About

Andries van Dam (Thomas J. Watson, Jr. University Professor of Technology and Education and Professor of Computer Science, Brown University)

"Daniel, motivated by his desire to take advantage of new media, applied his design thinking to help us create a suite of tools that pushed the boundaries of 3D interface design, scene description languages, and animation sequencers. Daniel always advocated for the voice of our intended but often distant users. The publications he contributed to These papers, that explored the then very new area of 3D UI interface design, are foundational to techniques that are now common across typical CAD and modeling applications."

Mary Czerwinski, (Research Manager, Microsoft Research)

"I worked with Daniel in the early days of 3D UI exploration. His 3D design skills very extremely creative and his facility with 3D UI layout, interaction design and prototyping were extraordinary."

Rob Girling (Founder, Artefact)

"I've known Daniel in many contexts from his creative work at Microsoft Research in the days of 3d data visualization, to his awesome work as part of the Microsoft Home of the Future envisioning team. He's always impressed me as someone with great integrity, curiosity, drive and a vast array of knowledge, about UX and cutting edge research technologies. His ability to bring a humanist perspective to the challenges of developing next generation technology products is a great asset."

Vic DeLeon (Senior Art Director, HTC Vive Creative Labs)

"I have worked very closely with Dan Robbins since 2017 as a colleague, collaborator, and Product Lead. I have greatly appreciated his ingenuity, problem-solving skills, and above all his vast human-centric UI and UX knowledge on the many projects he lead and contributed to. Dan's design talents are impressive, however his most valuable skillsets lie in his innate understanding of UX and Design; research, identifying user needs, developing user stories, brainstorming, pitching, presenting, testing, and resolving spatial solutions for the wide range of impossible scenarios of VR research at HTC Vive prototyping labs (Creative Labs). His relationships with external partners and developers was key to many of HTC's strategic successes. His many patents were innovative and ground-breaking.

Dan's work ethic is admirable and he never let the team down. When project deadlines were tight he delivered in an extraordinarily timely fashion and was always open to revision and critique. His work on the original Vive HMD, Steam VR projects, Vive Pro, VRS Lens, ORIGIN, OMNI Design System, and Vive Cosmos were foundational. His side projects in research were inspirational to the entire team in Seattle, San Francisco, China, and Taipei HQ."

Jonathan Cluts (Former Director of Strategic Initiatives, University of Washington Bothell; former Director of Strategic Prototyping - Microsoft)

"His commitment to user centered design, strong visual impact, and expert execution showed in all of his projects. His ability to lead and collaborate with a range of thinkers and disciplines were key to the success of his projects. These projects were showcased by executives at the company including the Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Craig Mundie, and many others as well as at The Microsoft Home and Envisioning Center. Dan is a talented, accomplished, manager, envisioner, and maker, and I believe he would make an excellent addition to any company looking for his skills."

Ana Pinto da Silva (CEO of Minka; Former Principal UX Designer, Amazon)

"Dan has a deep understanding of technology, trends, and future, informed by his nearly 20 years at Microsoft. He has a keen understanding of the technology space and it's players. He demonstrates his impeccable ideation skills through his powerful writing, public speaking, and team building. Dan's cross-disciplinary approach comes to play through an interplay of UX design, making, and project management."

Sven Pleyer (Former Director of Innovation, Level 11)

"[Dan has an] ability to bring human life and technology seamlessly together while keeping societal cultures, values and morals intact - understanding how technology can help our lives in un-intrusive, yet profound ways."

Masuma Henry (Director of User Experience, Amazon; Former Design Director, Amazon; Former Executive Director, Artefact)

Dan’s versatility within Artefact’s diverse organization was one of the highlights of our time working together. His expertise as a technologist brought an understanding of how nascent technologies offered the potential of disrupting the marketplace, grounded in trends, patents, acquisitions, and publications. He centered his predictions around the impact on humans; at an individual, relational, and societal level; highlighting the potential for negative and positive scenarios of use. In addition, he was able to artfully showcase these predictions into detailed user experience interactions, demonstrating to audiences how easily new technologies would be incorporated into our lives. The intersection of these varied perspectives and knowledge of future technologies is what sets Dan apart and allows him to contribute at a strategic, yet approachable, level to any problem he’s solving.

Melissa Quintanilha (Founder, Dupla Studios)

"Dan is a centered leader who always kept our project moving forward while appreciating the different contributions from all the team members. Dan was fearless in achieving our aims and was even able to get us exposure on The Travel Channel through his commitment to marketing. Outside of our project, Dan has always been a helper and a connector. He has consistently connected me to the best people and resources. I would work with Dan again in a heartbeat, whether it's a work or life project."