Design tips for Slush

If you are a design-lover attending to Slush, don’t miss these events.

If you are a design-lover attending to Slush, don’t miss these events.

Design is present in Slush, one of the leading technology events held in Helsinki next week. And why not? Design is too good to be left for designers alone. It is not just about the shape and form of an object, aesthetic issues or cool brands. It is more about thinking about your end-user, leading your customer’s experience, and building up your company ingeniously and comprehensively. Thinking about your identity from products to customer services; thinking creatively but consistently.

If you want to hear more, here are our tips for Slush.

PechaKucha Night

20 images, 20 seconds for each. This is the PechaKucha presentation format. It was devised by two architects in Tokyo in 2003 and since then, it has become a trademark of a fun/interesting/surprising presentation especially loved by the creative people. Design Forum Finland, in cooperation with Helsinki Design Week, is now arranging a tech-cum-design PechaKucha Night for Slush visitors.

The speakers include some of the most interesting names in both the design and tech scene.

The subject is free, allowing pitching about their latest project or a tech innovation they recently read about, as far as it touches the theme “Design for Growth”. This is a presentation you won’t be nodding over.

The event is free with the Slush pass or an invitation but pre-registration is required.

PechaKucha Night
Side event
Wednesday 30 November
6pm to 8pm
Kämp Peilisali, Pohjoisesplanadi 29

Register here

Why is design moving over to the c-suite?

The idea of design is becoming intrinsic for every aspect of corporate life. Experienced design influencers talk about the unique skillset CDO needs and how that help companies to understand and engage consumers. The speakers include Marko Ahtisaari (CEO of Sync Project), Anne Stenros (Chief Design Officer of Helsinki), Olof Schybergson (Fouder at Fjord) and Karri Saarinen (Design Lead at Airbnb).

Why is design moving over to the c-suite?
Wednesday 30 November
11:25am to 11:55am
Black Stage

Redesigning Death

Shoshana Berger, editorial director at IDEO, will go through some of the problems with how we approach living and dying today, how human-centered design can radically change the way we prepare for and experience the end of life and what IDEO, HELIX and others are doing in this space. Also, new approaches that are changing how we die.

Redesigning Death
Wednesday 30 November
10:35am to 10:55am
Green Stage

© JUSSI HELLSTEN/SLUSH

Design for Growth

How to apply design expertise? Design Forum Finland’s group of expert panellists talk about various ways to do so. Creating brands, gaining visibility. Founding companies based on an innovation. Improving the customer journey, inventing new services. Standing out from your competitors. Simply getting a better, bigger and more prosperous enterprise.

The discussion is led by Tobias Dahlberg, Founder and Managing Director of Wonder Agency, a brand and innovation firm active in the Nordic countries. Tobias works as a strategist to create brand growth, mainly with brand strategy, internal culture, design, innovation and brand communications. He is also involved in a handful of start-ups – so he knows what he is talking about.

The panelists are Google Ventures’ product designer Braden Kowitz, Ivana Helsinki’s co-founder and owner Pirjo Suhonen, Gold&Green’s CEO Maija Itkonen and Urbanears’ co-founder Niklas Bergh.

Design for Growth
Wednesday 30 November
1:30pm to 3pm
Engine Room

Fostering design culture

In this talk, Braden Kowitz, GV’s first design partner and co-author of Sprint, draws on his experience working with over 100 startups to demystify design culture. We’ll discuss three major tenants of strong design culture, with real-world examples of why they’re important. And we’ll talk about easy ways to get started strengthening the design culture at your company.

Fostering design culture
Wednesday 30 November
10:15am to 10:35am
Green Stage

Diversity as an engine for growth

When companies are operating globally, diversity can be used as an engine for economic growth. Hiring people because they are the best fit for the job and the company should be a no-brainer, but this discussion shows how diversity could be embraced more.

Diversity as an engine for growth
Wednesday 30 November
2:40pm to 3:10pm
Black Stage

Slush 100

Slush 100 is a pitching competition which presents one hundred of the best seed stage companies on stage at Slush. These 100 companies will take the Pitching Stage at Slush and the whole event will culminate in the finals on Thursday. The fields include, among many others, AI & VR, cleantech, wellbeing, gaming and mobile.

Slush 100 Pitching
Wednesday 30 November
8:50am to 6:00pm
Pitching Stage

Slush 100 Semifinals
Thursay 1 December
9:00am tp 12:00pm
Pitching Stage

Slush 100 Finals
4:00pm to 5:00pm
Founder Stage

30 November to 1 December
Messukeskus, Helsinki

www.slush.org