case, we’ll use two of the variables to position our header, which contains the logo, search bar, and NEW button.
header {
position: absolute;
left: env(titlebar-area-x, 0);
width: env(titlebar-area-width, 100%);
height: var(--toolbar-height);
}
The titlebar-area-x variable gives us the distance from the left of the viewport to where the title bar would appear, and titlebar-area-width is its width. (Remember, this is not equivalent to the width of the entire viewport, just the title bar portion, which as noted earlier, doesn’t include the window controls.)
By doing this, we make sure our content remains fully visible. We’re also defining fallback values (the second parameter in the env() function) for when the variables are not defined (such as on non-supporting browsers, or when the Windows Control Overlay feature is disabled).
Now our header adapts to its surroundings, and it doesn’t feel like the window control buttons have been added as an afterthought. The app looks a lot more like a native app.
Changing the window controls background color so it blends in
Now let’s take a closer look at our second page: the CSS playground editor.
Not great. Our CSS demo area does go all the way to the top, which is what we wanted, but the way the window controls appear as white rectangles on top of it is quite jarring.
We can fix this by changing the app’s theme color. There are a couple of ways to define it:
- PWAs can define a theme color in the web app manifest file using the theme_color manifest member. This color is then used by the OS in different ways. On desktop platforms, it is used to provide a background color to the title bar and window controls.
- Websites can use the theme-color meta tag as well. It’s used by browsers to customize the color of the UI around the web page. For PWAs, this color can override the manifest
theme_color.
In our case, we can set the manifest theme_color to white to provide the right default color for our app. The OS will read this color value when the app is installed and use it to make the window controls background color white. This color works great for our main page with the list of demos.
The theme-color meta tag can be changed at runtime, using JavaScript. So we can do that to override the white with the right demo background color when one is opened.
Here is the function we’ll use:
function themeWindow(bgColor) {
document.querySelector("meta[name=theme-color]").setAttribute('content', bgColor);
}With this in place, we can imagine how using color and CSS transitions can produce a smooth change from the list page to the demo page, and enable the window control buttons to blend in with the rest of the app’s interface.
Dragging the window
Now, getting rid of the title bar entirely does have an important accessibility consequence: it’s much more difficult to move the application window around.
The title bar provides a sizable area for users to click and drag, but by using the Window Controls Overlay feature, this area becomes limited to where the control buttons are, and users have to very precisely aim between these buttons to move the window.
Fortunately, this can be fixed using CSS with the app-region property. This property is, for now, only supported in Chromium-based browsers and needs the -webkit- vendor prefix.
To make any element of the app become a dragging target for the window, we can use the following:
-webkit-app-region: drag;
It is also possible to explicitly make an element non-draggable:
-webkit-app-region: no-drag;
These options can be useful for us. We can make the entire header a dragging target, but make the search field and NEW button within it non-draggable so they can still be used as normal.
However, because the editor page doesn’t display the header, users wouldn’t be able to drag the window while editing code. So let’s use a different approach. We’ll create another element before our header, also absolutely positioned, and dedicated to dragging the window.
... .drag {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
width: 100%;
height: env(titlebar-area-height, 0);
-webkit-app-region: drag;
}With the above code, we’re making the draggable area span the entire viewport width, and using the titlebar-area-height variable to make it as tall as what the title bar would have been. This way, our draggable area is aligned with the window control buttons as shown below.
And, now, to make sure our search field and button remain usable:
header .search,
header .new {
-webkit-app-region: no-drag;
}With the above code, users can click and drag where the title bar used to be. It is an area that users expect to be able to use to move windows on desktop, and we’re not breaking this expectation, which is good.
Adapting to window resize
It may be useful for an app to know both whether the window controls overlay is visible and when its size changes. In our case, if the user made the window very narrow, there wouldn’t be enough space for the search field, logo, and button to fit, so we’d want to push them down a bit.
The Window Controls Overlay feature comes with a JavaScript API we can use to do this: navigator.windowControlsOverlay.
The API provides three interesting things:
navigator.windowControlsOverlay.visiblelets us know whether the overlay is visible.navigator.windowControlsOverlay.getBoundingClientRect()lets us know the position and size of the title bar area.navigator.windowControlsOverlay.ongeometrychangelets us know when the size or visibility changes.
