at SXSW

There are few things we love more than the alchemy of big thinkers, diverse experts, and maker-first folks from around the world taking on challenging problems in one place. When those edges come together, there’s no telling what magic might happen.

And this year in Austin was no exception. Five of IDEO’s best hit the stages at SXSW: a Ph. D, an AI specialist, an XR fanatic, a multimedia data designer, and an MIT affiliate. They shared ideas on panels focused on everything from equity in education to climate data you can feel, and the value of design across all of these areas.

Miss a talk? You can catch the full videos below. Feeling inspired, or want to connect? Scroll down and fill out the form. We’d love to hear from you.

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Meet Our SXSWPanelists

Eva Mejia

How do we design something new that works for the people we're trying to reach, not incentivize people to come back to the thing that didn't work for them?

Eva Mejia
Executive Director, education

Highlights from Bringing Back the Lost Generation

  • The societal impact of educational poverty cannot be overstated.
  • We need to move boldly to re-engage students, building on the lessons from programs that have been doing this work for decades.
  • The pandemic opened opportunities to question assumptions about where and how learning should take place.
  • It's crucial to design for what students value, and not just return to the programming that didn't serve them before.
watch the full panel

Highlights from Tomorrow’s Principal Podcast: Will AI Be Your Next Principal?

  • Principals' responsibilities are unsustainable—and growing.
  • There is interest in having AI take some things off their plates, but exploring AI is one more thing for principals to do.
  • Lessons from integrating past technologies into education give us pause. But waiting  to explore is also a risk.
LISTEN  HERE
Jenna Fizel

As an individual person, understanding and practicing actions that give you a better feeling of safety can be critical.

Jenna Fizel
Managing Director, Emerging Technology

Highlights from Our Tools, Ourselves: What We Become As Realities Mix

  • Our sevles are dynamic, continuously evolving through interactions with new ideas and technologies.
  • This constant of reshaping selfhood is central to understanding our relationship with technology.
  • Technology enables new forms of empathy and understanding, transcending traditional boundaries like geography and language.
  • It’s crucial that we reflect on the influence we have on others through the technologies we use or create.
watch the full Talk

Highlights from Redefining Privacy & Cyber Security in the Metaverse

  • Ensuring a safe, beneficial Metaverse experience is very complex.
  • It will require balancing the need for privacy, security, and positive personal impact with the challenges of governance and law enforcement in virtual spaces.
  • Already, there are positive VR experiences, like group therapy on aNUma platform and VR concerts.
  • More user-friendly authoring tools may  increase personal agency and positive behavior.
watch the full panel
Savannah Kunovsky

How long will it be before we no longer notice language barriers? What could this mean for our identity as cultural groups or even nations?

Savannah Kunovsky
Managing Director, Emerging Technology

Highlights from Our Tools, Ourselves: What We Become As Realities Mix

  • Our selves are dynamic, continuously evolving through interactions with new ideas and technologies.
  • This constant reshaping of selfhood is central to understanding our relationship with technology.
  • Technology enables new forms of empathy and understanding , transcending traditional boundaries like geography and language.
  • It’s crucial that we reflect on the influence we have on others through the technologies we use or create.
watch the full Talk

We go beyond traditional visuals by incorporating smell, taste, touch, texture, and physical interaction, expanding the vocabulary for how we understand data.

Tiange Wang
Designer

DataWagashi: Feeling Climate Data via New Design Medium

March 12, 2024
2:30-3:30
JW Marriott

Inspired by Wagashi, the traditional Japanese confection art regarded as a microcosm of time, space, and nature, DataWagashi aims to make climate data tangible, accessible, and fun by blending taste, smell, touch, texture, and physical interaction into the vocabulary of data communication. We will deep dive into DataWagashi sets that spotlight data-driven climate issues from glacier changes to carbon footprint and more, dissect our algorithmic design process, and share our insights on harnessing new data perception to bring complex data to life, touching senses and emotions.

Highlights from DataWagashi: Feeling Climate Data via a New Design Medium

  • The constant doom and gloom surrounding climate change can make data feel overwhelming and disconnected from our daily lives.
  • By turning it  into physical, sensory experiences, we can break down information barriers, ensuring that people with varying data literacy levels can grasp complex concepts and join in on conversations about climate change and environmental impact.
  • Food is just one of many creative media we can use to overcome data fatigue and craft engaging data stories through design.
watch the full TALK

The core is not using technology for technology's sake. It's more about the end user. Will it benefit them? Will they use it?

Ziyuan 'Zoey' Zhu
Designer

articles written by Zoey

Highlights from the Future of Design: Megatrends that Matter

  • AI integration in design prompts fears of oversimplification, yet offers the potential to enhance design without losing creativity.
  • Understanding AI's mechanisms and data integrity is essential for designers to effectively select and utilize the best AI tools for their creative needs.
  • AI advancements are changing how we interact with objects, making them more communicative and responsive.
  • Embedding ethical considerations in AI usage is crucial to prevent potential harm and ensure equitable benefits to society.
watch the full panel

Interested in working on emerging technology together?
Get in touch to kick off a conversation.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.