About.

Being a teacher is both an honor and a privilege. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done, and I’ve learned more about myself in the years I’ve been a teacher than I have during my entire life put together. I didn’t know I could be a mentor, an actor, a mother and a motivational speaker all at once, at the same time. I’ve learned that I can be a great communicator, discovered I have an extraordinary range of emotions to express and even that I have a flair for interior design. But that’s not all. Here’s a list of skills a (good) teacher practices on a weekly basis:
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-User research
-User testing
-Stakeholder interviews
-Communication skills
-Analytics
-Interaction design
-Empathy

Sound familiar? It turns out, teachers are more than well-equipped to take on roles outside the classroom, particularly in UX/UI design. We define problems, empathize with the students, utilize all kinds of data to make curriculum design decisions, treat every lesson like a prototype and the delivery of lessons like a usability test. 

Like design, there is no one-size-fits-all solution in education. While taking time to understand the needs of the students, I have to design effective educational experiences while also considering the expectations from stakeholders–the administrators, parents and the state. Not to mention keeping in mind the constraints, which include budget, statewide learning standards, curriculum guidelines, class size, access to technology…etc. As far as multitasking goes, it doesn’t get any better than this. 

If human-centered design can be described as “a creative approach to problem solving,” (IDEO) then everything from the arrangement of the classroom to presenting a new curriculum to my principal demonstrates that teachers already understand human behavior. Launching myself into the UX/UI industry has given me little resistance coming from this background, and I’m nothing short of grateful for my experiences.