Nicholas Wallen IxD

People often equate Interaction Design with designing websites. However, I'm keen to work beyond purely digital experiences. Rather, I'm interested in the dynamic, messy mash between physical and virtual worlds, and what happens when everyone (objects included) knows a lot more about each other than they ever have before. I'm fascinated by areas like Physical Computing, the Internet of Things and designing for Mobile Experiences.

Working at a nexus of technological and social change rewards curiosity and a love of learning. I recently completed a MA in Interaction Design at Domus Academy in Milan, Italy. While there, I practiced user-centered design techniques--persona and scenario building as well as prototyping at different fidelities using paper, video, software and hardware--worked in diverse, multi-disciplinary teams and honed my presentation skills. I also have a BA in Studio Art and Literature from Macalester College in St. Paul, USA where I completed a rigorous liberal arts education.

I'm from the United States, but I've spent around two years in Europe studying and working with truly international groups of people. I am confident collaborating across cultures, languages and disciplines.

Practically speaking, looking through my work you'll find that I have a good grasp of web technologies, am a functional coder in Processing and Actionscript 3.0, and am able to use a range of graphics, video and 3D modeling software to communicate a concept or UI design with some visual pop. You'll also see that I have the ability to sketch in hardware at different levels from simple keyboard hacks up to programming micro-controllers.

Please get in touch if you think we could collaborate or you would like to know more. There is a contact box at the bottom of the site or you can email me at nicholas [dot] a [dot] wallen [at] gmail.

Best,
Nicholas