Hello!
I’m Alan Browning.
I’m a creative technologist based in San Francisco, CA.
As a senior software engineer at Google, I’ve spent the past five years building virtual and augmented reality interfaces. Prior to that, I designed and built large-scale, gesture-driven, spatial interfaces for data visualization at Oblong Industries and interned as a visual effects artist at Pixar Animation Studios on the movies UP and Toy Story 3,
I hold a S.B. in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I was an undergraduate researcher in the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab working on motion-capture-driven interfaces for 3D animation.
Oh, I’m also an aspiring circus performer.
I sometimes make things out of wood.
Work
Google VR
I worked on a variety of projects from new VR headsets, to 6DoF tracked controllers, to interaction prototyping, to VR system UI design.
MIT Media Lab
In the Tangible Media Group at the MIT Media Lab, I developed multi-user, spatial interfaces. Geppetto, for example, was an application that used motion-capture input to drive and edit keyframe-based animation workflows.
Oblong
As a member of the Client Solutions team, I designed and built custom interfaces for data visualization. I also helped bring our flagship product, Mezzanine, to market.
Play
Cyr Wheel
I discovered Cyr Wheel in April 2019 at Circus Center in San Francisco and became immediately obsessed. I continue to train and hope to perform in a showcase or cabaret one day.
Climbing
I’ve been climbing for the better part of 15 years. Lately, I’ve been dipping my toes in the trad climbing waters and hope to one day tackle multi-day big wall climb.
Woodworking
I’ve been around a wood shop since childhood. It is my zen space. There is something deeply satisfying about making something with your hands.