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Full Name
Michael Darius
Age Range
45-54
Location
San Francisco, CA
Bio
โŒ›๏ธTIME Invention of the Year ๐Ÿฅ€ Human Futures Planning ๐Ÿ† 4x reddot award๐Ÿ”ด ๐Ÿ’ฟ Platinum for iTunes ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ MacOS X HIG (Jaguarโ€”Tiger) ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ iLife v1 & โ€˜04, ๐ŸŽธ Garageband v1 ๐Ÿ’งWebAqua + ๐ŸŽ›๏ธ WebMetal (Grandfather of Dashboard + Playlist Sharing) ๐Ÿ‘‹๐ŸผHi there, I design human futures. Things I Started: ๐Ÿ’Œ Apple Webmail ๐Ÿ•ธ๏ธ Web 2.0 ๐ŸŽ Appleโ€™s first gift card experience ๐ŸŽต iTunes Music Store โญ‘โญ‘โญ‘โญ‘โญ‘ Star ratings ๐Ÿ”’ Login using Email address ๐ŸŽ›๏ธ Mac OS X Dashboard โ˜๏ธ Cloud-based Storage (iDisk) โ˜๏ธ Cloud-based Services (iTools & .Mac) ๐Ÿ”– .Mac Bookmarks ๐ŸŽง Pepsi 1 in 3 Free Song Campaign ๐ŸŽถ iTunes Producer ๐ŸŽผ iTunes Essentials ๐ŸŽธ Garageband ๐ŸŽง Playlist Sharing ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ iLife ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ The digital hub strategy ๐Ÿ’ป The digital lifestyle ๏ฃฟ Apple's Applications Design Team ๏ฃฟ Apple's Content Production Team Things I Enjoy: โ˜•๏ธ Great Cafeโ€™s โญ๏ธ Figuring out whatโ€™s next ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Solving Wicked Design Problems โ›ต๏ธ Sailing ๐Ÿ“ท Photography ๐Ÿšถโ€โ™‚๏ธ Long Walks ๐ŸŒฒ Forest Bathing ๐Ÿ“ด Disconnecting ๐Ÿชฉ Dancing Things I Can Help With: ๐Ÿฅ€ Human Futures Planning ๐Ÿ’ฌ Application Design Feedback ๐ŸŽ“ Executive Design Leadership ๐Ÿ“ Executive Design Planning ๐Ÿ—๏ธ Building & Scaling a Design Organization ๐Ÿ‘ฅ Team Leadership ๐Ÿš€ Startup Coaching ๐Ÿ“ˆ Getting your Pitchdeck in Order ๐Ÿ“– Building your Brand Book ๐ŸŽจ Design Language Guidance โš™๏ธ Design Systems Direction ๐Ÿ” Touchpoint Analysis ๐Ÿ›ค๏ธ User Journeys ๐Ÿ†• Onboarding ๐ŸŒ Platform Strategies ๐Ÿ–ผ๏ธ Presentation Design During my unparalleled design journey at Apple, I held a cardinal position in forging the design language that now stands as a hallmark of the brand. Getting to work with my heroes, I was guided directly by luminaries like Steve Jobs and rigorously trained by CKS, immersing myself in Apple's core ethos, establishing a potent design philosophy still felt around the world. Under my leadership, several key projects were brought to life: Apple Webmail: In designing Apple's first webmail system, I aimed to create a user-friendly interface that aligned with the webAqua design system much of which was given meaning due to this project. My work contributed to evolving standards in the design of webmail systems. Appleโ€™s First Gift Card Experience: The design of Apple's first gift card experience offered a new way for people to purchase music in the retail environment. Spearheading out first pilot with target, we soon saw competitors following our lead by filling shelves with their own branded digital gift cards. iTunes Music Store: In my role with the iTunes Music Store, I contributed to changing the way music was purchased and consumed digitally. This work helped streamline the music buying process and in many ways rescued a dying music industry. Mac OS X Dashboard: In developing the Mac OS X Dashboard, I concentrated on crafting a space for at-a-glance widgets, a concept that later became foundational in shaping the form factor for single-use apps on the iPhone. This not only enriched the Mac platform experience but also foreshadowed a pivotal shift in app design and interaction across Apple's ecosystem still felt today. Cloud-Based Storage: My work on the conception of iDisk involved exploring cloud storage solutions, anticipating the needs of online file storage and sharing. This service aimed to provide a secure and easy-to-use platform for Apple users. Cloud-based Services: Leading the design of iTools and .Mac, I worked on integrating diverse cloud-based services into Apple's ecosystem. These efforts helped lay the foundation for MobileMe, iCloud and evolution of cloud computing. Cloud-Based Bookmark Syncing: Developing .Mac Bookmarks, I led both design and interface engineering. This project gave people access to their bookmarks even when they were away from their Mac on a public computer. iTunes Producer: In designing iTunes Producer, the aim was to make music distribution more straightforward for artists and labels. This tool was designed to be a painstakingly simple way for publishing music to the iTunes Music Store. iTunes Essentials: While curating iTunes Essentials, I aimed to create a visual system to improve music discovery and listening experiences. This initiative involved understanding music trends and people's preferences. Garageband: Extracting features from Logic Pro, Garageband was a project focused on making music production more accessible. The software was designed to be consumer-friendly, accommodating a range of skill levels and encouraging more people to engage in music creation. Playlist Sharing: Introducing playlist sharing in Apple's music ecosystem, I sought to build a community of music enthusiasts. This feature was designed to enable users to share their musical tastes and explore new music, enriching how people interact with music. Photo Album Publishing Tools in HomePage: Developing tools for digital photo albums in HomePage, I aimed to make the process of creating and sharing albums easy for everyone. This project harnessed digital photography trends to offer a simple approach to photo sharing. The Digital Lifestyle: My work on integrating app-based features into daily life contributed to the concept of the digital lifestyle. This approach focused on creating a cohesive and familiar user experience across Apple's product range, influencing how people interact with their Macintosh. With these exceptional opportunities to work with my heroes, today I channel my expertise into confronting and solving wicked design problems, especially those centered on social impact and meaningful change. My focus isn't merely to design; but to evoke change, to resonate with a socially responsible ethos. On this journey, I actively seek collaborations that mirror this aspiration, with a shared commitment towards improving upon the human condition. โ€” Each company needs to have a clear understanding of the key emotional connectors that tie audience to product. My techniques have been proven to uncover connectors in order to inform a companyโ€™s overall business strategy while strengthening the ties between products, brands and audience for many breakthrough product experiences known to billions. My approach to humanizing the design process begins with translating unmet customer needs into product strategy. Through synthesis I conduct research, design diagrams, and build prototypes. Exploring the connection between experience and meaning in an accessible manner allows me to shift thinking and focus on meaningful and connected strategies for products and services so that my design work may connect with people in a more visceral way by gathering audience data to gain insights into how people live their lives.
Pronouns
Male
Additional Email
@roses.foundation Verified Email
Email
@mac.com Verified Email
Primary Phone
Privately Verified Phone
Additional Email
@darius.design Verified Email
Additional Email
@skeuomorphic.design Verified Email
Additional Email
@humanfutu.re Verified Email
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