Amir: former Technical Director of Farts & Explosions for South Park; current UX designer for MSN.The geek in question: Amir Bahadori

The job title: UX Designer II

What are you working on right now?
My team works with Fortune 500 companies to create entertainment experiences that we promote on the MSN homepage. We just did a website for LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers — it was this 3D book that opened up and had articles and content about his life.

Essentially every project is its own universe. We take from our services and create an experience that people can come in and play with and spend some time with the brand, so there's a bit of brand lift.

Ha! You said “brand lift.” So, do you feel like you're part of the design underdog when compared to, say, Apple?
Being a designer at Microsoft — it's a tight-knit group and there's a high bar for quality. There's a real camaraderie that happens. Maybe it’s a black-sheep thing. Luckily, Microsoft encourages all employees to have a voice, so we stay true to the Microsoft ethos by backing up our opinions and making ourselves heard. At the end of the day, it’s our audience and customers who have the last word.

Which Microsoft product designs stand out for you as the crowning glories of the brand?
There’s a lot of great stuff coming out of the online and entertainment divisions. Steve Kaneko's team is doing amazing work — he heads up the UX and Design for Zune.

Zune is a good example of how a great UI and rockin’ brand and brand visuals come together with hardware and software to make a cool, cohesive user-experience. I’ve been converted completely.

That said, Microsoft is a huge company of smart people and so there are lots of little pockets of creativity to be found. Getting comfortable at Microsoft's South Lake Union office

What were you doing before Microsoft — I heard something about farts and explosions?
I'm originally from LA where I studied illustration and new media at the Art Center College of Design. Right after graduation, I got hired to work on South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut and then went on to spend four and a half years working on the TV show. My official title was just Technical Director, but on my first day at Microsoft, my hiring manager introduced me as a former "Technical Director of Farts & Explosions” and it stuck.

What farts and explosion skills do you apply to your job?
I learned to be slightly critical of what is generally accepted, which is a definition of irreverence and a tenet of innovation. I get free creative reign on the team I work on, which I may or may not get on other teams at the company. Pushing the envelope while being mindful of constraints is the balancing act that makes working here fun...

That said, I DO think there's a place for farts and explosions in Microsoft Office. I think people are ready for that. Cube with a view

How's the cultural transition worked, going from LA to New York ... to Redmond!?
That was the biggest hurdle for me. When I first moved here, I lived in Bellevue for about a year. Coming from NY, it wasn't a good fit for me at all – living near downtown Seattle is a better fit and has some of the urban racket that reminds me of my former home. Five weeks ago my team moved from Redmond to Microsoft's South Lake Union office in Seattle. It feels like starting a new job! And I can literally see my apartment from here.

It’s a pretty different atmosphere too — we have a Whole Foods down the street and a WaMu and Starbucks in the lobby. And I can see the Space Needle out my office window, which is kind of a treat and reminds me that I’m a Seattleite… as if my first pair of Keen sandals didn’t make that abundantly clear.

Links links links!