Jennifer Darmour is an interaction designer living and working in Seattle, Washington.
Send an email for questions and/or CV:
jennifer [at] teeji.com
BIO
Jennifer Darmour’s entrepreneurial spirit has inspired her toward many start-ups and emerging companies, inventing products, services and brand strategies for complex systems. Her MFA thesis in Media Design at Art Center College of Design entitled “Experiential Prototyping” consisted of a collection of projects that explore new ways of using interaction and physical computing to invent and prototype the experiences of new interactive technology-driven products and services (View research site). The final project was an innovative wearable mobile music device that uses gesture-based movements to mix, share, customize, and sync music. She was recently asked to present her thesis to the research laboratories of Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley. She has also been selected to participate in the Openroom at the Post-Digital Creation Conference (OFFF).
While working for Microsoft, she designed the next generation search products including Windows Live Search, Virtual Earth, and Local Search. During her time there, she employed “design thinking” for a variety of projects.
Currently at Artefact, she is focusing on designing next generation user experiences and has implemented new methods of design including using “blank devices” for Microsoft Surface and future mobile projects. She started and runs a research laboratory at Artefact that focuses on investigating natural user interfaces (NUIs) and solutions for next generation user experiences.
In her spare time, she runs Electricfoxy, which explores wearable computing, soft textiles, and the aesthetics of circuitry as our second skin.
EXPERIENCE
7/2007-present
Artefact
User Experience Design Lead
Designed a variety of products including Microsoft Surface, numorous future mobile phone experiences, Sonos music system, Microsoft Live Mesh, Lenovo, HTC, SAM + Louvre, and more.
6/2006-7/2007
Microsoft
User Experience Designer
Responsibilities include design research and user experience design in the Windows Live group. Products includes Virtual Earth, Windows Live Search, and Windows Local Search. Introduces “design research” into the design process for each group.
12/2005 – 2006
Media & Technology Consultant, Nationwide
Responsibilities include researching and developing new and innovative products/services for various companies. Also includes using technology to extend brands into new experiences.
9/2003 – 12/2005
Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles, CA.
Media Design Program, Master of Fine Art (M.F.A.)
Research Topic - Experiential Prototyping: merging narrative, communication and tangible interfaces for new product and system design development. Emphasis on design-based research, invention, and communication for complex system design and ubiquitous technologies.
8/2001 – 8/2003
HCORP, Inc., Portland, OR. (Allen Technologies)
Director of Creative Services
Responsible for product design and development including product, marketing, and communications strategies. Projects included new product strategies, product design, user interface design, corporate identity, environmental design for tradeshows, marketing and sales collateral, and video scenarios.
1/1998 - 8/2001
Webridge, Portland, OR. (ClickCommerce)
Creative Director
Created a new department within engineering that focused on product design and internal/external development processes. Worked with a team to develop new product strategies within this department. Was also responsible for driving all brand strategies through sales and marketing tools. Projects included new product strategies, product design, user interface design, corporate identity, environmental design for tradeshows, marketing and sales collateral, and video scenarios.
4/1997 - 3/1998
Infinite Music, Portland, OR.
Art Director
In-house client at Creative Media Development. Responsibilities included product development strategies and driving all branding strategies through marketing and sales tools.
4/1997 - 1/1998
Various Companies, National
Freelance Art Director
Representative projects included International Soccer Sales CD for Nike,
Alta Vista site redesign for Weiden and Kennedy, and two 30 second
television spots for HKM studios.
10/1996 - 4/1997
Nine Dots, Portland, OR.
Assistant Art Director
New media design agency. Representative sites included Stoli Vodka, Nissan North America, Visa, Molson Breweries, Garden Burger, Trane, Founders Funds.
2/1996 - 10/1996
Webfx, Portland, OR.
Art Director & Owner
My foray into entrepreneurship with a focus on web strategies. Clients included Caribou Realty, Better Homes and Gardens, and Fox International.
ACCOLADES
Master’s Thesis, “Experiential Prototyping”, Media Design Gallery, 2006
Jan 19, 2006: Was invited to present “Experiential Prototyping” to the research labs at Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley.
Selected assistant to visionary futurist and science fiction writer, Bruce Sterling: responsibilities included traveling and assisting with South by Southwest Interactive Conference 2005 in Austin and designing for future technology-driven scenarios.
2004-2005 Web Master: Media Design Program.
Awarded Art Center scholarship.
Formbook Minifesto, Art Center Gallery, 2004 and Media Design Gallery, 2004.
Selected to attend Sun Microsystem Sponsored Class at ACCD, 2005.
April 2006: “Experiential Prototyping” featured on Netdiver.net.
April 2006: “Experiential Prototyping” 5th Annual Horizon Interactive Awards bronze award winner.
2006: Member of the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), Interactive Media Design (IMD) at the Art Institute.
SPEAKING
Public presentation of Experiential Prototyping at Art Center College of Design’s LAT auditorium.
Presentation to the research labs at Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley.
SKILLS
Proficiency in system design, new product development for technology, and design across multiple disciplines.
Presentation skills: Powerpoint, iView, Flash, Video, performing, or whatever it takes to create the most effective communication to design teams, clients, VPs, the board of directors, and investors.
Proficiency in HTML, Macromedia Flash scripting, Soundtrack, 3d and rapid prototyping, rear projection, sensors and microprocessors.
Prototyping tangible interfaces.
Adobe: Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects.
Macromedia: Flash and Dreamweaver.
Video: Final Cut Pro, Green Screen, DV Matte Pro.
ADDITIONS
curent work: artefact
research lab @ artefact: laboratory frontier
wearable technology research : electricfoxy
school: artcenter.edu/~jdarmour
thesis case study research: casestudy/research
We live in a dimensional world filled with increasingly complex interactions. Our connection with physical objects and information is stronger than ever. We want to run our hands across textures, pick up and turn objects, flip through a book, move through a building, navigate through an interface, and absorb our information through meaningful interactions.
A book is sometimes thought of as the perfect interface. Flip forward, backward and open it from the middle, the reader builds a unique narrative with each use. With the (mini)festo, the flat pages are pushed into 3-dimensional forms that brake the 2-dimensional barrier of traditional book pages. As it is opened and read, the sequenced narrative throughout the book provides affordances to the interaction. Squeeze the pages and they become 3-dimensional until they make a new object through the interaction of the reader.