Xlab 2012: Tech in Context is a one-of-a-kind innovation event connecting design, technology, and communications in the built environment. It's sponsored by SEGD, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, and takes place in the ZACH Theatre Rehearsal Studio over two days.

Recognizing that t echnology plays a growing role in guiding us, teaching us, and entertaining us in the physical realm, Xlab 2012: Tech in Context will explore the role of designers as they work with emerging technologies to build the next generation of immersive experiences.

The roster of speakers includes:

Mark Rolston, Chief Creative Officer of frog, on how our urban experience is evolving as the city takes on virtual layers of augmented reality, social networks, and sentient buildings.

Joshua Walton and James Tichenor, Co-Chiefs at Rockwell Group Lab, with a mash-up of digital and physical placemaking.

Tom Beck, President of digital agency Enlighten and Jason Young, architecture professor at the University of Michigan and founder of design/research practice YARD, on how our brains process virtual and physical cues to make sense of our environment, and the design principles emerging from our adoption of smartphones and tablets