Ken Willes creates interactive experiences that inspire and inform though augmented reality technology and web applications.
Ken’s most recent augmented reality system took the exhibit floor spotlight at the Atlanta World Congress Center during a two-week conference in June-July 2010 with over 65,000 visitors in attendance. The Interactive Wall of Spirituality used cutting-edge technology to promote Southern Adventist University (SAU) and provide visitors with an interactive experience. Participants walking into the wall space saw a real-time digital shadow of their body displayed on an 8′ x 23′ curved screen. As they reached their hand toward light floating at the top of the screen, light particles would swirl down and turn their body’s digital shadow from dark to light. Thorns would climb up the body outline but then fall away once the participant connected to the light source, and light could be passed from one individual to another across the length of the wall. This unique interactive experience enabled the University to communicate its spiritual values in a very impactful and memorable way.
The Interactive Wall of Spirituality was a complex project involving over a thousand hours of design, engineering, and programming with 10,000+ lines of code. Ken Willes led a team of Interactive Media students and graduates from SAU’s School of Visual Art and Design to take the interactive wall from concept to completion on time and under budget.
In 2008, Ken Willes was invited to display an interactive wall at NASA Ames Research Center for Yuri’s Night, a celebration of advances in science and technology. The 10’ x 28’ interactive wall followed the event’s theme by immersing visitors in simulations reflective of nature’s wonder and our responsibility toward the environment. As people passed by, the graphics displayed on the wall would react to the physical location and movements of the person. One simulation showed blades of grass swaying gently based on the “breeze” the individual created as they passed by; a musical simulation played different notes on a chime scale as a person moved from note to note across the wall. In a recycle game, participants gained points by catching falling trash with recycle buckets, and another simulation allowed people to create waves in the ocean based on their physical location and body movements.
Since 2004, Ken Willes has taught students at SAU’s School of Visual Art and Design to be successful Interactive Design professionals, in addition to designing the curriculum and managing course content. His graduates have accepted jobs at places such as Microsoft and locally-based design agencies like KMT Creative, while another student was accepted for graduate studies at Parson’s School of Art, Media, and Technology with large scholarships and advanced placement. Ken’s students are successful because they have obtained a powerful skill set combining design with technology.
Ken Willes has designed and developed award-winning websites for Southern Adventist University (SAU). The School of Visual Art and Design’s website won the 2007 Davey Award and the website promoting SAU’s nationally released film Secret of the Cave won the W3 award in 2006. Ken has also designed successful websites for other departments at SAU as well as outside clients.
While completing his MFA in Interactive Design and Game Development at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2003-2004, Ken created web-based data mining and search engine software for SCAD’s eLearning department. During that time, he also designed critical interactive components for Gulfstream’s Interactive Marketing department illustrating features of the world-class Gulfstream private jet.
Ken’s work process includes systems analysis, wireframing, informational architecture, usability testing, prototype modeling, system planning, programming and documentation. Where custom fabrication is needed for a project, Ken communicates with architects and engineers utilizing modeling software. Through all stages of a project, Ken continues to be committed to the highest experience quality and client satisfaction.
Ken Willes continues to push the boundaries of interactive technologies and the design for those systems. Current projects include large-format 3D multi-touch interactivity, mobile design concepts interfacing with the web, and 3D augmented reality visualization.
Ken Willes holds a Masters in Fine Art in Interactive Design and Game Development from Savannah College of Art and Design and an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design from Southern Adventist University. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery, American Institute of Graphic Arts, and International Game Developers Association. For more information please visit http://kenwillesdesign.com.