The first fully digital generation, Gen Z is already reshaping the (experience) economy. Below are six things you can do to design better for them. But first, here’s six reasons WHY you need to design for them now:

• Big & working now. Gen Z makes up nearly 30% of the world’s population and will account for 27% of the global workforce by 2025, according to Qureos, a hiring platform. That is more than the entire populations of China and India’s millennials combined.
  
• Serious spending power. Their collective spending is projected to reach $12 trillion by 2030, according to NielsenIQ, a research firm. That is larger than the GDP of Japan.
  
• Already making calls. About 19% of Gen Z are already workplace decision-makers, up from 15% a year earlier, according to GWI, a data provider. In other words: not interns, but budget-holders.
  
• They set culture. What they adopt becomes mainstream. TikTok went from teenage dance app to the world’s most-downloaded platform in four years. Their preference for thrifting has revived second-hand retail worldwide.
  
• Values = choices. Gen Z selects brands on purpose, identity, and belonging, according to Deloitte, a consultancy. They punish those who fake it: witness the backlash against Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner protest advert in 2017.
  
• Hybrid by default. For them, the boundary between digital and physical is paper-thin. A TikTok trend – such as the Stanley Quencher, a line of oversized steel tumblers made by 111-year-old U.S. brand Stanley – can clear shelves in hours.
  

Mia Thatcher: Gen Z on Gen Z

To find out what really resonates, we invited Mia Thatcher, an experience designer at WXO members Creative Principles – whose client list spans Delta Airlines, Kaiser Permanente, and Unisys – to lead a WXO Campfire. 

At 23, she has the rare mix of professional experience and generational lived-experience. In her words: “I can’t speak for everyone, but I do have 23 years of credibility as a Zer myself.”

Here are six takeaways from her session.

6. Gen Z Finds the Past More Real

“There’s something about the past that just feels a bit realer. Gen Z craves whimsy, gravity, and escapism.” – Mia Thatcher

• Whimsy: sparks of magic and play (think cottagecore or the revival of board games).
  
• Gravity: tradition and meaning (faith-based events, rites of passage).
  
• Escapism: portals into other worlds (Stranger Things, immersive Christmas lights).
  

Her example: Silver Dollar City’s Christmas festival, where ritual and wonder combine. Nostalgia, she argued, isn’t kitsch wallpaper – it makes today feel authentic.

5. Gen Z Didn’t Read This

“Less text, more video. Defunctland’s Star Wars Hotel doc had 40 million views.” – Mia Thatcher

The numbers are blunt: Gen Z consumes video first, text second. A two-hour YouTube analysis of Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser flop reached tens of millions; Disney’s own slick promo film barely hit 2.5m. The lesson: depth works – but only in native formats.

4. Chips Ahoy & the Art of Cringe

“One of the worst things an older generation can do while trying to appeal to a younger audience is pretending to be like them.” – Mia Thatcher

Her case study: Chips Ahoy’s Gen Z ad – a clumsy pastiche of slang that became a meme for all the wrong reasons. The takeaway: don’t cosplay as your audience. Participation beats pandering.

3. Stories Still Work

“Telling stories is the best way to connect people across generations. But it has to be done the right way.” – Mia Thatcher

Stranger Things works not because it tries to be Gen Z, but because it invites them into an 80s storyworld that feels coherent. At the Campfire, Aike Akhigbe added: “Stories are what give experiences meaning… the sixth sense we don’t often name is sense-making.”

2. Gen Z Isn’t a Monolith

“Although it is hard for me as one person to speak for an entire generation, I do have around 23 years of credibility and experience of being a Zer myself.” – Mia Thatcher

She reminded us she could only speak for one slice of the cohort. What resonates in Seoul may not in São Paulo. For designers, this means seeking subcultures, nuances, and contexts, not assuming “Gen Z” is a single taste profile.

1. AI as a Thought Partner

“Maybe use AI as a thought partner – not as a gimmick, but as a way to have a conversation.” – Mia Thatcher

Gen Z treats AI less as a threat, more as a collaborator. Experiences that embed interactivity, adaptability, and dialogue will feel natural to them.

What This Means for Experience Designers & Operators

From Mia’s Campfire, the message is clear: Gen Z isn’t looking for gimmicks. They want experiences that:

• Balance whimsy with gravity and escapism
  
• Speak in their native media (video > text)
  
• Avoid pandering and cringe
  
• Place them inside the story, not as the target
  
• Respect diversity and nuance within the cohort
  
• Use tools like AI to create interactivity and dialogue
  

Next steps

To connect with Gen Z experience designers – and more than 1,111 experience professionals in 50 countries – come join the WXO. For a step-by-step Playbook inspired by Mia’s Campfire – containing checklists, do/don’t frameworks, and applied examples you can use straight away in your projects – become a WXO Navigator member.