We are an international experience design consultancy
With the behaviours and contexts of people driving our designs, we create product and service experiences that really matter.
Jan-Christoph Zoels
Jan-Christoph Zoels is a founding partner of Experientia, where he is in charge of user experience design. In his work, Jan-Christoph Zoels focuses on people’s experience of mobile services and applications, and on using information technology to support simplicity.
A senior associate professor at Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, he led the ‘Applied Dreams’ initiative — collaborative innovation workshops with industry leaders such as Nokia, Alcatel, Sony, Hitachi, Mattel, Orange, Fiat and Telecom Italia.
Previously a director of information architecture at Sapient, Jan-Christoph Zoels was responsible for strategic direction, creative scope and integrating various dimensions of the user experience for web, mobile and ITV applications. He realised online projects for the MD Consult Cardiology unit of Harcourt Brace, Goldman Sachs, Lucent and Cablevision. As creative lead for the mobile practice of Sapient, he designed mobile applications for Verizon.
Prior to this, he was senior designer at Sony Design Center USA, responsible for strategic product development. He developed concepts for Sony’s PDA Clié, Electronic Music Distribution and various interface designs for interactive TV and remote controls. He currently holds four patents.
He received his master’s degrees in industrial design from the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, USA, and the Academy for Art and Design in Berlin, Germany. He has taught at Rhode Island School of Design, the Jan Van Eyck Academy (Maastricht, Netherlands), at Samsung’s Innovative Design Laboratory (Seoul, Korea) and Domus Academy, Milan.
In his consulting activities he specialised in foresight scenarios, design and service concepts for clients such as Adidas, BMW, Mattel, Nokia, Samsung and Vodafone. In 2001-02,with EliasArts, he developed sound typologies and audio interfaces for the IBM think pad series.
He is an external mentor for the Centre for Product Design in Health Care at Halmstad University, Sweden. He has been a keynote speaker at Mobile Nation, Toronto, Lift, Geneva, BMW’s Marketing Innovation Lab Forum in Munich, Germany, at Banff’s New Media Institute and at many other conferences.
▶ ▼ Publications
- A. Cereijo-Roibás, M. Vanderbeeken, N. Clavin, J.C. Zoels “Engaging developing markets”, Interfaces: 81, Winter 2009.
- J.C. Zoels, “Deep Places – mobile 2.0 and spatial experiences” in Mobile Nation: Creating Methodologies for Mobile Platforms, 207-210, eds. M. Ladly and P. Beesley. Riverside Architectural Press, 2008.
- M. Vanderbeeken, J.C. Zoels, M. Visciola, Conceiving the design centre of the future: Transforming the economic and social landscape through multidisciplinary projects and integrated user-centred design research. Changing the Change conference, Turin, 2008.
- S. Gabrielli, J.C. Zoels, “Creating Imaginable Futures: Using Human-centered Design Strategies as a Foresight Tool,” AIGA Experience Design Case Study Archive, ACM Digital Library, 2003.
- C. Grinyer, et. al. “Design for Future Needs,” Strata project report for European Union, Design Council, London, www.dffn.org, 2003.
- M. Vanderbeeken, J.C. Zoels, “Processing – Programming as Art,” Cluster 1, Magazine for Art and Technology: Turin, 2003.
- M. Caines, J.C. Zoels, “Hands On – Interview with Rich Gioscia, Director of Design for palmOne,” Cluster 2, Magazine for Art and Technology: Turin, 2003.
- J.C. Zoels, “10 Mobile Trends – Latest Trends in Mobile Technologies provide Elements for Imagining Future Societies,” Cluster 3, Magazine for Art and Technology: Turin, 2003.
- J.C. Zoels, “Dream Machines,” ID Magazine: Sept/Oct 1999.
- J.C. Zoels, “Elastic Window Interface,” ID Magazine: June, 1997.
- J.C. Zoels, “The Search for Simplicity – The Design of an Elastic Window Interface,” Das Einfache, Proceedings of International Design Forum Ulm, Anabas Gießen, 1995.
- J.C. Zoels, “The Voice Modulator – a Design Concept,” in Product Design 6, T. Viemiester (ed.), Glen Cove: PBC International, 1994.
- J.C. Zoels, Exkursionsmikroskop. Berlin: Form & Zweck, 1990.
- In addition to his own publications, Jan-Christoph’s work has been featured in:
- P. Kunkel, Digital Dreams; The work of the Sony Design Center. New York: Universe/Rizzoli, 1999.
- G. Ceppi, A. Cervini, J. Kayser, (eds.) Mobile Embodiments – New ways of convergence in mobile telephony. Ivrea: Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, 2004.
- L. Burzagli, P. Emiliani, I.T. Steffan, Design for All, Seminario di approfondimento. Milan: Moretti&Vitali, 2006.
- S.J. Mountford, Can we learn anything about the process of Ul design? DIS conference paper, London, 2004.
