3 Things I’ve Learned About UX Design from EdTech

by Sarah Mondestin

Educators are fast and efficient humans who learn new things quickly-so quickly that we are able to turn around and teach the new things to others. My “new thing” is user experience (UX) design and this is what I’ve learned already.

I recently shifted from the classroom to EdTech. I was a school principal, educator, and business owner for 11+ years. Now, I am the Content and Community Manager at BrainPOP and love every minute of it. I’ve had the opportunity to conduct A/B testing, lead user research, and participate in design brainstorming, ideation, and prototyping for a new product.

Little did I know I would be working alongside an experienced and saavy product manager. My PM is not only an expert in playful learning and UX for kids, but she also teaches a UX design course at NYU. I often spend time picking her brain. This fierce lady, along with other industry gurus, soon became my UX teachers.

Here are three lessons I’ve learned (so far):

1. Learn and absorb everything. Be a sponge. The first book my product manager recommended was Marty Cagan’s Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love. This book taught me about the world of product in such a practical way and made me feel more confident with my team. I also started the Google UX Design Certification Course and joined the UX Collective group. I discovered that my natural passions for writing and inclusivity were represented by other UX writers and researchers, like Torry Podmajersky and David Dylan Thomas. Yvonne Gando of Google emphasizes the importance of a UX writing team and Alicia Quan interviews a ton of great EdTech designers on her podcast.

2. Ask questions. Imposter syndrome is debilitating. Meeting in a room full of design experts and product teams can be intimidating for someone who is a UX newbie. But asking questions is powerful. It challenges people to ditch the jargon and communicate clearly, creates a sense of mentorship in people, and helps you gain valuable insight, quickly.

3. Diversity is gold. If you like UX design but think you don’t belong here, you’re in the right place. The whole point of creating good user experiences is to create them for everyone. Daniel Jenkins and Lisa Baker remind us that “true inclusive design…is about designing for as diverse a range of people possible.” Having a diverse group of people sit at the ideation table is key for creating inclusive and accessible products. Inviting people from underrepresented groups to help create these products can lead to underrepresented groups using the products.

Find other articles from Sarah on medium.