jamin.org

Obviously, I have not been writing much recently. There are a number of reasons for this. First, I needed a break from all the design thinking to remember how to function with the rest of the humans. It seems they don’t often talk about design or know what I’m talking about.

Second, I’ve had a lot to do in the way of preparing for my move to San Francisco and Nokia. I moved out of my apartment and will be leaving Pittsburgh in a few days for a road trip that I haven’t completely planned yet. In general, I’m visiting a few folks in the east, then heading to the top of the country, hitting state and national parks along the way. Some stops include Geneva, New York; Vienna, Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Great Smoky Mountains; Badlands; and Glacier National Park. I’ll eventually arrive in Mammoth Lakes around early August, where I’ll stay for a bit before heading to San Francisco. I’m doing this by myself and living in my car or a yet-to-be-purchased tent. I’m pretty excited for the adventure.

Finally, it’s been difficult to blog as I have not had a laptop since mid May when we had to return the ones the School of Design let us use during our time there. Not having a laptop has really cut down all the design reading that often inspired posts. Of course, not being in school and exposed to great teachers and peers has also had its impact. But I suspect I will pick up again when I start working.

Until then, don’t expect much from me unless I bite it and buy a laptop or make posts through my iPhone from the road.

I am happy to announce that I will be joining Nokia at their new design office in San Francisco this August. The group is headed by Raphael Grignani, who inspired me with this response when I asked him what he would expect from me.

“I expect you to devise and execute with the project team digital design solutions that are compelling and relevant to people. You should be able to adapt and improve the various design methods and techniques you are familiar with to cope with challenges in designing solutions with people’s behavioral changes and their impact on society in mind. I require that you are equally comfortable in contributing or leading a project since project-lead roles rotate. I expect you to share your experiences, opinions, and passions with the others and to learn from them as well. Finally I count on you to be a thought leader that actively contributes to the design community at large - blogging, conference talks, teaching and mentoring students, etc. To sum this up, I want you to talk a lot, to ask a lot of questions, to be eager to learn, to share your opinion and to value creativity above else.”

If you read my blog and know me, you’re probably thinking, “That sounds like Jamin.” I thought it sounded like me, too. And after considering some compelling alternatives, it felt like the right decision. I’m really excited about joining the team. And really excited not to be looking for a job. ;)

If you follow this blog regularly, you will have noticed that I have not been regularly updating as of late. Time has been very limited, and the brain power needed for blogging has been diverted to other tasks, like thesis, thesis, teaching, coursework, and, of course, finding a job.There are six more weeks left of my grad school life. Hard to believe.Here’s a quick synopsis of what I’ve been up to instead of blogging…

Thesis Paper

During spring break, I completed an entirely new draft of my thesis paper. The previous version had too many structural issues. So I threw it out and didn’t look back, not using one word of the 8,000+ I had written. The end result was much better. I just got feedback from my advisor, Jodi Forlizzi, who says, “It’s almost there!”

Thesis Project

My thesis project, now called MetaMe, a mobile application that helps college freshmen project, explore, and understand their identity, is starting to take shape after months of formlessness. This week I’m creating scenarios and wireframes that I will then share with some fellow grad students to get some feedback. After some refinement, I plan to validate with freshmen next week.

Teaching

My Basic Interaction class is going well. My students just completed their first big project, a communication device/service for various user groups. They chose to prototype their solutions on the iPhone, though some also made web interfaces and physical prototypes. The next project is to design an ebook reader with a focus on gestural interaction.

Job Hunting

Talking to potential employers has kept me quite busy, especially over the last week. I’m looking at both New York and San Francisco, but I’m also in talks with a firm in Sydney, Australia. I just got back from San Francisco for interviews with Adaptive Path and Nectarine, and next week I’m headed to New York to talk to Moment. After that, I’m back in silicon valley to meet with SAP. Frog Design also expressed interest, and I’m trying to set something up with their New York office. Also, I’m talking to 2nd Road in Sydney. As you can see, there are some very different companies in different locations. I’m keeping an open mind to ensure I make the best decision. Overall, I’m thrilled with the opportunities and interest I have received. But I can’t wait to have it all figured out.

Saw this comment from Dave Malouf on the IxDA list:

You’ve gotta be nutz, coocoo, and just insane to leave anyplace including NYC and move to SF unless you were guaranteed something between $150k-$200k, and HUGE relocation package upwards of $20-$30k. Having done relocates to both coasts I’m pretty familiar with what it takes at this point.

Hmm…

At 4:42 am I woke up. I’m not sure if I was just rolling over, or if my rattling closet doors were the cause. But soon my bed beneath me began to shake.

The earthquake lasted about five seconds. And the only damage it did to me was keep me awake for the new couple hours, the first 30 minutes of which I spent culling the web for information on earthquakes. I’m not sure how earthquakes work, so my big fear that this what I felt might be preliminary to something larger.

The quake happened in Oakland, which is across the bay a half dozen miles away.

After a while, it seemed the rumbling would not return, so I closed the laptop and tried to sleep.

I am happy to report that I found a place to live in San Francisco! It’s a 1BR in Cole Valley very near to Golden State Park. It’s not even a sublet. I signed a two-month lease today. How lucky?

The red peg is where I live. The green one is where I work.

Also, some of you reacted to one of my previous posts with concern for my well being. I appreciate that, but I want to assure you that I am fantabulous. I was merely trying to share that I too am human and have doubts and feel lonely from time to time. Sorry about that. I will return to my usual projection of undaunted self-confidence. ;)

And now that I have a place to live, I will stop complaining about that and go back to my typical ramblings on design and the lack of fast-food cake shops.

And so it begins.

I introduced myself at the weekly Tuesday staff meeting. “Oh, so that’s how you say your name.” I also got a couple, “You don’t look like what I imagined.”

Today was pretty relaxed. I met the other intern, Irene Chong, from the Institute of Design. We compared design programs and conference-running experiences. She co-chaired About, With, and For (now Design Research Conference) last year.

I, of course, met a lot of other folks. I remember about half their names. Everyone seems very nice. There was a lot of concern and support for my living predicament. Someone even volunteered to drive me to a few apartment viewings after work.

I saw a place I liked near Dolores Park, but the girl showing the place was torn because until I showed up, she was ready to give it to another couple. I should find out about it tomorrow. And if not, I’ve got some other viewing lined up for tomorrow night.

In other news, “Surface computing has arrived.“