Michiko Lynn Powers

Michiko Lynn Powers (Lynn) is currently the Product Manager at Gazillion Entertainment (SmartyCard.com) a venture backed, first-of-kind web service for online learning focused on the K-12 market enabling direct- to-consumer supplemental learning for students. Michiko defines and determines the functional requirements for SmartyCard's new features and enhancements. In 2008 she earned her Master's degree from the Learning, Design & Technology Program (LDT) in Education at Stanford University where she gained in-depth knowledge of how to assess and design an integrated, theoretically-informed and empirically-grounded framework for learning environments and products that effectively utilize emergent technology in a variety of settings. Prior to her graduate work, Lynn ran the daily operations of Powerful Concepts, LLC., a boutique production consultancy. From 2002 and 2005, she was an animation producer for a variety of leading animation titles at Geneon Entertainment, a subsidiary of Dentsu. Lynn received her BA in Political Science at Amherst College in 2002, where she was a prestigious Uchimura Kanzo Scholar. She also received a BA in 1998 in English and American Studies from Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. In 1996, she had the pleasure of attending Växjö University in Växjö, Sweden where she studied Swedish language, Scandinavian literature, history, culture and the welfare system. Lynn is a native of Kyoto, Japan and speaks Japanese, English and Swedish. Specialties: Product management, creating specifications and wireframes, knowledge of InDesign, Axure RP and CS4, conducting user research and usability testing.