@jesicarson

jesi [dot] carson [at] gmail [dot] com

Unceded territory of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam First Nations
[aka]
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Jesi Carson is a design researcher and interaction designer specializing in community engagement and creative facilitation. Her current roles include Design Technology Lead of Participedia︎︎︎, Co-director and Board President of the Vancouver Design Nerds︎︎︎, and Co-founder of the Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation︎︎︎. She has published and presented her collaborative work at various conferences and scholarly events, including the International Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference, the Participatory Design Conference and the American Institute of Graphic Arts MAKE Conference for Educators.

MDes
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
[2016 - 2018]
Master’s Degree, Interdisciplinary Design Research

BDes
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
[2009 - 2013]
Bachelor’s Degree,  Interaction Design

Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation
[2020 - Present]
Co-founder

• Partnership development and strategic direction
• Process design, facilitation and student facilitation training for multi-week co-design workshops
• Scholarly publications and presentations

Vancouver Design Nerds
[2021 - Present] Co-director & Board President
[2016 - 2021] Co-director & Project Lead
jesi@designnerds.org

• Production of placemaking initiatives and urban interventions, such as Bird Bath and the Vancouver Bubble
  
• Production of design jam events
  
• Custom co-design and prototyping projects with clients

Participedia
[2021 - Present] Design Technology Lead
[2015 - 2021] Lead Designer & Communities Coordinator
info@participedia.net

• Design and technology research and production of open source crowdsourcing platform (github.com/participedia︎︎︎)

Studio for Extensive Aesthetics︎︎︎, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
[2020 - 2021]
Research Fellow & Studio Manager

• Support production of projects and artistic research, including experiments in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Basic Design
[2013 - 2016]
Co-Founder & Design Partner

• Design and fabrication of upcycled consumer products
  
• Design and fabrication of custom interior design and furniture for clients
  
• Production of educational upcycling events and workshops
  

Cultivate Projects
[2012 - 2016]
Co-Founder & Project Coordinator

• Design and implementation of community-led urban agriculture projects
  

Henriquez Partners Architects︎︎︎
[2013 - 2015]
Graphic Designer

• Design and production of reports, open house boards, award submissions, RFQs, architectural wayfinding and other projects  
• Lead editorial team for Archimemo online publication
  
• Website and social media management

CityStudio Vancouver︎︎︎
[2012]
Web-Based Communications Intern

• Development of Web-Based Communications Handbook
  
• Website and social media management

IBI Group Architects︎︎︎
[2011-2012]
Graphic Designer

• Design and production of architectural renderings,slideshows, presentation boards, publication layouts and other projects
  

Emily Carr University of Art + Design︎︎︎
[2011]
Research Assistant

• Co-designed unique, user-centered research methods to engage stakeholders and inform Lions Gate Hospital foyer space redesign
  
• Produced comprehensive report for Vancouver Coastal Health and IBI Group Architects
  

Basecamp International Centers
[2006 - 2008]
Marketing Manager & Volunteer Coordinator

• Redesigned brand identity and produced marketing collateral
  
• Developed and implemented Campus Representative marketing strategy
  
• Managed BaseCamp Nicaragua in 2007 and BaseCamp Nepal in 2008, including coordination of volunteer placements, orientation, language training and in-country support

2022    Wingfield, Matthew, Marco Adamovic, Bettina Von Lieres and Jesi Carson. “International Collaboration Through Design Thinking: A Case Study of the Global Classroom for Democracy Innovation.” International Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference (ISSOTL 2022). Kelowna, BC, November 3-5, 2022. 

2022     Carson, Jesi. “Participedia: Crowdsourcing Democratic Innovations.” University of the Western Cape, June 21, 2022. (video recording)

2022     Carson, Jesi. “Participedia: Community & Crowdsourcing Platform.” Simon Fraser University,
Health Sciences, August 22, 2022.

2021     Frid-Jimenez, Amber and Jesi Carson. “Feminist HCI x Participedia.net.” Methods, Theories and Taking Action Through Gender and Feminisms in Computer-Human Interaction (HCI). University of Kassel, Germany. August 9-10, 2021.

2020     Patrick Scully, Bonny Ibhawoh, Amber Frid-Jimenez, Julien Landry, Bettina Von Lieres and Jesi Carson. “Crowdsourcing Global Knowledge about Democratic Innovations - An Introduction to Participedia.” DemocracyXChange Festival. Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Toronto, Canada. Oct 19, 2020.

2020     Frid-Jimenez, Amber and Jesi Carson. “Participedia: Crowdsourcing Participatory Democracy for the Public Good.” Prix Forum Digital Communities. Ars Electronica Festival, Linz, Austria. September 9 - 13, 2020.

2020     Frid-Jimenez, Amber and Jesi Carson. “Designing Participedia: A Collaborative Research Platform.” Participatory Design Conference, Manizales, Colombia, June 15-19, 2020.

2019     Hay, Sarah and Jesi Carson. “Design Thinking Methods for Engagement.” Dialogue & Civic Engagement Certificate. SFU Public Square. Vancouver, Canada, 2019.

2019     Frid-Jimenez, Amber. “Participedia Reloaded: the power of open source.” Participedia Partners Conference. Southampton University, UK. June 10-13, 2019.

2017     Carson, Jesi. “Design Thinking x Democratic Innovations.” 17th Conference of the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy, Montreal, Quebec, June 16-19, 2017.

2017     Carson, Jesi. “Design Thinking x Participedia.” Participedia Summer School. University of Montreal, Montreal Quebec, June 12-16, 2017.

2016     Carson, Jesi and Amber Frid-Jimenez. “Mapping the Democratic Innovations of Madrid.” Collective Intelligence for Democracy. Media Lab Prado, Madrid, Spain. November 27 - December 2, 2016.

2016     Hay, Sarah and Jesi Carson. “Design Thinking for Facilitators.” Skillful Engagement Series. SFU Public Square, Vancouver, Canada, 2016.