UX of EdTech

Alicia Quan chats with Jamie Reffell, Head of Design at Clever . In this episode, Jamie gives us a working definition of design maturity and then weaves that throughout Clever’s recent story of design team growth. We talk about what happens when design maturity models don’t neatly apply to smaller teams and what the team at Clever did when they were in that situation. Also, what are the particular...

Alicia Quan chats with Kara Hodecker , Head of Product Design at Panorama Education. In this inspiring episode, Kara masterfully unpacks how the team diagnosed their maturity level and the steps they are taking to grow rapidly while steadily increasing in design maturity. This is Part 2 of the Design Maturity Series. How do leaders build design maturity in their teams and across their EdTech compa...

Design maturity at EdTech companies. Who’s the best? This episode kicks off Season 2 and a series on Design Maturity within education and EdTech companies. We have a wide variety of companies and guests lined up so stay tuned! In this episode, Alicia Quan chats with Adil Dhanani , Director of Product Design at Handshake . One of many things that stand out about Handshake is the presence of a Chief...

Alicia Quan recounts the last year of the podcast (est. June 2020) and her journey in moving from a classroom teacher into UX and product design. She also discusses what is next for UX of EdTech.  More announcements coming soon! @ux_edtech 🔺 Follow the UX of EdTech Network and Alicia Quan: - UX job opportunities in EdTech - Medium Publication of resources on EdTech product design and researc...

Alicia Quan chats with two instrumental team members on the Google Classroom product: Amanda J. Rosenburg - Lead Researcher, Team Lead Cora Foxx - a UX Design Lead We chat about: How to research and design for such a diverse pool of users globally Researchers considering self-care for the stories they carry (especially during the pandemic) How learning theory (academic research) and UX research of...

Alicia Quan chats with Brett Gunter , a product designer at Weld North Education working on Imagine Learning products. They chat about a variety of topics, including: Bootcamp vs. university vs. self-taught routes Portfolio and interview tips First year designer tips Design critiques Favorite resources Continuing to sharpen skills throughout your career 👉 Email Series: Exploring EdTech Product De...

Alicia Quan chats with several members from the team at BrainPOP about the collaborative work of cross-functional teams and the extra concerns that EdTech teams have in this space of education, students, teachers, and all the key players in that space. They touch on having varied experiences before working in product design, including the role of a science teacher. They also cover some portfolio a...

Alicia Quan chats with Mauricio Malo and Joy Leelawat , UX Designers at Kahoot! They talk about the diverse work environment of this company, their advice for designers working in the education space, and an example of a design approach. 👉 Email Series: Exploring EdTech Product Design, UX, and Education HERE --- ⭐ Connect with Mauricio Malo: - LinkedIn - Twitter - Website ⭐ Connect with Joy Lee...

How do you create a valuable digital user experience for children? Alicia Quan chats with Rubens Cantuni , designer and author of Designing Digital Products for Kids. We discuss this guide to designing beautiful, usable, and ethical digital experiences for kids. Be sure to follow up on the UX of EdTech publication for his guest article that gives a sneak peek of the book. 👉 Email Series: Explorin...

How do you teach UX design to teens? Alicia Quan chats with Hazel Wyllie , UX Designer at BBC. Hazel is passionate about introducing young people to design thinking and careers in the design and tech industry. This conversation unpacks a 30-minute lesson Hazel gave at a Tech Taster Day for girls. They also discuss how to scale this experience and why it is so important to share design thinking wit...

Let’s dig into the important work of EdTech innovation and how founders, designers, and researchers can team up. Alicia chats with Ash Kaluarachchi , an EdTech startup guru, about several questions including: Do EdTech companies and entrepreneurs have a real grasp on what actual classrooms, teachers, and students need in K12 and higher ed? What edge do former educators have in the EdTech startup s...

Alicia Quan chats with the product team at Adobe for Education . The team unpacks many aspects of their roles and they answer questions that include the following: • How did you transition from teaching into your current role? What transferable skills do you rely on? • How do you connect Adobe products to what educators and students are already using and experiencing? • How is your design approach...

