John Ferrara has worked in information architecture since 1999, designing interfaces for websites, desktop applications, and video games. Since 2006 he's been with Vanguard, and before that did significant work for Unisys and General Electric. John was honored with the first Instone Award for Volunteerism in 2006 for his work on the UXnet website. John has been published in A List Apart, Boxes & Arrows, Interactions, presented at the IA Summit and EuroIA, and several webinars. He’s the author of the upcoming book Playful Design: Creating Game Experiences in Everyday Interfaces, to be published by Rosenfeld Media in 2012.  His nutrition education game Fitter Critters was a top prizewinner in the Apps For Healthy Kids contest, sponsored by Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign.  Before entering the professional world, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in communications. John blogs about game design and UI miscellany at WorldWideIntertubes.com.