Ideum designs and creates interactive computer-based exhibits, multitouch installations, rich Internet applications, and social networking sites for museum and Web visitors. We work closely with museums, nonprofit organizations, and socially responsible companies to create memorable visitor experiences.
Since 1999, we’ve worked on over 70 interactive media projects in the fields of art, culture, history, music, science, and technology that cover a variety of topics. The goal is to create visitor-centric exhibits that seamlessly integrate a balance of compelling design, intuitive user interfaces, and dynamic content. The exhibits we develop adhere to the highest technical and accessibility standards.
While Ideum focuses on delivering technically flawless interactive exhibits and Web applications to our clients, we also experiment with new and promising educational technologies. We have developed our own multitouch table as a platform for multiuser and gesture-based exhibits. In 2009, Ideum released Gestureworks, the premiere multitouch authoring framework for Adobe Flash and Flex. In 2010, we began the Open Exhibits software initiative with funding from the National Science Foundation.
Our custom exhibit and Web work has been honored by the American Association of Museums’ MUSE Awards, the Webby Awards, the Pirelli International Multimedia Awards, the Museums and the Web Conference “Best of the Web,” and other industry awards. You can connect with Ideum on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Key People
Jim Spadaccini
Jim is the director of Ideum. He is currently the Principal Investigator of a major National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored project, Open Exhibits. He is also a Principal Investigator on a NASA educational project, Space Weather Mobile, and a co-PI on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sponsored project, Hurricanes and Climate Change. Before founding Ideum, Jim was the Director of Interactive Media at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. While at the Exploratorium, his department was responsible for developing educational Web resources and media exhibits for the museum floor. For his work at the Exploratorium, he received a Smithsonian Computerworld Award, an Association of Science and Technology Centers Award for Innovation and three consecutive Webby Awards for “Best Science Site.” Jim taught courses on design and technology at SFSU’s Multimedia Studies Program for seven years starting in the mid-90s. More recently he taught for Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage (TEC-CH) program at the University of Lugano, Switzerland. He currently teaches for the Cultural Resource Management Program at University of Victoria, British Columbia. Along with his work in informal education, Jim has consulted with Apple and Adobe and has developed promotional and instructional materials for a number of professional software authoring tools.
Paul Lacey
Paul is the Chief Technical Officer at Ideum. Paul has a BS in Physics from the University of Exeter, England and an MA in Educational Technology from Michigan State University. Paul has helped design the MT Series multitouch tables and custom hardware installations. In addition, Paul leads Ideum’s major software initiatives. Before coming to Ideum, Paul taught science and math, then went on to found Quantunet, an educational technology company producing video tutorials for students and professionals worldwide.
Chad Person
Chad Person is the MT Series Product Manager. Prior to assuming his role as Product Manager, he served as Project Manager and Lead Designer. Chad received a BA in Marketing Communications and holds a Master of Fine Art from the University of New Mexico. Before joining Ideum, he held the position of Art Director at Red Paw Technologies, Editorial Director at Terifik.com, and several sales positions. He is an internationally exhibited fine artist with work in numerous public and private collections. His passion for user experience informs the continued development of the MT Series multitouch product line.
Matthew Valverde
Matthew is the Lead GestureWorks and Open Exhibits Developer. Before arriving at Ideum, he concentrated on Flash and Audio Production projects as an independent contractor. While utilizing his natural instincts and intuitions for programming, his emphasis is on clean, stable and intuitive design. He believes that listening is the key to the universe of learning. The space between the notes and fluid rhythm are what draws Matthew to both music and programming.
Miles Washington
Miles is an experienced Interactive Designer who successfully bridges the gap between visual design and front-end development. He designs the visual-side as well as develops the front-end of solutions at Ideum; focusing on clean/efficient code, adhering to web standards and maintaining visual consistency (from design comp to final, launched solutions). Miles is passionate about creating experiences that are intuitive, well-constructed and enjoyable while effectively communicating the intended message. He received a BA in Communications from California State University Fullerton. Over the years, Miles has worked on projects for clients as diverse as Paramount Pictures, Lexus, Schuberth GmBH, Camp Pendleton and Edwards Lifesciences. In his free time, Miles plans on pursuing his dream of writing and illustrating a series of novels.
John Butler
John is a programmer, web developer, and Internet systems engineer for Ideum. He specializes in writing agile, reusable code, and in optimizing existing code bases. John has a degree in Computer Science from the University of New Mexico. At Ideum he has tackled a number of challenging Web projects and has customized and deployed content management systems and search engines, and has developed systems communicating with open APIs from LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and others. He’s also worked with Arduino hardware and embedded systems.
James Cartwright
James focuses on CSS, XHTML, accessibility and Web standards for Ideum. His job is to find that ‘sweet spot’ where functionality, accessibility, cross-browser compatibility and standards-compliance meet. Before moving out West, James was the sole proprietor of a Web design firm in Asheville, North Carolina. In the previous millennium, he explored the printing/copying industry, early typesetting technologies, rare book conservation, and traditional/aboriginal epistemologies.
Chris Steinmetz
Chris Steinmetz is an exhibit technician and support specialist at Ideum. He works to design and construct Ideum’s Multitouch Tables as well as being the point person for multitouch hardware support. Before coming to Ideum, Chris handled support for Hewlett Packard and Intel and worked as an electrician. Chris has an associate’s degree in computer science.
Andrew Berry
Andrew is a designer and developer at Ideum, specializing in media production, web and exhibit design. Before joining Ideum, he worked in the film and television industries as a camera assistant, location scout and graphic designer. He received a BFA in Art Studio from the University of New Mexico. In his free time, Andrew works on typographic experiments using prisms and mirrors.
Charles Veasey
Charles is a multimedia developer and internationally exhibited artist based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. He received an MFA in Electronic Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BS in Visual and Audio Communications Technology at Bowling Green State University. He works as a designer, programmer, and sound engineer. He has been a working artist in the field of new media art for over a decade creating electroacoustic compositions, interactive installations, and web art. His work serves as a reflection of perceptual awareness; it encourages meditations on the self (human), the environment (nature), and the future (technology).
Izaac Tajan
Izaac is an exhibit technician and support specialist at Ideum, Inc. He assists in the construction of multitouch tables and custom exhibits. He received a BA in philosophy and Spanish, and an MA in landscape architecture from the University of New Mexico. He is interested in designing public space that integrates interactive technology to communicate a narrative of place. In his free time he enjoys composing music, creating visual imagery and being active in the environment, both real and virtual.