Let’s use this to be aware of the size of the title bar area and move the header down if it’s too narrow.
if (navigator.windowControlsOverlay) {
navigator.windowControlsOverlay.addEventListener('geometrychange', () => {
const { width } = navigator.windowControlsOverlay.getBoundingClientRect();
document.body.classList.toggle('narrow', width < 250);
});
}In the example above, we set the narrow class on the body of the app if the title bar area is narrower than 250px. We could do something similar with a media query, but using the windowControlsOverlay API has two advantages for our use case:
- It’s only fired when the feature is supported and used; we don’t want to adapt the design otherwise.
- We get the size of the title bar area across operating systems, which is great because the size of the window controls is different on Mac and Windows. Using a media query wouldn’t make it possible for us to know exactly how much space remains.
.narrow header {
top: env(titlebar-area-height, 0);
left: 0;
width: 100%;
}Using the above CSS code, we can move our header down to stay clear of the window control buttons when the window is too narrow, and move the thumbnails down accordingly.
Thirty pixels of exciting design opportunities
Using the Window Controls Overlay feature, we were able to take our simple demo app and turn it into something that feels so much more integrated on desktop devices. Something that reaches out of the usual window constraints and provides a custom experience for its users.
In reality, this feature only gives us about 30 pixels of extra room and comes with challenges on how to deal with the window controls. And yet, this extra room and those challenges can be turned into exciting design opportunities.
More devices of all shapes and forms get invented all the time, and the web keeps on evolving to adapt to them. New features get added to the web platform to allow us, web authors, to integrate more and more deeply with those devices. From watches or foldable devices to desktop computers, we need to evolve our design approach for the web. Building for the web now lets us think outside the rectangular box.
So let’s embrace this. Let’s use the standard technologies already at our disposal, and experiment with new ideas to provide tailored experiences for all devices, all from a single codebase!
If you get a chance to try the Window Controls Overlay feature and have feedback about it, you can open issues on the spec’s repository. It’s still early in the development of this feature, and you can help make it even better. Or, you can take a look at the feature’s existing documentation, or this demo app and its source code.
Designers, (Re)define Success First
About two and a half years ago, I introduced the idea of daily ethical design. It was born out of my frustration with the many obstacles to achieving design that’s usable and equitable; protects people’s privacy, agency, and focus; benefits society; and restores nature. I argued that we need to overcome the inconveniences that prevent us from acting ethically and that we need to elevate design ethics to a more practical level by structurally integrating it into our daily work, processes, and tools.
Unfortunately, we’re still very far from this ideal.
At the time, I didn’t know yet how to structurally integrate ethics. Yes, I had found some tools that had worked for me in previous projects, such as using checklists, assumption tracking, and “dark reality” sessions, but I didn’t manage to apply those in every project. I was still struggling for time and support, and at best I had only partially achieved a higher (moral) quality of design—which is far from my definition of structurally integrated.
I decided to dig deeper for the root causes in business that prevent us from practicing daily ethical design. Now, after much research and experimentation, I believe that I’ve found the key that will let us structurally integrate ethics. And it’s surprisingly simple! But first we need to zoom out to get a better understanding of what we’re up against.
Influence the system
Sadly, we’re trapped in a capitalistic system that reinforces consumerism and inequality, and it’s obsessed with the fantasy of endless growth. Sea levels, temperatures, and our demand for energy continue to rise unchallenged, while the gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Shareholders expect ever-higher returns on their investments, and companies feel forced to set short-term objectives that reflect this. Over the last decades, those objectives have twisted our well-intended human-centered mindset into a powerful machine that promotes ever-higher levels of consumption. When we’re working for an organization that pursues “double-digit growth” or “aggressive sales targets” (which is 99 percent of us), that’s very hard to resist while remaining human friendly. Even with our best intentions, and even though we like to say that we create solutions for people, we’re a part of the problem.
What can we do to change this?
We can start by acting on the right level of the system. Donella H. Meadows, a system thinker, once listed ways to influence a system in order of effectiveness. When you apply these to design, you get:
- At the lowest level of effectiveness, you can affect numbers such as usability scores or the number of design critiques. But none of that will change the direction of a company.
- Similarly, affecting buffers (such as team budgets), stocks (such as the number of designers), flows (such as the number of new hires), and delays (such as the time that it takes to hear about the effect of design) won’t significantly affect a company.
