A reverse chronology of what I've been up to over the years.
Héliographe (2023...)
I started independently releasing photography software as Héliographe in 2023. As a long time photographer, I just started building and releasing the best capture, editing, and sharing software I wanted for myself - hoping maybe some other people would be interested in them too.
Apple (2014...2022)
In 2014 I joined Apple's Hardware organization, as an engineer working on tools for design prototyping and user studies. Apple had just acquired PrimeSense - creators of the Kinect - and a lot of my time was spent working on depth cameras. Notably, I wrote the tooling that enabled all of the user studies and early user experience prototypes for what would become FaceID.
I also worked on technologies that shipped in products that include Force Touch Trackpad, Touch Bar, Watch health features, and what would become many years later Center Stage and Desk View.
A couple years in, I became a prototyper/designer on the Prototyping team where I worked on a wide range of new interface concepts across input devices, cameras, sensors, and consumer hardware design. Released projects I worked on include Always On Display, LiDAR, and Health features such as Screen Distance and Time in Daylight.
Most investigations, including many of my personal favorites, never saw the light of day - the thousand no's for every yes.
There are two areas that blend hardware sensing and human creativity that were by far my favorite to work on: Apple Pencil, where I was a key contributor to the Scribble handwriting feature and Hover. And the iPhone Camera system, where I worked on things like Portrait mode, macro/telephoto capture, and Camera Control.
Over my time at Apple, I also regularly staffed the UI labs at the World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC), and gave a couple of talks which have been referenced extensively in Apple's developer documentation.
I also got to shape Apple's internal culture by being on hiring committees, being part of the Engineering Technology Camp, mentoring & managing interns.
It was a great ride, but I was looking to broaden my horizons, so I left at the end of 2022.
CodeNow (volunteer 2012...2018)
In 2012 I was impressed when reading about CodeNow, a non profit, on Obama's White House blog. I reached out to them and started helping out to get launched in the San Francisco Bay Area. Up until 2018, I volunteered many weekends teaching hundreds of students the basics of programming and computer science over free workshops. Over time, I helped expand and write new curriculum, as well as train new volunteers.
NeonMob (2012...2014)
I was technical cofounder at Neonmob from 2012 to 2014. We built a gorgeous online digital collectible platform, commissioned stunning art from independent artists, and had thousands of passionate users opening packs and trading cards every day.
Panafold (2011...2012)
In 2011 I was the first engineer hire at Panafold, a small software startup where we made language learning software for iPad inspired by HCI concepts such as tangible interaction & direct manipulation.
Grad School (2010...2011)
A long time ago, I was a graduate student in Brygg Ullmer's Tangible Visualization lab at LSU's CCT. I hacked on tabletop computers, tiled displays, and networked tangible interfaces while learning the ropes of academia. Ultimately I realized that paper and grant writing was not for me, and that I cared more about creating products for mass, everyday use rather than one-off proof-of-concept systems.
Once upon a time...
Before all of that, I was a computer science student at Oxford Brookes University in the UK, and IUT2 Grenoble in France. I wrote small video games in my spare time, contributed to a bunch of open source projects, and did some web development contract work for money.The first computer I used as a child was an Apple II, and the first platform I got to learn inside out as a programmer was the TI-83.