▶ ▼ Presentations
- Imagining behavioral change – Next frontier of interaction design; Domus, Milan, Jan 2010
- Imagining behavioral change – Smart meters and data visualizations of energy consumption; Visualizar’09: Public Data, Data in Public, Mediallab Prado, Madrid, also: Fall Summit, Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå, Sweden, Nov 2009
- Experience design workshop; Interactive Screen 09: The Makers, Banff New Media Institute, Canada, August 2009
- Interacting with large data sets – interfaces to cloud computing; Media Futures 2009, Beyond Broadcast, London, July 2009
- Lifestream – Visualizing my data, Explorations of large quantity information visualization; Workshop with Willem Bojiens, Lift 09, Geneva, Feb 2009
- Putting People First: new directions in inclusive design; To.is – XV Unesco Creativity Workshop, Fondazione Paideia, Turin, Oct 2008
- User-centred design; D_Art Lab workshops: Design for Art – Responsible Transformation Lab, Fondazione Pistoletto / Cittadellarte, Biella, May 2008
- Ethnographic research, a design method to drive innovation; U2 Understanding Users, Flanders InShape, Flemish Parliament, Brussels, May 2008
- Pharmacy of the future; KISD School of Integrated Design, Cologne, April 2008
- Interaction Design Magic; Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, Dec 2007 also Museum of Contemporary Art, Tuscon, AZ, Dec 2007
- Value Creation through Experience; European Centre for the Experience Economy, Gerona, Spain, May 2007
- Deep places – mobile 2.0 and spatial experiences; Mobile Nation: Creating Methodologies for Mobile Platforms, OCAD, Toronto, Canada, March 2007
- Jumping Jack Flash – new forms of interactions; Lift, Geneva, Feb 2007, also Domus, Milan, Jan, Aug 2007; Hogeschool Antwerpen, Jan 2007; IED, Turin, April 2008
- What does the user really need? Panel discussion with Michael Gervautz – Imagination, Frank Nuovo – Vertu & Nokia, Europrix TTA, Vienna, Nov 2006
- Bridging design, technology and consumer trends; Panel discussion with Paolo Barberis, Stefano Giovannoni, Diego Valisi, Enrico Pagliarini, Milan, Nov 2006
- Creating Value through Meaningful Experiences; Experience Design Conference, Media & Design Academie, Genk, Belgium, September 2006
- From web2.0 to mobile 2.0 to adaptive spaces; Interactive Screen 06, Banff New Media Institute, Canada, August 2006
- From assistive technologies to the everyday … L’ergonomia – tra innovazione e progetto, VIII Congresso Nazionale, Milan, February 2006
- Challenges for Mobile Usability: World Usability Day, Rome, November 2005
- Mobile Trends & Experiences; Holon Design Conference, Israel, October 2005
- Wanna be a Superhuman? Adidas Design Center, Portland, Oregon, August 2005
- Wow, Show, Flow – Design Challenges; Interactive Screen 05, Banff New Media Institute, Canada, August 2005
- Play Experiences for the Next Generation; Mattel, Los Angeles, July 2005
- Experiences of the Mind; Bodies at Play Summit, Banff New Media Institute, Canada, May 2005
- Circle of Creativity; BMW Marketing Innovation Lab Forum Munich, March 2005
- User Experience Design for Mobile Devices; Profile Intermedia Bremen, Dec 2004
- Mobile Trends, Design Opportunities & User Experience Toolsets;
- Stephen Weiss lecture series on Business Strategy, Negotiation and Innovation, Parsons School of Design, New York, October 2004
- Mobile Trends and Tools; Namahn, Brussels, September 2004
- Participant Driven Design, Participant Driven New Media—Modelling the Future, Keynote, Interactive Screen workshop, Banff New Media Institute, Canada, July 2004
- Creating Futures; IST 2003, Milan, October 2003
- The Power of Experience: Design Strategy as a Way of Creating Imaginable Futures; Keynote, HCI Italy Conference, Turin, November 2003
- Design Predicts the Future when it Anticipates Experience; The Power of Design, AIGA National Design Conference, Vancouver, October 2003
- Anticipating Experiences; Interactive Project Lab 2003 – Banff Boot Camp, Banff New Media Institute (BNMI), Canada, August 2003
- Design Strategy as a Way of Creating Imaginable Futures; DUX 2003, San Francisco, June 2003
- Human-centered Foresight and Innovation Processes; 2byTwo symposia, Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago May 2003
- Consumer Confusion; BMW Marketing Innovation Lab Forum, Munich, Feb 2003
- The Power of Experience; Innovation Mgmt Roundtable, Munich, March 2003
- Design for Future Needs; Future Perfect conference, Brussels, Dec 2002
- Learning by Design; The Future of Learning, organized by Sony Computer Science Laboratory, Porto, Portugal, April 2002