- Focusing instead on feedback loops such as management control, employee recognition, or design-system investments can help a company become better at achieving its objectives. But that doesn’t change the objectives themselves, which means that the organization will still work against your ethical-design ideals.
- The next level, information flows, is what most ethical-design initiatives focus on now: the exchange of ethical methods, toolkits, articles, conferences, workshops, and so on. This is also where ethical design has remained mostly theoretical. We’ve been focusing on the wrong level of the system all this time.
- Take rules, for example—they beat knowledge every time. There can be widely accepted rules, such as how finance works, or a scrum team’s definition of done. But ethical design can also be smothered by unofficial rules meant to maintain profits, often revealed through comments such as “the client didn’t ask for it” or “don’t make it too big.”
- Changing the rules without holding official power is very hard. That’s why the next level is so influential: self-organization. Experimentation, bottom-up initiatives, passion projects, self-steering teams—all of these are examples of self-organization that improve the resilience and creativity of a company. It’s exactly this diversity of viewpoints that’s needed to structurally tackle big systemic issues like consumerism, wealth inequality, and climate change.
- Yet even stronger than self-organization are objectives and metrics. Our companies want to make more money, which means that everything and everyone in the company does their best to… make the company more money. And once I realized that profit is nothing more than a measurement, I understood how crucial a very specific, defined metric can be toward pushing a company in a certain direction.
The takeaway? If we truly want to incorporate ethics into our daily design practice, we must first change the measurable objectives of the company we work for, from the bottom up.
Redefine success
Traditionally, we consider a product or service successful if it’s desirable to humans, technologically feasible, and financially viable. You tend to see these represented as equals; if you type the three words in a search engine, you’ll find diagrams of three equally sized, evenly arranged circles.
But in our hearts, we all know that the three dimensions aren’t equally weighted: it’s viability that ultimately controls whether a product will go live. So a more realistic representation might look like this:
Desirability and feasibility are the means; viability is the goal. Companies—outside of nonprofits and charities—exist to make money.
A genuinely purpose-driven company would try to reverse this dynamic: it would recognize finance for what it was intended for: a means. So both feasibility and viability are means to achieve what the company set out to achieve. It makes intuitive sense: to achieve most anything, you need resources, people, and money. (Fun fact: the Italian language knows no difference between feasibility and viability; both are simply fattibilità.)
But simply swapping viable for desirable isn’t enough to achieve an ethical outcome. Desirability is still linked to consumerism because the associated activities aim to identify what people want—whether it’s good for them or not. Desirability objectives, such as user satisfaction or conversion, don’t consider whether a product is healthy for people. They don’t prevent us from creating products that distract or manipulate people or stop us from contributing to society’s wealth inequality. They’re unsuitable for establishing a healthy balance with nature.
There’s a fourth dimension of success that’s missing: our designs also need to be ethical in the effect that they have on the world.
This is hardly a new idea. Many similar models exist, some calling the fourth dimension accountability, integrity, or responsibility. What I’ve never seen before, however, is the necessary step that comes after: to influence the system as designers and to make ethical design more practical, we must create objectives for ethical design that are achievable and inspirational. There’s no one way to do this because it highly depends on your culture, values, and industry. But I’ll give you the version that I developed with a group of colleagues at a design agency. Consider it a template to get started.
Pursue well-being, equity, and sustainability
We created objectives that address design’s effect on three levels: individual, societal, and global.
An objective on the individual level tells us what success is beyond the typical focus of usability and satisfaction—instead considering matters such as how much time and attention is required from users. We pursued well-being:
We create products and services that allow for people’s health and happiness. Our solutions are calm, transparent, nonaddictive, and nonmisleading. We respect our users’ time, attention, and privacy, and help them make healthy and respectful choices.
An objective on the societal level forces us to consider our impact beyond just the user, widening our attention to the economy, communities, and other indirect stakeholders. We called this objective equity:
We create products and services that have a positive social impact. We consider economic equality, racial justice, and the inclusivity and diversity of people as teams, users, and customer segments. We listen to local culture, communities, and those we affect.
