THU 22 MAY 14:00Fri May 23 15:00Matias Vaara
Independent Strategic DesignerMatias works at the intersection of AI and design, helping teams unlock strategic innovation potential.
Drawing on his experience with global enterprises and leading agencies, he guides organizations from initial AI readiness to pioneering new approaches. His work spans strategic advisory, team capability building, and hands-on innovation projects. He shares insights on AI's impact on design and innovation through his newsletter Amplify.
With 15 years in strategic design, Matias has shaped customer experiences for global brands including Philips, Cisco, and Audi. His client work has earned recognition in Wired, TechCrunch, and Fast Company. Before founding strategic design consultancy Vaara & Co, he was a Design Director at Idean (now part of frog).
Thu 22 May 14:00 / Auditorium IIDesigner 2.0
A hands-on workshop exploring how to integrate AI effectively into your design practice.
Learn practical approaches for enhancing research, ideation, and creation while maintaining strategic control and creative direction.
Through guided instruction and exercises, you'll learn to:
- Train your personal AI assistants
- Accelerate research through AI-powered analysis
- Enhance creative ideation with AI collaboration
- Create rapid prototypes using AI tools
Impact on Your Work:
- Dramatically reduce research time through AI-powered synthesis
- Generate richer ideas in brainstorming sessions
- Create initial user flows in minutes
- Navigate AI tools confidently and ethically
Requirements:
- Laptop recommended for hands-on exercises
- Basic familiarity with design processes
- No coding experience needed
15:00 Auditorium IDesigning for AI Agency
As AI agents begin to act independently on behalf of users, the fundamentals of customer experience design are shifting.
Drawing from work with enterprise design teams and emerging cases, this talk explores how to design experiences when AI becomes an active participant in the customer journey.
For designers and leaders looking to understand and shape this transformation.