I'm a technology researcher and educator working at the intersection of learning technologies, digital literacy, and applied research in low- and middle-income contexts. I've spent the last fourteen years in Cambodia, most of them running a design and technology studio, Glean Asia, that served donor agencies, governments and local NGOs across Southeast Asia. Glean was acquired by Kydon Group in 2025.
I now teach at the American University of Phnom Penh and am pursuing doctoral research at the Design Studies Institute on user-centered design in low- and middle-income contexts.
Current roles
Instructor, Faculty of Digital Technologies
Oct 2025 — present
American University of Phnom Penh
Teaching ITEC 101 (Introduction to Information Technology). Developing undergraduate UI/UX coursework for Fall 2026, grounded in human-centered design and field practice from the region.
Open Source Mentor
Jan 2023 — present
UNICEF Office of Innovation
Mentor 12 to 16 global technology teams a year through the UNICEF Venture Fund's open-source portfolio. Advise on product strategy, user research, and the work of building open-source communities around early-stage tools.
Doctoral Student
Mar 2026 — present
Design Studies Institute
Research focus: why user-centered design methods are underused in the design of digital interventions for LMIC contexts.
Research focus
My doctoral work sits at the intersection of human-centered design, ICT4D, and education in low-resource settings. I'm interested in the gap between what we know about context and what we actually let users tell us before we build.
The current research question grew out of more than a decade of practice: solutions decided before the user research started, and the research happening downstream of the decision. The thread I'm pulling now is structural: funding decisions commit to a solution before any design research is possible.
Professional experience
2011 — 15 · 2020 — 25
Director, Glean Asia
Phnom Penh
Founded Glean Asia in 2011 and led it through two phases, returning as Director from 2020 through the company's acquisition by Kydon Group in 2025. Built a Cambodia-based design and technology studio working with USAID, the World Bank, FHI360, Hagar International, Splash, Oxfam, World Vision, RACHA, UNFPA, and the Cambodian government on digital literacy, gender-based violence response, civic engagement, and education technology. Took the company through a USAID stop-work order in early 2025 and an acquisition by Kydon later that year.
2019 — 2024
Director of Innovation, Alongsiders International
Phnom Penh
Led digital strategy and product development for a youth discipleship movement operating across Asia and Africa. Managed digital vendors and platforms supporting real-time collaboration and resource sharing.
2015 — 2017
Innovation Program Manager, Development Innovations (DAI / USAID)
Phnom Penh
Part of the senior management team for USAID's Development Innovations project. Built and ran an innovation lab that trained more than 200 organizations in media, digital literacy, video production, and design thinking. Oversaw 30+ sub-programs and transitioned the lab to local NGO VBNK at project close.
2011 — 2014
Art Director, The Cobalt Group (an ADP company)
Seattle, Washington
Led a small team of interaction designers creating interactive digital advertising for global automotive brands, including General Motors, Toyota, Lexus, and BMW. Set creative direction and design standards across accounts and guided the team's day-to-day design and build work.
2009 — 2011
Interaction Designer, The Cobalt Group
Seattle, Washington
Designed and built custom digital advertising for major US automakers, including General Motors and Ford Motor Company. Produced interactive ad units end to end, from design through front-end development.
Consulting work
2019 — 2020
Technical Design Team Lead · Pact
Led the design and development of open-source tools addressing barriers facing women entrepreneurs in Cambodia. Built a chatbot that engaged over 3,000 users and mapped government service provision around business registration, labor rights, and social security. Read the case study →
2019 — 2020
Startup Research Consultant · The Asia Foundation
Designed and conducted key informant interviews with 20 women-founded startups in Cambodia. Adapted an open-source startup guide to the Cambodian context and delivered recommendations on mentorship matching and training program design.
2018 — 2019
Technical Design Team Lead · Save the Children
Directed user research and tool design to support the integration of children into local government accountability processes, with digital and analogue tools aligned to social accountability frameworks. Read the case study →
2018
Technology Research Consultant · OneWorld UK
Led a research team assessing risks faced by Cambodia's LGBTQI+ community in advocating for their rights; findings informed OneWorld UK's regional support strategy.
2018
Technology Research Consultant · Yoti Ltd.
Conducted a risk assessment on digital identity solutions for marginalized communities across Southeast Asia. Read the case study →
2017 — 2018
User Experience Consultant · Marie Stopes International Cambodia
Led research and design of tools to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services for women in Cambodia's garment industry. Read the case study →
Education
Master of Arts, User Experience Design (Merit)
Falmouth University, United Kingdom
Major project: The State of Modern Mobile Learning in the Global South, a systematic review of mobile learning interventions across 21 countries.
Selected publications & research outputs
Orndorff, J. (2023). The State of Modern Mobile Learning in the Global South. Systematic review (MA thesis, Falmouth University).
Orndorff, J. (2021). Guidelines for Accessing Socio-Economic Rights in Cambodia. Technical report. Pact and USAID. PDF →
Orndorff, J. (2020). Media Reach in Cambodia: Radio vs. Social Media. Internal research report. Far East Asia Broadcasting Corporation.
Orndorff, J. (2018). Digital Identity in the Last Mile: Lessons from Southeast Asia. Research report. Yoti Ltd. Summary →
Teaching & capacity building
Since 2017 I've designed and led training for NGO and ministry teams across Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Singapore, focused on user research, design thinking, and the practical work of building digital tools for low-resource contexts. In 2022 I led workshops on data visualization and UX for more than 100 Bangladeshi journalists, on a program with the U.S. State Department in Dhaka. I'm currently developing the UI/UX curriculum for AUPP's undergraduate program.