JANICE VON ITTER
Janice
Von Itter
I am a challenge-seeking system thinker who also delights in little details.
I create physical and digital products that people love, from concept to completion.
I thrive surrounded by passionate people who live to build things, from engineers and designers to lawyers and linguists.
My portfolio spans over many years and many products - wearables, robots, voice interfaces, game consoles, virtual reality, apps and websites. A few of my favorite projects are shown below. Reach out if you'd like to see more.
Greatest Hits
DaVinci Single Port // 2022
The da Vinci Single Port (SP) robot enables a variety of minimally invasive surgical procedures. I help empower surgeons and improve patient outcomes by developing new robot features and instruments. I also write and maintain detailed specifications to guide development and achieve FDA approval.
Firefox Reality // 2019
Firefox Reality (FxR) was an experimental browser by Mozilla, created to give users a privacy-respecting way to access web content in virtual and augmented reality. I worked across organizations, bridging the main Firefox team with the Mixed Reality team, to help transition from a proof-of-concept to the best VR browser on the market. In less than one year I helped increase weekly active usage of the browser by over 300% across the Oculus and HTC platforms
Bossa Nova Robot // 2018
As Head of Product and UX, I worked directly with Bossa Nova's main retail client, Walmart, to understand the problems facing their workers and their business. Working closely with hardware and software engineers, I helped devise solutions to these problems through advanced robotics and machine learning. I also managed the Product and UX team in charge of robot deployment and data reporting/visualization.
Fitbit Ionic // 2017
I held a variety of roles on Fitbit Ionic. I started as the Lead Designer at the very early concept stages, defining key experiences and behaviors. As the project grew, I was promoted to Design Manager to lead a team of 10 designers building this high-end smartwatch, Fitbit's other wearables and the developer platform. Eventually I made the switch to Product Management, where I continued to support Ionic as well as Charge and Alta product lines. Since 2017, Ionic has been worn by nearly 2 million people.
Fitbit Blaze // 2016
I designed all interactive aspects of Fitbit's first smartwatch as part of a two-person team. From the concept phase, through to launch and four customer software updates, I worked closely with product managers and engineers to ensure a delightful, high quality user experience. The Blaze has sold over 5 million units since its release in 2016.
GoPro Hero5 // 2015
I held a variety of roles on Fitbit Ionic. I started as the Lead Designer at the very early concept stages, defining key experiences and behaviors. As the project grew, I was promoted to Design Manager to lead a team of 10 designers building this high-end smartwatch, Fitbit's other wearables and the developer platform. Eventually I made the switch to Product Management, where I continued to support Ionic as well as Charge and Alta product lines. Since 2017, Ionic has been worn by nearly 2 million people.
Xbox One // 2013
Leading up to the 2013 launch of the Xbox One, I led interaction design for many of the core gaming and social apps - Friends, Parties (multi-player gaming), Achievements, Game DVR, Skype, Messaging and more. I also designed service-driven social experiences used by nearly 50 million Xbox Live users across two consoles, on mobile devices, Windows and the web.
education
Master of Science
Human Centered Design & Engineering
University of Washington, June 2007
Bachelor of Science
Journalism
Boston University, January 2002
Additional Coursework
Typography, Infographics, Graphic Design at School of Visual Concepts