Austin, TX, USA — How is the use of smartphones, tablets, and other personal technology changing the way we perceive the physical realm? How does the urban experience evolve in a world of augmented reality, social media, and sentient buildings?
And what does this mean for designers creating the next generation of immersive and engaging experiences in the “real” world?
Xlab 2012: Tech in Context—SEGD’s design + technology event November 8 in Austin—will gather experts in design, technology, architecture, and usability to explore these questions and provoke conversation about how designers are helping to shape technology- and content-rich environments.
Like SEGD’s premiere Xlab event last year in New York, Xlab 2012 invites a diverse and provocative collection of players to the conversation:
- Mark Rolston, frog’s Chief Creative Officer, on “the shape(lessness) of things to come”— how the city will become our next compute
- Joshua Walton and James Tichenor, Co-Chiefs of Rockwell Group Lab, with a mash-up of digital and physical place-making
- Abigail Hart Gray, VP Experience Design for digital shopping innovator Fluid, on collaborations that are successfully bridging design and technology to create great user experiences
- Tom Beck, President of digital agency Enlighten, and Jason Young, Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan and Founder, design/research practice YARD, on how the brain processes virtual and physical cues and the design principles that are emerging from our adoption of personal technologies like smart phones and tablets
- Bruce Daniel, Executive VP of custom mapmaker Cartifact Labs on maps and mobile: how responsive design can inform better navigation tools
- Jaron Rubenstein, President of Rubenstein Technology Group, on the best practices and lessons learned in app and mobile development
- Carina Ngai, Product Design Lead, Inflection, on design for our aging population: keeping your future self in mind
“It’s clear that technology’s role in guiding us, teaching us, and entertaining us in the physical realm is growing exponentially,” says Leslie Wolke, Leslie Wolke Consulting (Austin) and Co-Chair of the Xlab 2012 event. “Technology has become a necessary tool, an ever-evolving challenge and, ultimately, a new and exciting way to create engaging environments. At Xlab 2012, we want to lead with our curiosity and learn about the possibilities.”
Xlab 2012 will be held at Austin’s Zack Theatre rehearsal space. The program is eligible for AIA HSW credits. For more information or to register, visit www.segd.org.
The Presenting Sponsor of Xlab 2012 is Daktronics and the Sponsor of Xlab is iZone. For information on available sponsorships, contact Sara Naegelin, [email protected].
About SEGD
Founded in 1973, SEGD (the Society for Environmental Graphic Design) is the global community of people working at the intersection of communication design and the built environment. Through educational programs, research, and publications, SEGD’s mission is to provide learning opportunities and resources for professionals involved in EGD, promote the importance of the discipline in establishing place, and continue to refine standards of practice for the field.
About Xlab and the Zach Theatre
Xlab is SEGD’s innovation event connecting design, technology, and communications in the built environment. Xlab 2011: The Design of Location, premiered in New York City at Eyebeam Art + Technology Center. Xlab 2012: Tech in Context will be held at Austin’s Zack Theatre rehearsal studio
