"I want people to be comfortable with the language of technology employed in design," Anderson says. "They should come away from this Xplorer bootcamp seeing digital media as simply another design material." He also will focus his audience on the need to incorporate planning into content development so that it is as much a part of the design as the material.

On the path to integrate digital technology into user experiences that connect people to place, Xlab 2015both inspired and informed. Designers, planners, municipalities, and makers have come a long way toward changing the world with technology, but there's still a long way to go. Read our Xlab recap and help chart the exciting journey!

When telecomm giant Vodafone wanted to introduce its business customers to a new suite of enterprise products and services, the company decided to create an exclusive, invitation-only customer experience center at its Milan headquarters. The result is an experiential journey enabled by digital technology.

Retail is great theater for digital technology in physical spaces, but the jury is still out on what it can and can’t do to drive sales and engage customers. At Xlab2015, a rock-star retail panel will tackle personalization, smart technologies, the omni-channel world of shopping, and how digital technology can make it more fun (for shoppers) and rewarding (for retailers)!

The Internet of Things is a growing network of objects–from home appliances to industrial machines and from signs to cars—that are connected to each other and the Internet. Through an infinite web of sensors and devices that generate constant streams of data, objects will communicate with each other to make everyday tasks more efficient. Yes, it all sounds very Minority Report. But what does it mean for you and your future in designing experiences and connecting people to place? At Xlab 2015, we’re putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Be there to see how it all relates to YOUR practice!

Perhaps the tipping point was in 2004, when artist Jaume Plensa created the giant pixelated portraits of Chicagoans spouting water from Crown Fountain in Millennium Park. Today, new digital technologies and connected data are making cities more open, efficient, and engaging--and changing the way we act and interact in public spaces. We’ll cover the cityscape and digital technology at Xlab 2015—Nov. 5-6 in NYC; you'll want to be there!

With the stroke of a super-powered digital pen, the Cooper Hewitt reinvents itself and the very way that visitors experience a museum.

Artists, coders, hackers, and technologists are shaping the future of experience design, and at Xlab 2015, the SEGD design + technology event, they’ll show how they’re using platforms like wearables, virtual reality, beacons, and code to tell stories and transform places. Where do you fit in all of this? Find out at Xlab 2015: Transforming X—November 5-6 in New York!

You know you need to hone your digital skills to grow your resume and your business. But what are the core digital competencies you should be developing? In June, the SEGD Academic Task Force issued the XGD Core Competencies, which outline the baseline skills essential for success in XGD. You can cover them all at the Xplorer Digital Camp coming up Aug. 6 in Seattle. But hurry—capacity is limited and seats are filling fast!

In late 2014, another major milestone in the post 9/11 revitalization was completed: the reinvention of the mighty World Financial Center—the Cesar Pelli-designed complex built in the 1980s across from the World Trade Center—as an 8 million-square-foot office, retail, arts, and dining destination.

Nature Lab, a new exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, uses media and lively graphics to invite visitors to “put their nature eyes on.” Gallagher & Associates and KBDA collabor

The Romance is Back

The epic digital landscape at LAX’s new Tom Bradley International Terminal took top honors in the 2014 SEGD Global Design Awards. Art deco curtains part to reveal gold-toned dancers spinning inside a multi-tiered clock-like confection. Three-story-tall guitar strings quiver and plunk to the movements of passersby.

Modern Connections

Tate Modern teams with Bloomberg on a pioneering digital arts project that creates a new kind of customer experience in the museum. See projects like this at Xlab 2014 November 6 in New York!

Brand Storytelling at HUSH

David Schwarz is Creative Partner with New York design agency HUSH. In Schwarz’s world, experiential design is the nexus for brand storytelling. He’ll focus on “Blurred Lines: Brand and Content” at Xlab 2014, happening November 6 in New York.