Finally, the objective on the global level aims to ensure that we remain in balance with the only home we have as humanity. Referring to it simply as sustainability, our definition was:
We create products and services that reward sufficiency and reusability. Our solutions support the circular economy: we create value from waste, repurpose products, and prioritize sustainable choices. We deliver functionality instead of ownership, and we limit energy use.
In short, ethical design (to us) meant achieving wellbeing for each user and an equitable value distribution within society through a design that can be sustained by our living planet. When we introduced these objectives in the company, for many colleagues, design ethics and responsible design suddenly became tangible and achievable through practical—and even familiar—actions.
Measure impact
But defining these objectives still isn’t enough. What truly caught the attention of senior management was the fact that we created a way to measure every design project’s well-being, equity, and sustainability.
This overview lists example metrics that you can use as you pursue well-being, equity, and sustainability:
There’s a lot of power in measurement. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets done. Donella Meadows once shared this example:
“If the desired system state is national security, and that is defined as the amount of money spent on the military, the system will produce military spending. It may or may not produce national security.”
This phenomenon explains why desirability is a poor indicator of success: it’s typically defined as the increase in customer satisfaction, session length, frequency of use, conversion rate, churn rate, download rate, and so on. But none of these metrics increase the health of people, communities, or ecosystems. What if instead we measured success through metrics for (digital) well-being, such as (reduced) screen time or software energy consumption?
There’s another important message here. Even if we set an objective to build a calm interface, if we were to choose the wrong metric for calmness—say, the number of interface elements—we could still end up with a screen that induces anxiety. Choosing the wrong metric can completely undo good intentions.
Additionally, choosing the right metric is enormously helpful in focusing the design team. Once you go through the exercise of choosing metrics for our objectives, you’re forced to consider what success looks like concretely and how you can prove that you’ve reached your ethical objectives. It also forces you to consider what we as designers have control over: what can I include in my design or change in my process that will lead to the right type of success? The answer to this question brings a lot of clarity and focus.
And finally, it’s good to remember that traditional businesses run on measurements, and managers love to spend much time discussing charts (ideally hockey-stick shaped)—especially if they concern profit, the one-above-all of metrics. For good or ill, to improve the system, to have a serious discussion about ethical design with managers, we’ll need to speak that business language.
Practice daily ethical design
Once you’ve defined your objectives and you have a reasonable idea of the potential metrics for your design project, only then do you have a chance to structurally practice ethical design. It “simply” becomes a matter of using your creativity and choosing from all the knowledge and toolkits already available to you.
I think this is quite exciting! It opens a whole new set of challenges and considerations for the design process. Should you go with that energy-consuming video or would a simple illustration be enough? Which typeface is the most calm and inclusive? Which new tools and methods do you use? When is the website’s end of life? How can you provide the same service while requiring less attention from users? How do you make sure that those who are affected by decisions are there when those decisions are made? How can you measure our effects?
The redefinition of success will completely change what it means to do good design.
There is, however, a final piece of the puzzle that’s missing: convincing your client, product owner, or manager to be mindful of well-being, equity, and sustainability. For this, it’s essential to engage stakeholders in a dedicated kickoff session.
Kick it off or fall back to status quo
The kickoff is the most important meeting that can be so easy to forget to include. It consists of two major phases: 1) the alignment of expectations, and 2) the definition of success.
In the first phase, the entire (design) team goes over the project brief and meets with all the relevant stakeholders. Everyone gets to know one another and express their expectations on the outcome and their contributions to achieving it. Assumptions are raised and discussed. The aim is to get on the same level of understanding and to in turn avoid preventable miscommunications and surprises later in the project.
For example, for a recent freelance project that aimed to design a digital platform that facilitates US student advisors’ documentation and communication, we conducted an online kickoff with the client, a subject-matter expert, and two other designers. We used a combination of canvases on Miro: one with questions from “Manual of Me” (to get to know each other), a Team Canvas (to express expectations), and a version of the Project Canvas to align on scope, timeline, and other practical matters.
The above is the traditional purpose of a kickoff. But just as important as expressing expectations is agreeing on what success means for the project—in terms of desirability, viability, feasibility, and ethics. What are the objectives in each dimension?
