Sarah Edmands Martin

DESIGNER

Associate Professor
University of Notre Dame

Designer, artist, and scholar working at the intersection of visual communication design, critical fabulation, and media aesthetics. 


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IonQ

Website design, technical illustration, animation2019–2020
UI/UX design which included web design, technical illustration, animation, and visual storytelling for the first public quantum computing company.    







Concept


When the world’s first commercial quantum computing company, IonQ, went public, I used my design expertise to create animations, technical illustrations, and a user experience (UX) design that integrated the company’s ground-breaking science with an artistic sense of wonder. To demonstrate how IonQ machines use trapped ions for quantum bits (qubits) made from superconducting circuits, I worked with top computer scientists from Duke University and the University of Maryland to bring quantum computing storytelling from the lab to the market. The UX design takes a user through the journey of the quantum computing process, explaining details such as exciting and cooling electrons, isolating atoms, and trapping the ions.

website design
UI / UX design
technical illustration
animation
after effects
science and technology
infographic design

won 2020 Paris Design Awards (DNA) 
won 2019 C2A award in Websites and Online Media
won 2019 London International Creative award
company growth 2,000%


























I worked with the top scientists in their field to create a digital platform where users can parse data and learn about quantum computing via motion and web interaction. It all starts with nature’s qubit: the atom. Accurate, powerful, and flexible, ionized atoms are the heart of their quantum systems. 


The website takes a user through the journey of the quantum computing process, explaining details such as exciting and cooling electrons, isolating atoms, and trapping the ions.










As beautiful as they are rigorously accurate, these visualizations show the complexities of IonQ’s very particular scientific process. For example, by manipulating individual atoms, their machines have the potential to one day solve problems beyond the capabilities of even the largest supercomputers. 












In order to illustrate the ground-breaking technology of the first commercial quantum computer, I had to research and learn everything about this particular form of quantum physics. For example, their machines use trapped ions for quantum bits (qubits) and unlike other commercial systems, their devices use qubits made from superconducting circuits.