Home My 5 Must-See SXSW Panels – What Are Yours?

My 5 Must-See SXSW Panels – What Are Yours?

For those of you lucky enough to be attending SXSW in Austin, Texas this week, we’d like to know which panels you regard as Must-See. The panel list for this event is overwhelming, even with the help of scheduling services like Sched.org. This is my second SXSW. Last year, my (belated) debut, I got a bit overwhelmed with business meetings and I didn’t attend many of the panels. This year I’ll again be focusing mostly on meetings and networking, but I’ve resolved to squeeze in at least 5 panels. I hope I get to more than that! These are personal choices and most likely won’t match yours. So let me know in the comments which panels YOU regard as Must-See at this year’s SXSW.

I chose one panel for each day I’m there.

Friday: The Connected Car: Driving Technology

The Internet of Things is one of my pet topics and cars have been one of the main areas of innovation in this domain. I want to know what’s coming next for Internet-connected cars…

“Connectivity – or “telemetric” in the auto industry – is using a car to keep you connected while behind the wheel. Mostly the auto industry is focused on developing systems for infotainment and personal connectivity through Bluetooth. That’s cool stuff that makes the driving experience more fun and helps us stay connected on the road, but we’re pushing for a much broader approach. Your vehicle can be more than a smartphone on wheels – it can be a platform for data collection and sharing.”

Saturday: Coming of Age Social: Opportunity of Teens Online

It’s always interesting to see how new generations use and view the latest Web technologies. I’m hoping this panel will be instructive about that.

“While controversy surrounds teenage behavior online, the fact is today’s 13-17 year old audience has grown up in the midst of the social media evolution and represents the next big opportunity on the social web. […] This panel will bring together a varied group of experts on social media, teenage culture, privacy and safety, entertainment and psychology to discuss the fascinating ways this generation is being shaped by the social web. The panel will discuss best practices at managing the audience as well as what’s next with the industry’s ability to not only appropriately engage and educate, but innovate for this audience’s unique demands.”

Sunday: The Music of Interaction Design

I’m a music fan and also a fan of cross pollinisation. So the concept of this panel intrigued me:

“In this session, we will examine parallels between music and interaction design, including harmony, genre, rhythm, fashion and emotion. Along the way, we will learn how that which defies easy definition can elevate digital and musical works from good to miraculous.”

Monday: I’m So Productive, I Never Get Anything Done

This panel kind of describes the feeling of attending SXSW – or indeed of working on the Internet. There’s so much to do and so much on, that you often feel like you don’t get as much done as you’d like. I’m keen to learn about how other people deal with the personal productivity challenges of the social media age.

“Make the coffee, check the RSS, groom the avatar, freshen the blog, make nice with the Twitter, now it’s time to … do the same thing again. […] Let’s talk to some people who have actually done things — written books, built businesses, created technology — about their process. Do they have a clear, bright line between consuming media and producing it? Is it best to have multiple streams on one screen or toggle between to stay on task? Do they have a day part when they are off the grid? And why do great ideas come in the shower? Let’s figure out whether the Web is the greatest productivity tool ever invented or a destroyer of initiative and long thoughts.”

Tuesday: Designing Ideas, Not Objects

This is the only solo panel in my 5 Must-See’s, a presentation by industrial designer Robert Brunner. I’d like to get inside his head for an hour:

“[…] Robert’s work has spawned numerous brand-defining designs during the past two decades. He founded Lunar Design in 1984 after working as a designer and project manager at several Silicon Valley companies. He subsequently went on to become director of industrial design at Apple Computer in 1989, where he established the internal design group and provided design and direction for all the company’s products. […] His firm Ammunition has been listed in Fast Company Magazine’s top 10 innovative design companies list for 3 years running, and last year Robert was featured in the magazine’s list of top 100 creative professionals. Robert also has taught advanced product design at Stanford University.”

Update: My original Tuesday pick clashes with one of my SXSW commitments, so I’ve replaced it with this talk by Adaptive Path. They’re one of the enduring design firms of the web 2.0 + era, so I’ll be there as a fan.

Adaptive Path: 10 Years Of Making Things Awesome-r

“Experience design company Adaptive Path launched at South by Southwest 2001 (on the rooftop of the old Waterloo Brewing Company!). Together, we’ve grown up, but we haven’t grown old. From the two guys who helped create a revolution (and some 4-letter neologisms along the way) — learn how to continually revolutionize your own thinking and approach to your work.”

There you have it, my 5 personal Must-See panels for 2011. In no way a scientific Top 5, just what I want to make sure I see. Also there are a bunch of panels that I’d like to see, but which clash with meetings.

My evolving schedule is on sched.org.

Let me know what your Must-See panels are, I may well change my schedule if I spot some goodies!

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