press release
24 January 2005
After two generation of graduates in 2003 and 2004, it�s possible to draw a first analysis of the success which the students of Interaction Design Institute Ivrea are having in the recruitment and international research world. Today the graduates of Interaction-Ivrea work in several different countries, employing their skills to create products, services and technological concepts for the future.
Some of the graduates work for large companies. Some are employed in research, teaching and in social studies. Others belong to international design studios or work as freelance designers.
The students that frequent the Masters in Interaction Design Institute Ivrea have different academic backgrounds, experiences and nationalities. According to the Institute�s statistics, since the start of the course in 2001 to today in 2005, there has been 62% of male students against 38% of female students. 26% of students has a background in interaction design, 16% in communication and media, 16% in computer science, 14% in industrial design, 11% in graphic design, 8% in social sciences and 6% in architecture. Only 2% has a background in art studies and 1% in film studies. Nationalities vary, with a 27% of students from Europe, 30% from America, 14% from Italy and 29% from other countries.
Specifically, statistics from 2004/2005 reveal that the course is made of 40% women and 60% men. 29% have a background of media and communication studies, 20% has already an experience of interaction design studies, 15% has knowledge of industrial design, 15% of computer science and 13% has studied graphic design. This year 23% of students are from Europe, 35% from North America and 39% from other countries.
This background, paired with the knowledge and experiences reaped at Interaction-Ivrea during the two year duration of the Masters course allows the students, once graduated, to be in an ideal position for an introduction into employment, research and academic world.
Many of the graduates in 2004 work full time or as freelances for design schools, research centres, where they teach, hold conferences, develop syllabuses, conduct research, direct design projects, write publications and participate at congresses. Others have funded their own design company or work for well-known design groups.
- DAVIDE AGNELLI (Italy)
Employed as an interaction designer by Ideo in Palo Alto.
- HERNANDO BARRAGAN (Colombia)
Assistant professor at the school of Design at Universidad de Los Andes in Bogot�, Colombia.
- DARIO BUZZINI (Italy)
Collaborates with Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in the new department dedicated to events and exhibitions, the Exhibition unit.
- MATHIAS DAHLSTR�M (Sweden)
Employed as interaction designer in the new London office of IconMobile.
- TAL DRORI (Israel)
Collaborates with Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in the new department dedicated to events and exhibitions, the Exhibition unit.
- KARMEN FRANINOVIC (Croatia)
She has funded her design company, Zero-th in Pola, Croatia, which deals with interdisciplinary projects which deal with architecture, interactive and digital art, sound, engineering and sociological analysis.
- TARUN JUNG RAWAT (India)
Freelance designer in Bankgok, Thailand and often participant at congresses on mobile telephony such as �Mobile Communication and Social Changes", held a Bankgok in october 2004.
- IVAR LYNGVE (Norvegia)
Freelance designer in Olso, Norway, after having worked for several European clients such as Fiat, Convergex and Interaction-Ivrea.
- DANIELE MANCINI (Italy)
Is studying for a Phd at the architecture faculty of Rome, La Sapienza and collaborates with Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in their exhibition unit.
- BELMER NEGRILLO (Brasil)
Freelance designer of internet sites and videos. He has recently participated at the exhibition Food Design in Turin, Italy.
- GIORGIO OLIVERO (Italy)
Freelance graphic and web designer. He collaborates with Interaction-Ivrea to develop concepts for InstantSoup, a site and a series of workshops dedicated to the teaching of electronic prototyping in a fun and non technical way.
- APARNA RAO (India)
Freelance interaction designer in India.
- MICHAL RINOTT (Israel)
Collaborates with Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in the new department dedicated to events and exhibitions, the Exhibition unit.
- LUTHER THIE (USA)
Flash production for design and advertising company AKQA in the US and design of personal projects and interactive art installations for sociological and didactic purposes.
- HELMA TOEPPER (Germania)
User interface designer with a specific focus on ergonomics for elderly users. Designer of personal projects and art installations with a socio-didactic orientation.
The Alumni graduated in 2003 work for many companies across the world:
HITACHI (Japan), Microsoft (USA), Canon (Japan) and Cordys (The Netherlands/India) are among the groups who have employed graduates from Interaction-Ivrea. Other companies are LearningMate (Canada/India), Parsek (Slovenia), Sorrent (USA) and WebEx Communications (USA)
- SHYAMA S. DURISETI (India)
Is a usability consultant at the Hyderabad-based Asian R&D branch of the global software company Cordys.