Alicia chats with Dr. John Spencer , education professor and former middle school teacher. When John discovered UX design, it transformed how he approached his classroom. This is a must-listen for educators of all types. 👉 Email Series: Exploring UX, Education, and EdTech HERE ⭐ Connect with John Spencer: - Twitter - Blog article : 7 Ways UX Design Theory Transformed My Approach to Course Design...

Alicia Quan chats with leaders from the Prodigy Education team. We cover some tough and important questions, including: - How do Product Management and Product Design work together? - How does the team manage business viability with learner efficacy? - How do they balance this learner efficacy with student desirability? In other words, is it just a fun game or are students really learning math? -...

Alicia Quan chats with Asia Hoe, Senior Product Designer at Newsela. Their discussion includes: - Relating the work of design systems with the work against systemic injustice - Unpacking and refreshing your design process - Tips for designers in the EdTech space - Reflections as a woman of color in tech and design - Newsela’s anti-racist curriculum work 👉 Email Series: Exploring EdTech Product De...

How do you thrive in an EdTech role? Alicia Quan chats with Bridget Weis , Senior Design Manager at Microsoft Education . They discuss: How teaching experience influences her design position today Unpacking the decision to pursue building Microsoft Teams for Education vs. Microsoft Classroom Tips for transitioning into the EdTech space Advice for EdTech product designers Stress management and navi...

What should you consider when designing for kids? Alicia chats with Debra Gelman , the author of Design for Kids , a Rosenfeld publication. She is also the SVP of Experience Design at Bottle Rocket. They cover a lot of ground, including: Book’s origin story The difference of designing for a 7-year old versus a 9-year old. Outstanding apps for children Hurdles of writing a book on design Changes sh...

Alicia chats with Sabina Idler , the founder of UXKids . She is passionate about interactive media and designing for a very special and unique target group: children. UXKids is the first research and consulting firm in the Netherlands that is specialized in UX research and Interaction Design for children. At UXKids they believe that the best children products are developed WITH kids. 📧 Interested...

Alicia chats with Justin Chando, the Director of Design and Vision at Flipgrid, Microsoft. This conversation is packed with insight as we dive into this powerhouse of a tool for the classroom. Topics include: The origin story of Flipgrid (founded by an educator) Justin’s journey and background in entrepreneurship Portfolio and resume tips for designers seeking EdTech positions Encouragement for ed...

Alicia chats with Finlay Thorburn , a product designer at Wakelet, about designing for teachers and students and why he has gravitated towards working with the education community. The team effort required to design for the education community Tips and advice for product designers in the EdTech space What is on the horizon for Wakelet and the design team 👉 Email Series: Exploring UX and Education...

Alicia chats with Colin Gray, PhD, who headed up one of the first UX undergraduate programs at Purdue University. They chat about: Building one of the first UX design undergraduate programs Advice in building a UX education program How does LX stand out from UX and ID How do academic research and actual practice interact and influence one another Recommendations for UX students of all sorts and st...

Alicia chats with Lauren Schaefer, the Director of UX/UI at Nearpod. Listen to get a look at the design approach behind Nearpod as they discuss a variety of topics for designers and educators: The role teachers and students play in the design work Advice for product designers working in EdTech Portfolio tips for UX designers The role of Director of UX What’s on the horizon for Nearpod fans 👉 Emai...

Alicia chats with Kim Ducharme , the Director of Educational User Experience Design at CAST. She works at the intersection of user experience design, instructional design, and the learning sciences. Kim leads the creative process from brainstorming through prototyping to product launch. She is committed to harnessing the power of design to tackle the educational challenges of our time. Our discuss...

Alicia talks with Alison Park Douglas , a UX Manager in EdTech currently at SMART Technologies. We discuss several topics: Taking the bootcamp route and transitioning careers EdTech product design considerations Doing user research with teachers Limits in EdTech for students Portfolio/resume advice and red flags 👉 Email Series on EdTech Product Design HERE Connect with Alison: - UX Career Change...

Alicia talks with Elyse Klaidman , former Director of Pixar University and a founding leader for Pixar in a Box and Imagineering in a Box supported by the Walt Disney Company. Beyond Pixar and Disneyland, Klaidman and the “ X in a Box ” team are working with other companies to package their resources for students across the globe. They are committed to working towards an equitable education system...