Experience Design - the art, craft, & biz of telling stories with emerging tech

What does it actually take to design meaningful experiences in a world shaped by AI, immersive media, and constantly shifting platforms? This session offers a behind-the-scenes look at Experience Design as it’s practiced at the frontier of storytelling, drawing from the methods, mindsets, and experiments developed by leading practitioners.

Rather than focusing on tools alone, this session explores how story, technology, design, and business intersect, and how creators can navigate ambiguity, prototype ideas, and build virtual and IRL experiences that people care about.

Special Guests
Jim Sowden is the Creative Director of Innovation at Sundogs, where creativity meets data science. From generative AI to immersive worlds to product development, he partners with some of the world's biggest brands to explore new frontiers in advertising.

Michelle Higa Fox is an Emmy-award winning artist and filmmaker who combines code-based visuals with handmade animation. With over fifteen years of experience in motion graphics, animation, and experience design, her work has earned a Peabody Award, Art Directors Club Young Guns award, and Best Music Video award at SXSW.

In 2012, she founded Slanted Studios to develop commercial projects, music videos and interactive art installations at the intersection of animation and emerging technology. Their clients include Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Adult Swim, Coach, Nike, Samsung and Viacom.

Michelle’s collaborations with MacArthur Fellow Camille Utterback have produced permanent interactive public art installations on both coasts of the US. She served as creative director for the inaugural season of the Netflix original series, Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj and Vox Media’s daily explainer series, Answered.

She's currently exploring all things emerging technology as a Group Creative Director of Experience at BUCK.