Exploring the technical, aesthetic, and cognitive bases of human interaction, communication, and connectedness as mediated by technology.
EDUCATION
Stanford University
On Leave | Program in Design | Palo Alto, CA | 2005 - 2007
Advisor: David Kelley, Geoge Kembel
Coursework: research in human computer interaction; manufacturing and design; human values in innovation; contagious public behavior; d.school bootcamp; formgiving; tools and techniques for experience design; mechatronics.
MIT Media Laboratory
Master of Science | Media Arts and Sciences | Cambridge, MA | 2001 - 2003
Advisor: V. Michael Bove, Jr.
Coursework: human-computer interaction and tangible interfaces; advanced computational graphics; interactive spaces; community maintainable spaces; digital and analog circuit design; prototyping and fabrication techniques.
University of California at Berkeley
Bachelor of Arts | Cognitive Science | Berkeley, CA | 1997 - 2001
Minor Concentrations: Computer Science, Visual Studies
Thesis advisors: Lewis Watts, Jitendra Malik.
Coursework: vision/perception; computer vision; philosophy of language; cognitive linguistics (synatx and semantics); neurobiology; neuropsychology; photography; history, theory, and practice of digital media.
Columbia University
Visiting Student | New York, NY | 1998 - 1999
Coursework: neurobiology, vision, artificial intelligence, painting, discreet mathematics.
EXPERIENCE
Wikimedia Foundation, Researcher + Design Strategist
San Francisco, CA 2008 - Present
Researching and designing experiences and interfaces to increase participation,
collaboration, and engagement on Wikimedia and Wikipedia properties. My work
includes organizing, managing, and conducting research to inform Wikipedia’s design
and development strategy; managing and leading external research contracts and
contractors; brainstorming, prototyping, and guiding design solutions; engaging with and
interacting with community members in the research and design process; exploring global
multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and translation issues; and contributing to other Wikimedia
and Wikipedia projects; collaborating with product and development teams. Major research include: barriers to contributing to Wikipedia; perception, metrics, and assessment of article quality; and the global mobile strategy project.
Design Innovation Team at Yahoo! (yhaus), Resident Designer
San Francisco, CA 2007 - 2008
Designing novel and experimental infomation interfaces, both tangible and for the web, with Joy Mountford and Ben Clemens, and a group of four other designers. Projects were self-directed and completed individually or in small groups around the theme of visualizing emerging patterns, points of interest, or statictics in large data sets ranging from search hits to social media.
Yahoo! Research Berkley, Design Research Intern
Berkeley, CA 2007
Researching and developing an online application for event-based media sharing. My work included UX need finding and human factors interviews; qualitative and quantitative research analysis; brainstorming and prototyping user interfaces and information architecture; concept services prototyping and testing; mobile application experimentation, prototyping and testing; as well as conducting paper prototyping, participatory design, and user research. Other work included general interactive and graphic design.
Urban Atmospheres at Intel Research Berkeley, Graduate Research Intern
Berkeley, CA 2006
Developing an open-source mobile urban computing toolkit. My major contributions included researching open-source physical computing platforms, sensors and actuators, and visual programming languages for mobile phone platforms (Nokia N-Series); brainstorming and creating concept usage scenarios, physical object design, and software user-interfaces (for both desktop and mobile devices in Flash and Flash Lite Actionscript) the toolkit (Objects of Wonderment); planning and running the Interactive City Summit for the ISEA ZeroOne Festival; interaction, graphic, and industrial design and branding for Urban Atmospheres and its research projects, workshops and demos.
Material Connexion, Research Consultant
New York, NY 2005
Researching materials, treatment processes, and fabrication techniques for designers, engineers, and architects. Duties included researching, acquiring, testing, and presenting the latest and greatest both from the current in industry and within the company’s own materials library based on the needs presented by the clients.
nArchitects, Designer
NewYork, NY 2005
Designing novel and experimental infomation interfaces, both tangible and for the internet, with Joy Mountford and Ben Clemens, and a group of four other designers. Projects are self-directed and completed individually or in small groups and are generally around the theme of visualizing emerging patterns, points of interest, or statictics in large data sets ranging from search hits to social media.
EAR Studio, Research Consultant, Design Engineer
New York, NY 2004 - 2005
Designing, researching, and testing kinetic new media installations. Work includes researching and developing display technologies, designing and developing the functional configuration and software control for systems, designing and programming graphics, programming control for peripherals (lights, displays), contributing to the aesthetic and conceptual initiatives of the projects.
Parson's School of Design, Invited Critic, Guest Lecturer
New York, NY Spring 2005
Lecturing and critiquing in the department of Design and Technology and in the class
Play Spaces: Public Space as Play Environment. Advising second year Master’s Thesis students. Planning to organize, facilitate, and teach workshops in the research areas of New Media Design & Technology.
Lorem Ipsum Books, Creative Director, Designer
Cambridge, MA 2003 - 2004
Developing and designing the interior and exterior of this new Cambridge retail venue. Design work encompassed the industrial design of the space’s formal interior and exterior elements (shelves, counter, sign), space and interaction design, developing the conceptual aesthetic, management of the small design team and subcontractors, materials selection, and product selection.
