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My name is Andrew Martin Dahley; my friends call me Andy. I am an
Industrial Designer with a strong focus on humanizing technology.
For more about what I mean by humanizing technology take a look
at the statement of purpose
that I wrote for my application to the Media
Lab. I
believe that designers of technological artifacts need to understand the
underlying technology just as any craftsman knows his tools materials
and manufacturing processes. Currently, to develop those technology
skills, I am a graduate student and research assistant at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Laboratory. At the
Media Laboratory I work in the Tangible Media Group
run by Professor Hiroshi Ishii. I will receive my Masters of Media Arts and Science this
June. In the Tangible Media Group I work on the conceptualization,
design and implementation of tangible and ambient media projects.
These projects include the inTouch, ambientROOM, ambient fixtures, and
wobble lamp.
Before coming to the Media Lab I worked at Fry Multimedia, a web development company in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At Fry Multimedia I managed the development of web projects. Prior to that I was an Industrial Designer at Sundberg Ferar, a product development consulting firm in Detroit, Michigan. At Sundberg Ferar I designed a variety of consumer products from major appliances for Whirlpool to plastic goods for Rubbermaid, to automotive components for Ford. Before coming to Sundberg Ferar I did a summer internship in the automotive division of Johnson Controls. There I developed concepts for automotive interiors, with a focus on seating.
I graduated from the University of Michigan in 1995 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in Industrial Design. My final design project was the Cooperative Learning Classroom, which won the I.D. Magazine Design Distinction Award in July, 1995. I am also proud of my Guidance System for the Blind which help me realize my strong interest on the user product experience rather than the main focus of a design being its aesthetic appeal.
During my studies at the University of Michigan, I took a year long internship in the research and development department of Herman Miller, a manufacturer of office furniture in Holland, Michigan. At Herman Miller my focus was on seating research. I worked on the Aeron chair, which is an extremely comfortable office task chair. I also worked on many other furniture projects and designed several user-product testing studies, as well as conceptual product development for work environments of the future.
I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan ... a little trivia about Saginaw .... it
was mentioned in the Simon & Garfunkel song "America". Stevie wonder
was also born there.
Copyright © Andrew M. Dahley.
andyd[AT]media.mit.edu