Keynotes

OPENING KEYNOTE Speaker

PROF. JAN BOSCH

Monday 09:15 ~ 10:15

Title:

The Ghost in the Machine: Towards AI-driven Self-Adaptive User Experiences

Abstract:

The emergence of generative and agentic AI is changing product development in general, but the way it affects user experience design is perhaps more significant than any other aspect of the product. The notion of interacting with an agent, rather than a traditional, typical graphical or tactical interface, is a major evolution and transformation. In particular, the ability of agents to adjust their behavior to what it learns about the user and the context in which it is used offers an important transition from traditional design. In this talk, I discuss the implications of AI on product development in general and on user experience in particular. I will use examples from Software Center (www.software-center.se), a partnership between 16 international technology companies and five universities.

Bio:

Jan Bosch is professor at Chalmers University Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden and director of the Software Center (www.software-center.se), a strategic partner-funded collaboration between more than 15 large European companies (including Ericsson, Volvo Cars, Volvo Trucks, Saab Defense, Scania, Siemens and Bosch) and five universities focused on digitalization. Earlier, he worked as Vice President Engineering Process at Intuit Inc where he also led Intuit’s Open Innovation efforts and headed the central mobile technologies team. Before Intuit, he was vice president and head of the Software and Application Technologies Laboratory at Nokia Research Center, Finland. Prior to joining Nokia, he headed the software engineering research group at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He received a MSc degree from the University of Twente, The Netherlands, and a PhD degree from Lund University, Sweden.

His research activities include digitalisation, evidence-based development, business ecosystems, artificial intelligence and machine/deep learning, software architecture, software product families and software variability management. He is the author of several books including “Design and Use of Software Architectures: Adopting and Evolving a Product Line Approach” published by Pearson Education (Addison-Wesley & ACM Press) and “Speed, Data and Ecosystems: Excelling in a Software-Driven World” published by Taylor and Francis, editor of several books and volumes and author of hundreds of research articles. He is editor for Journal of Systems and Software as well as Science of Computer Programming, chaired several conferences as general and program chair, served on numerous program committees and organised countless workshops. Jan is a fellow member of the International Software Product Management Association (ISPMA) and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science.

Jan serves on the boards of Burt Intelligence and Shelfplanner. Earlier he served on the boards of IVER, Peltarion and Strawberry Planet and was chairman of the boards of Auqtus, Fidesmo and Remente. In the startup space, Jan is an angel investor in several startup companies. He also runs a boutique consulting firm, Boschonian AB, that offers its clients support around the implications of digitalization including the management of R&D and innovation. For more information see his website: www.janbosch.com.

CLOSING KEYNOTE Speaker

Johan Florin | Geely Tech Europe

Wednesday 13:00 ~ 13:30

Title:

From Concept to Commercial Driverless Operation

Abstract:

A behind-the-scenes look at the engineering and business of a purpose-built AV platform developed in Gothenburg and now operating as part of Waymo’s robotaxi fleet in California. Drawing from experiences across Sweden, the US, and China, we’ll explore how regional differences shape strategies and what the road ahead looks like for autonomous vehicles globally.

Bio:

With a background in engineering spanning from powertrain to complete vehicle development, Johan Florin engaged in the development project for the AV platform as commercial project leader, establishing new performance metrics for commercial vehicles and helping guide the vehicle design toward optimizing for TCO and uptime. Today, he leads AV Partnerships at Geely Tech Europe in Gothenburg.

INDUSTRIAL KEYNOTE Speaker

Stéphanie PetitBerggren | AFRY

Title:

Tuesday 10:45 ~ 11:15:

The Future of Sustainable Design: Return to Tactile Authenticity, Sensory Richness, and Material Meaning

Abstract:

This presentation argues that CMF (Color, Material, Finish) has evolved beyond surface treatment into a strategic discipline that shapes human experience, brand identity, and emotional connection. Tracing CMF’s evolution from functional variation to identity language to systems integration, it positions today’s context as a critical inflection point: digital saturation and AI abundance are driving a human counter-reaction—a return to tactile authenticity, sensory richness, and material meaning.

Drawing on signals from design education, architecture, sustainability innovation, and automotive trends, the presentation identifies a shift from technology-as-spectacle to technology-as-invisible-enabler. It proposes that CMF X—an expanded role bridging craft and technology, analogue and digital, function and emotion—becomes the corrective force reconnecting people to products through the senses.

The presentation closes with three imperatives: embed sustainability as default, master sensory psychology to drive emotional impact, and actively challenge inherited assumptions. We replaced buttons with screens. Now designers are searching for new ways to bring tactility, feedback, and emotion back into the experience.