Teaching Rapid Prototyping: From Career Changers to Industry Leaders

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Overview

With a passion for education, I have taught design thinking and UX design strategy in various contexts, from academia to industry. My experience includes leading a capstone portfolio course at the University of Northern Colorado, serving as a graduate teaching assistant at Parsons School of Design, and facilitating hands-on bootcamps and UX courses at General Assembly in Denver. Currently, I apply my teaching background to empower clients by coaching them on implementing continuous customer feedback loops to refine digital experiences and drive business success.

Human-Centered Approach

I believe problem-solving starts with collaborative, low-fidelity sketching of possible solutions. As an artist by training, I leverage foundational art and design principles to break down complex UX challenges into tangible, strategic solutions. My approach is rooted in service-oriented design, where collaboration and iteration lead to meaningful outcomes. Through sketches, paper prototypes, and whiteboarding sessions, I encourage students and teams to explore ideas rapidly, fostering a mindset of experimentation and refinement.

Impact

Through a hands-on, theory-to-practice approach, my teaching has equipped students and industry professionals with actionable design thinking skills, empowering them to tackle real-world challenges with confidence. At General Assembly, I guided career changers into UX through experiential learning and mentorship, many of whom successfully transitioned into UX roles. In the corporate space, I empower clients to adopt research-driven decision-making, enabling them to create more user-friendly digital products. By instilling a culture of design thinking, I help organizations embrace UX as a continuous, customer-value-driven process.

Growth Through Design

Community development initiatives showcase how creative collaboration transforms public spaces and fosters meaningful growth.