MIT Media Laboratory, Researcher
Cambridge, MA 2001 - 2003
Designing and implementing prototype systems of my self-directed research in the Object Based Media Group. My research focused on the role of electronic visual communication and expression in human-human and human-computer interaction. This research resulted in objects, installations, hardware and software systems that used content description and metadata of audio and visual communications as a vehicle to enrich human connectedness across such forms of mediated communication. Thesis work explored the concept of memory as part of the built environment, whether public or private, as a mode of asynchronous communication. Other responsibilities included regular meetings and communications with Media Lab sponsors, mentoring of undergraduate researchers, and collaboration with students in other research groups.
Freelance Photographer
Berkeley, CA 2000 - 2001
Collaborating with students of the UC-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to create photographs to accompany articles for publication in the Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and North Gate Observer.
UC-Berkeley Palmer Perception Laboratory, Research Assistant
Berkeley, CA 2000 - 2001
Collaborated with graduate students and Professor Steve Palmer in the design and evaluation of experiments in the fields of Cognitive and Vision Sciences.
EXHIBITS + TALKS
Participation, Collaboration, and Engagement, Design Futures Lectures, 2011
UC-Berkeley iSchool
ZeroOne, Wishing Wall, 2008
San Jose Museum of Art
with the Dacha Art Collective.
Interactive Mural Series, Wishing Wall, 2008
San Jose Museum of Art
with the Dacha Art Collective.
One Night Stand, Blueprint, 2007
San Jose Museum of Art
with the Dacha Art Collective.
Interactive Mural Series, Affinity, 2007
San Jose Museum of Art
with the Dacha Art Collective.
Architecture and Design Series, Party Wall, 2005
Artists Space Gallery, New York, NY
with nArchitects, Nico, and Jeff Weber.
Sign Language, The Circumstances Have Changed, 2005
Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York, NY
with Ear Studio and Ben Rubin.
Release1: The McDonalds Project, Complete Meat, 2003
The Berwick Research Institute, Roxbury, MA
It Worked Five Minutes Ago, inSTRUCT, 2002
Student Show at theThe MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA
In Case of Fire, DJ, 1998
WBAR New York, NY
PAPERS
Vora, P. “The N00b Wikipedia Editing Experience,” Wikisym (Poster), 2010.
Kaplan, V., Mead, P., Moed, A., Namaan, M., Vora, P. “Understanding Media Capture and Consumption for Live Events,” Submitted to the Proceedings of CHI (Paper), 2008.
Paulos, E., Burke, A., Joki, A., Vora, P. “Objects of Wonderment,” DIS (ACM), 2008.
Paulos, E., Burke, A., Joki, A., Vora, P. “AnyPhone: Mobile Applications for Everyone,” DUX, 2007.
Paulos, E., Joki, A., Vora, P. “Objects of Wonderment,” Ubicomp (Demo), 2006.
Jung, M., Kao, H., Tiruvury, R., Vora, P. “Paper Collaborator,” CHI (Work In Progress), 2006.
Vora, P. “Simulacrum: Situated Memory for Architectural Space,” Masters Thesis, Submitted to the Program in Media Arts and Sciences, MIT, 2003.
Mankins, M., Vora, P., Yu, N. “RadioActive,” CHI (Interactive Poster), 2002.
WORKSHOPS
ISEA Interactive City Summit, ISEA ZeroOne
San Francisco and San Jose, CA 2006
SKILLS
| skill type | skill | experience | proficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| software | Graphic/Layout (InDesign, Illustrator) | 8 years | expert |
| Imaging/Graphic (Photoshop, Corel) | 14 years | expert | |
| Web Design (Dreamweaver, HTML) | 8 years | advanced | |
| Motion Graphics (Premiere, Quicktime, AfterEffects, Cleaner) | 5 years | advanced | |
| UI Design (Director, Flash, Flex) | 5 years | intermediate | |
| 3D Modeling (Rhino, Solidworks) | 4 years | intermediate | |
| PCB Layout (ProTel) | 2 years | beginner | |
| programming | Java | 10 years | advanced |
| C++ | 8 years | advanced | |
| C | 8 years | advanced | |
| ActionScript | 1 year | intermediate | |
| Lisp/Scheme | 9 years | expert | |
| OpenGL, OpenCV | 3 years | beginner | |
| Linux/Unix Environment | 10 years | advanced | |
| Windows Environment | 3 years | intermediate | |
| electronics | Analog/Digital Circuit Design | 4 years | advanced |
| I/O Devices (sensors, motors, displays) | 5 years | advanced | |
| Microcontroller Programming (PIC, Basic Stamp, 8051, Rabbit) | 4 years | advanced | |
| PCB Layout | 2 years | beginner | |
| prototyping + fabrication | Laser Cutting | 8 years | expert |
| Waterjet Cutting | 5 years | advanced | |
| 3D Printing | 4 years | intermediate | |
| Mill, Lathe, Bandsaw, Drill Press | 4 years | advanced | |
| Injection Molding, Vacuum Forming, Spot and Tig Welding, Sandblasting, Soldering | 5 years | intermediate/ beginner |
REFERENCES
Available Upon Request