20.08.2019: The fourth edition of DesignUp returns to Bengaluru, the silicon valley of India and this time, it is more than just a conference - it is a festival dedicated to amplifying the design voice within the world of technology with bigger programmes for wider audiences. With over nine events across 5 days, the Festival’s theme remains design-in-tech and design-for-tech that goes beyond just aesthetics and beautification. It will focus on raising the design agenda within tech-companies, tech-led businesses and non-profits through experiential conferences, workshops, screenings, talks, design-pop-ups, salons, and much more from 12 - 16 November 2019 in Bengaluru. DesignUp is an open, ongoing conversation around the theory & practice of design in technology, encompassing emerging technology and evolving methodologies. The Festival’s flagship conference is Asia's premier conference for design-in-tech, and along with a series of diverse events aim to bring practitioners, leaders & learners together, fusing insights from around the world. “In Tech-led businesses, Experience Design is a critical differentiator. Design is what makes Tech edible and appetising, makes products and services useful and usable. At DesignUp, we shine the spotlight on inspiring stories of Design-In-Tech, delve deeper into uncharted territories – subjects that won’t be found in curricula for some more years, straight from the researcher’s or practitioner’s playbook.” - Jay Dutta, Founder/Curator DesignUp.

Key highlights of the volunteer-driven and community-led Festival include a two-day design conference where speakers will explore a range of topics including New Product Development, Design & Data, AR, VR and Mixed Reality, User Research & Insights, AI & ML, Ethics and Design Leadership that will contribute to the craft and practice of design discipline in technology. The confirmed speakers include Jon Kolko, Partner, Modernist Studio / Founder, Austin Center for Design; Eric Quint - VP and Chief Design Officer, 3M; Payal Arora, Researcher, Author, Lecturer Erasmus Univ Rotterdam, Scott Sorokin, SVP, Global Head of Infosys Experience Design (Infosys XD), Ovetta Sampson, Design lead and Researcher IDEO Chicago, Simone Rebaudengo, Founder Automato.farm Shanghai, teacher/film-maker, Andy Budd, Founder/Director ClearLeft, Founder/Curator Ux London & Leading Design and Alysha Naples, Chief Experience Officer, Tin Drum. To accommodate the growth of interest for design in technology, the 2 conference days are preceded by multiple events distributed across Bengaluru within studios, startups and MNCs. To facilitate public participation - the Festival includes free access to sections including installations, stores, and the Learning Pavilion not just for practitioners but for students and life-long learners as well. The Pavilion is aimed at under/post-grad and on-the-job-learners, to showcase universities, courses, online learning opportunities and training with mentoring, portfolio reviews and career talks. Participants will also see activities spread across the city in the run-up to the Festival – some curated by external partners – aimed at creating deeper engagements with other attendees, companies and educational institutions. The Festival is in collaboration with Adobe, GoJek, MakeMyTrip, HP, PhonePe, NCR, CureFit, Atlassian, FreshWorks, VMware and Chargebee.