Frank Jacob

Professor Frank Jacob is a Professor of Interface Design at the Muthesius Academy of Art and Design in Kiel, where he has been developing this specialized focus within the Industrial Design program since 2005. He is also a member of the Cluster of Excellence for Inflammation Research 'Inflammation at Interfaces' since 2011, conducting interdisciplinary research with students in medical and bioinformatics fields.

Frank Jacob's research interests center around interface design, user experience, usability, and interaction design, with particular expertise in motion graphics, affordance theory, and the relationship between aesthetics and usability. His work bridges design theory with practical applications in medical informatics and bioinformatics. His research demonstrates a consistent focus on how design principles can enhance user interaction with technology across various domains from consumer products to medical applications.

His publications from 2005-2011 reveal a strong trajectory in understanding the intersection of usability and aesthetic design, with particular emphasis on motion graphics, touch interfaces, and conceptual design frameworks. The publications show progression from foundational work on affordances and usability in industry toward more specialized applications in mobile interfaces and natural user interfaces.

• 2012 red dot communication design award, category: Mobile & Apps
• 2011 Nomination for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2012 (4x)
• 2011 iF communication design award, category: Product Interfaces (2x)
• 2010 red dot award for highest design quality: 'red dot: best of the best' (2x)
• 2010 iF communication design award, category: Product Interfaces
• 2009 Best Session Award from the Usability Professionals Association UPA
• 2009 Nomination for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2010
• 2008 red dot award for highest design quality: 'red dot: best of the best'
• 2006 Best Session Award from the Usability Professionals Association UPA

Professor Jacob has been actively involved in advising students through his research projects, particularly within the Cluster of Excellence for Inflammation Research. His professional activities extend to numerous international conferences where he has presented on topics ranging from multitouch interaction to the innovation potential of interaction design for product design. He maintains his own design office 'human interface.design' in Hamburg, which specializes in user-centered design of technical devices and interactive media.

He is an active member of several professional organizations including the Usability Professionals Association (UPA), the German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF), the German Informatics Society (GI), and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He also serves on the advisory board of iCom – Journal for Interactive and Cooperative Media.