Agreement on what success means at such an early stage is crucial because you can rely on it for the remainder of the project. If, for example, the design team wants to build an inclusive app for a diverse user group, they can raise diversity as a specific success criterion during the kickoff. If the client agrees, the team can refer back to that promise throughout the project. “As we agreed in our first meeting, having a diverse user group that includes A and B is necessary to build a successful product. So we do activity X and follow research process Y.” Compare those odds to a situation in which the team didn’t agree to that beforehand and had to ask for permission halfway through the project. The client might argue that that came on top of the agreed scope—and she’d be right.
In the case of this freelance project, to define success I prepared a round canvas that I call the Wheel of Success. It consists of an inner ring, meant to capture ideas for objectives, and a set of outer rings, meant to capture ideas on how to measure those objectives. The rings are divided into five dimensions of successful design: healthy, equitable, sustainable, desirable, feasible, and viable.
We went through each dimension, writing down ideas on digital sticky notes. Then we discussed our ideas and verbally agreed on the most important ones. For example, our client agreed that sustainability and progressive enhancement are important success criteria for the platform. And the subject-matter expert emphasized the importance of including students from low-income and disadvantaged groups in the design process.
After the kickoff, we summarized our ideas and shared understanding in a project brief that captured these aspects:
- the project’s origin and purpose: why are we doing this project?
- the problem definition: what do we want to solve?
- the concrete goals and metrics for each success dimension: what do we want to achieve?
- the scope, process, and role descriptions: how will we achieve it?
With such a brief in place, you can use the agreed-upon objectives and concrete metrics as a checklist of success, and your design team will be ready to pursue the right objective—using the tools, methods, and metrics at their disposal to achieve ethical outcomes.
Conclusion
Over the past year, quite a few colleagues have asked me, “Where do I start with ethical design?” My answer has always been the same: organize a session with your stakeholders to (re)define success. Even though you might not always be 100 percent successful in agreeing on goals that cover all responsibility objectives, that beats the alternative (the status quo) every time. If you want to be an ethical, responsible designer, there’s no skipping this step.
To be even more specific: if you consider yourself a strategic designer, your challenge is to define ethical objectives, set the right metrics, and conduct those kick-off sessions. If you consider yourself a system designer, your starting point is to understand how your industry contributes to consumerism and inequality, understand how finance drives business, and brainstorm which levers are available to influence the system on the highest level. Then redefine success to create the space to exercise those levers.
And for those who consider themselves service designers or UX designers or UI designers: if you truly want to have a positive, meaningful impact, stay away from the toolkits and meetups and conferences for a while. Instead, gather your colleagues and define goals for well-being, equity, and sustainability through design. Engage your stakeholders in a workshop and challenge them to think of ways to achieve and measure those ethical goals. Take their input, make it concrete and visible, ask for their agreement, and hold them to it.
Otherwise, I’m genuinely sorry to say, you’re wasting your precious time and creative energy.
Of course, engaging your stakeholders in this way can be uncomfortable. Many of my colleagues expressed doubts such as “What will the client think of this?,” “Will they take me seriously?,” and “Can’t we just do it within the design team instead?” In fact, a product manager once asked me why ethics couldn’t just be a structured part of the design process—to just do it without spending the effort to define ethical objectives. It’s a tempting idea, right? We wouldn’t have to have difficult discussions with stakeholders about what values or which key-performance indicators to pursue. It would let us focus on what we like and do best: designing.
But as systems theory tells us, that’s not enough. For those of us who aren’t from marginalized groups and have the privilege to be able to speak up and be heard, that uncomfortable space is exactly where we need to be if we truly want to make a difference. We can’t remain within the design-for-designers bubble, enjoying our privileged working-from-home situation, disconnected from the real world out there. For those of us who have the possibility to speak up and be heard: if we solely keep talking about ethical design and it remains at the level of articles and toolkits—we’re not designing ethically. It’s just theory. We need to actively engage our colleagues and clients by challenging them to redefine success in business.
With a bit of courage, determination, and focus, we can break out of this cage that finance and business-as-usual have built around us and become facilitators of a new type of business that can see beyond financial value. We just need to agree on the right objectives at the start of each design project, find the right metrics, and realize that we already have everything that we need to get started. That’s what it means to do daily ethical design.
For their inspiration and support over the years, I would like to thank Emanuela Cozzi Schettini, José Gallegos, Annegret Bönemann, Ian Dorr, Vera Rademaker, Virginia Rispoli, Cecilia Scolaro, Rouzbeh Amini, and many others.