Bret Victor is an

interface designer User interface (UI) design or user interface engineering is the design of user interfaces for machines and software, such as computers, home appliances, mobile devices, and other electronic devices, with the focus on maximizing usability and th ...

computer scientist A computer scientist is a person who is trained in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation, as opposed to the hardware side on which computer engineers mainly focus ( ...

, and

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the ...

known for his talks on the future of technology. , he worked as a researcher at Dynamicland.

Career

Bret Victor earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

in 1999. In 2001 he graduated from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

with a master's degree in electrical engineering. After this, he spent time at

Alesis Alesis is an electronic music company that designs and markets electronic musical instruments, digital audio processors, audio mixers, drum amplifiers, amplifiers, digital audio interfaces, recording equipment, drum machines, professional audio, ...

, where he developed the

Alesis Ion The Alesis Ion is an analog modeling synthesizer. It was presented to the public on the Summer NAMM of 2002. Unlike the Alesis Andromeda, Alesis's analog synthesizer, its sounds are synthesized using DSP chips to mimic the sound of analog audio ...

, and its successor the Alesis Micron. Victor worked as a human interface inventor at

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company ...

from 2007 until 2011. He was a member of the small group of people who worked on the initial design for the

iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operati ...

, and contributed to the development of other products including the

Apple Watch Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches produced by Apple Inc. It incorporates fitness tracking, health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates with iOS and other Apple products and services. The Apple Watch was ...

. In 2014, Victor joined the Communications Design Group as a researcher, where he worked on software to allow citizens and scientists to model and understand systems. , he worked on dynamic media at Dynamicland, a research lab he founded in Oakland, California.

Influence

Victor received attention for his talks "Inventing on Principle" (2012) and "The Future of Programming" (2013). Some of his work focuses on the evolution of media from print to computers to future technology, which he calls "the dynamic medium". He posits that people use computers as "really fast paper emulators," and envisions future technology that can change its physical form. A major motivation for Victor's work is to make it easier and faster to use complex tools and ideas. As part of this project he wrote an essay about using interactive models when communicating about science, which popularized the term "

explorable explanation An explorable explanation (often shortened to ''explorable'') is a form of informative media where an interactive computer simulation of a given concept is presented, along with some form of guidance (usually prose) that suggests ways that the a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Victor, Bret Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Interface designers Computer scientists Electrical engineers Human–computer interaction researchers California Institute of Technology alumni UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni Apple Inc. employees Apple Design Awards recipients