Hi! My name is Amir, and I am glad you are reading this. I am a Ph.D. student specializing in HCI. I employ my background in digital media and programming to enhance software learnability for beginners. Using prototyping, A/B testing, and usability analysis, my work focuses on lowering the threshold of creativity support tools via human-centered design approaches.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
  • Jahanlou, A., Odom, W., and Chilana P. (2021) Challenges in Getting Started in Motion Graphic Design: Perspectives from Casual and Professional Motion Designers. Graphics Interface 2021.
  • Jahanlou, A., Chilana, P. (2022) Katika: An End-to-End System for Authoring Amateur Explainer Motion Graphics Videos. Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
Jahanlou 2022
Research Assistant, IX Lab – SFU, 2018-Present
  • Conducting user experience research using qualitative and quantitative research methods.
  • Collaborating with supervisors, external advisors, to identify research opportunities.
  • Developing mid-to-high fidelity prototypes to assess/improve software learnability.
  • Working in groundbreaking research in democratizing access to motion graphics design.
  • Locating and recruiting strong user research participants based on a multitude of criteria.
  • Conducting user testing of design concepts and prototypes in-person and remote.
PEER REVIEWING
  • ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), 2020, 2021, 2022 IEEE
  • International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), 2021

EDUCATION

  • P.h.D., Interactive Art and Technology | Sep 2018 – Dec 2022 (expected) | Simon Fraser University
    • Focus: Human-Computer Interaction.
    • Thesis: Democratizing Motion Graphics Design via Low-threshold Tools (in-progress)
    • Advisor: Dr. Parmit K. Chilana
    • Committee Members: Dr. William Odom, Dr. Sheelagh Carpendale
  • MEd in Higher Education | Feb 2017 – Aug 2018 | University of British Columbia
    • Focus: Leadership in Higher Education
    • Advisor: Dr. Amy Metcalfe
  • MA in Digital Media Practice | Sep 2012 – Aug 2014 | Middlesex University
    • Focus: Creative Media and Technology.
    • Thesis: Challenges of Implementing Mobile Apps in Educational Institutions
    • Advisor: Dr. Willi Woeber
  • BA in Digital Film Animation | Sep 2005 – Apr 2008 | Middlesex University
    • Honors Thesis: Comparison of the Efficiency of 3D Render Engines
    • for beginner 3D artists.

AWARDS, HONORS, AND ACHIEVEMENT

  • Graduate Fellowship 2018 [$6,500]
  • Best Editing / Compositing Animation Video Entry CGSociety – 2010 (among 1081 entries) 
  • Honorable Mention Animation Video Entry – 2011 (among 814 entries) 
  • Top 20 Highest rated iOS and Android App dev courses, Udemy – 2020/2021

SKILLS

  • User Experience Design
  • Semi-Structured Interviews
  • Usability and Concept Testing
  • Hypothesis and A/B Testing
  • Designing User Surveys
  • Ux Research
  • User Research
  • Contextual and Field Inquiries 
  • Interaction Design
  • Accessibility and Inclusivity Testing
  • Mobile App Feature Design
  • Digital Visual Design
  • Animation and Motion Graphics

TOOLS

  • UX Research and Design
    • Tableau, Jmp, Google Analytics
    • NVivo, Atlas.ti
    • Figma, Axure, Adobe XD
  • Coding & Development
    • C#,C++, Python, Swift, Kotlin
    • Xcode, Android Studio
    • Firebase, Azure, Git/Github
  • Media software tools
    • Unity3D, Maya, Photoshop

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Instructor / Teaching Assistant – Simon Fraser University
    • Mobile Computing. Spring 2022
    • Advanced Human-Computer Interaction, Supervisor: Dr. Brian Fisher, Fall 2021
    • 3D Computer Animation, Supervisor: Dr. Steve Dipaola, Fall 2020
    • Special Topics in HCI.  Supervisor: Dr. Parmit K. Chilana. Spring 2020
  • Instructor – Udemy
    • Delivering various courses on mobile app design, UX and development.
    • The total of 14 courses, draws over 180,000 students from 131 countries.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
  • Senior Instructor – SAE Institute | Aug 2008 – Apr 2016
    • In charge of delivering a multitude of courses in app development, user interface design, motion graphics, 3d graphics, and games development. Aug 2008 – Apr 2016
  • Head of Department – SAE Institute | Jul 2010, Aug 2013
    • Conducting market research to assess the department’s performance and recommend changes for curriculum, staffing, assignment, and course content. 
  • Digital Media Artist – Mediatech | May 2003 – Sep 2005
    • Senior technical artist in the animation department working on a variety of 3D, 2D, video editing, compositing, and animation projects.

Samples of my 3D Animation and Rendering Work

Extracurricular Activity