Allison Crank

I'm a designer and researcher based in Paris, originally trained as an architect at Wellesley College and MIT, then Contextual Design at Design Academy Eindhoven, and Design for Digital Innovation at EPFL and ECAL. In 2020 I founded Crank Studio — a practice devoted to experiences where design feels precise, human, and alive.

My work spans XR, VR, MR, game design, AI-driven interfaces, and spatial computing. I was lead interaction designer on IMPULSE, an Emmy-nominated mixed-reality experience about ADHD, perception, and neurodiversity, and on Glimpse, an animated VR experience that won Best Interactive Experience at Cannes XR and the VR Cristal at Annecy after premiering at Venice. I've also designed therapeutic games for neurodiverse adolescents currently entering clinical trials, and culture-care systems for hospitals and museums.

Past collaborators include National Geographic, Google News Initiative, Meta, Audemars Piguet, Dreamscape, La Biennale di Venezia, and MIT. Projects have premiered at Venice, Cannes, Tribeca, and Annecy.

Before Crank Studio I was Head of Digital Experiences at wowl, and a researcher at the EPFL+ECAL Lab where I worked on the UNESCO-recognized Montreux Jazz digital archive. My research has appeared in Leonardo (MIT Press) and at SIGGRAPH, and my practice has been profiled by XRMust.

I've taught at the Architectural Association Visiting School in Melbourne (four editions) and at HSLU in Lucerne, where I teach spatial design and architectural theory. I also mentor at the Venice Biennale College Cinema — most recently for the 2026 edition.

I design for how people feel, move, and make meaning in complex, hybrid worlds.