- FRANCIS LI (USA)
Programs mobile games at the San Francisco start up company Sorrent.
- DIANNA MILLER (USA)
Is a senior product designer at WebEx Communications where she works on visual interface and interaction design solutions for network meeting and voice-over IP services and applications.
- CHRIS NOESSEL (USA)
Works as a designer for the Strategic Prototyping department of Microsoft Corporation and does visual and interaction design for prototypes of systems showcasing near future technologies.
- DEEPAK PAKHARE (India)
Works as associate consultant in usability and interaction design for the anglo Indian company Mahindra-British Telecom.
- RIKAKO SAKAI (Japan)
Has returned to Canon, which sponsored her studies at Interaction-Ivrea, where she now works as an interaction designer.
- SERGIO PAOLANTONIO (Italy)
Is an interaction designer for Hitachi's Human Interaction Lab in Tokyo, where he develops future concepts and technologies for Hitachi consumer products.
- JAN RAPOSA (Slovenia)
Has also returned to the company where he worked before becoming an Interaction-Ivrea student: Parsek ltd, an internet and multimedia company with offices in Ljubljana and Tokyo. As the firm's creative director, he focuses on multi-channel advertising campaigns, software, e-business and mobile services. He also teaches interaction design at Slovenia's first private school of applied arts.
Students engaged in research, teaching, lecturing and design projects
- SIMONA BRUSA PASQU� (Italy)
Is continuing her research in wearable technologies. She recently presented her work at a conference in Perth, Australia, where she also exhibited her prototypes at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.
- MARIO CHIESA (Italy)
Works as user experience manager for the Services & Applications Lab of the Istituto Superiore Mario Boella in Turin, an applied ICT research centre and a member of the Turin Wireless District.
- LINE ULRIKA CHRISTIANSEN (Denmark)
Is working as event designer and concept developer for Interaction Design Institute Ivrea�s Exhibition Unit. She has been responsible for the Institute�s presence at Copenhagen�s event NEXT2004.
- RAJESH DAHIYA (India)
Is revising the undergraduate curriculum for the visual communication design department of India's National Institute of Design. He is also involved in the design of an interactive retail experience for Levis.
- RYAN GENZ (USA)
Teaches anthropology and interaction design at Rockport College in Maine. In addition, he is a founding member of the Cute Circuit Corporation that is lecturing and delivering workshops in Canada, Turkey and the USA.
- FRANCESCA ROSELLA (Italy)
Is an expert in wearable technologies and is further developing the Identity Service and F+R Hugs projects, which she began at Interaction-Ivrea, and have since been presented at lectures and conferences in Canada, Spain, Turkey, the UK the US, and at Milan's Salone del Mobile. With co-alumnus Ryan Genz she founded Cute Circuit, a consultancy and research lab specialised in wearable technologies, art installations, interactive learning and workshops in interaction design methodology. Cute Circuit's current project "Education Dance Interaction" is developed in collaboration with Trefoil Corporation and MIT Professor Seymour Papert.
- OSCAR SALAZAR (Venezuela)
Is pursuing a Masters in information technology and product design at Southern Denmark University, As part of his studies, he is also team leader on a research project on wireless headsets with Nokia and GN Netcom.
- DAVID SLOCOMBE (United Kingdom) and NATASHA SOPIEVA (Turkmenistan/Portugal)
Participated for six months at Interaction Design Institute Ivrea's Fiat research project and cotaught two Applied Dreams workshops. Their prototypes have been exhibited at conferences in France and Japan, and at Interaction-Ivrea's exhibition at Milan's Salone del Mobile. Natasha also created the web presence for various European companies. They now run the design consultancy project bureau.
- LIVIA SUNESSON (Sweden)
Is associate professor at K3, the School of Art & Communication at Malm� University and teaches interaction design to BA students. With co-alumnus Magnus Torstensson, she is a founding member of the "Desearch and Revelopment" group, a collective of artists, theorists and designers involved in urban art, research and education.
- JASON TESTER (USA)
Works as a futurist and designer for the Institute for the Future, a prominent San Francisco think tank.
- MAGNUS TORSTENSSON (Sweden)
Works as lead interaction designer at the marketing and communication department of the Interactive Institute in Malm�. His main project at the moment is a complete re-design of the institute's public site and intranet. In addition, he is a founding member of the "Desearch and Revelopment" group, and teaches, lectures and runs workshops in Scandinavia and in the USA.
