About Us

Ideum designs and creates interactive computer-based exhibits, 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 60 interactive media projects covering a variety of topics—in the fields of art, culture, history, music, science, and technology. The goal is to create visitor-centric exhibits that are seamlessly integrated: a balance of compelling design, intuitive navigation and usability, 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 multi-touch and multi-user table as a platform for gesture-based exhibits which allow visitors to use intuitive hand gestures to manipulate images and media items and to interact with computer-based applications.  We've also working on smaller-scale multi-touch kiosk for single-user exhibits.

On the Web, we've designed and developed EditorOne, a customizable, online video editor, allowing Web visitors to make their own video mashups.

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. In addition, we designed and operate Museum Blogs and Museum Podcasts,  twin directories and aggregators for the museum community. In 2009, we launched Multitouch Blogs a news and directory site for multi-touch technology.

Clients

  • Adobe Systems Inc.
  • Adventure Science Center
  • The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
  • Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC)
  • Astronomical Society of the Pacific
  • California Science Center
  • Chabot Space & Science Center
  • Computer History Museum
  • David Rumsey Historic Map Collection
  • The Exploratorium
  • Liberty Science Center
  • Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
  • Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
  • NASA
  • National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
  • The National Park Service
  • National Science Foundation
  • New Mexico Museum of Natural History
  • Royal British Columbia Museum
  • The Tech Museum of Innovation
  • UC Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory
 

Mailing List

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Partners

Ideum works with a number of exhibit design companies and consultants. We've collaborated with Big Think Studios, Global Imagination, Natural User Interface Europe AB, Paul Orselli Workshop (POW!), Ralph Applebaum Associates, Redmond-Jones and Associates, and S2 Associates, among others.

Association of Science-Technology Centers Member

Jim Spadaccini

Jim is the director and founder of Ideum. Formerly he 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 and currently teaches for the Cultural Resource Management Program at University of Victoria, British Columbia and the Technology-Enhanced Communication for Cultural Heritage (TEC-CH) program at the University of Lugano, Switzerland.

James Kassemi

As the Senior Software Developer, James has extensive experience building and maintaining web-based applications. Before joining Ideum, he founded Tweeked Ideas, a company responsible for the design of community-driven websites. James is fluent with many open applications and programming frameworks and avidly supports open source software and development. His development methods focus on efficiency, security, accessibility, and stability.

Paul Lacey

Paul is the Senior Multitouch Engineer at Ideum. Paul has a BS in Physics from the University of Exeter, England and an MA in Educational Technology from Michigan State University. Before coming to Ideum, Paul worked as Science and Math teacher then went on to found Quantunet an educational technology company producing video tutorials for students and professionals worldwide.

Chris Gerber

Chris specializes in bridging multimedia programming and design at Ideum.  He studies at the University of New Mexico, and is working toward a degree in Biochemistry and applied Computer Science.  Before joining Ideum, he established himself through experimentation with attention to detail in multimedia design, programming, and photography.

Jonathan Lee

Jonathan is a programmer and multimedia developer at Ideum specializing in Flash ActionScript development.  He has a Master's degree in Media Arts and Computer Science from New Mexico Highlands University and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from the University of North Texas.

James Cartwright

James focuses on CSS manipulation, XHTML, and Web standards for Ideum. 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. James is an accomplished old-school barista, an off-the-beaten-path film buff, as well as a husband and father of three.

Chad Person

Chad Person is a Project Coordinator and Designer at Ideum. He received 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, and Editorial Director at Terifik.com. He is an internationally exhibited fine artist with work in numerous public/private institutions. His primary intent is to find harmony at the intersection of design and experience.

Kemper Barkhurst

Kemper Barkhurst is the Designer at-Large for Ideum. He has studied at University of New Mexico's Media Arts Department. Before joining Ideum, he founded Identified Media an interactive design and consulting firm, which served educational, commercial, and non-profit clients. Kemper specializes in photography, video, and interactive media. He also has experience designing physical exhibits and custom furniture. Kemper often works projects where the physical design intersects with computer interactives.

Eric Brian Smith

Eric is the 3D Designer-at-Large at Ideum and with a BS degree in Industrial Design and Architecture from North Carolina State University, Eric was born to think 3D. As a designer and musician, his worlds are interconnected with rhythm, texture, color, balance, and composition. From scientific models to high-tech fuel cell vehicles, to fly-throughs over virtual landscapes, Eric can make them all happen at the speed of light.