Senior Instructor Associate - UX Design
“I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think”
What is General Assembly?
Since 2011, General Assembly has helped over100K+ alumni worldwide launch tech careers through award-winning tech bootcamps, and hundreds of top companies build diverse, scalable tech talent pipelines.
For over two years, I’ve been teaching a full-time, 12 week UX remote boot camp. That’s over ten cohorts, with over 200 students graduated into industry.
My Role: Senior UX Design Instructor Associate
When: March 2022 -Current
My favorite thing about this work
My greatest learning has come from teaching. General Assembly’s design immersives provide a special environment for intensive, fast-paced, community- driven learning.
Our students come from all walks of life - all ages and stages; we have had lawyers, carpenters, artists, product managers, recent college graduates. Together they learn fundamental participatory design principles. They learn to listen for the needs of people and allow that to inspire innovative ideas.
They take the leap towards creating a better future for themselves, their careers. Our students leave the course not only equipped with the skills to thrive in industry as designers, but compelled to work with organizations that seek to improve life in some way for people in the world.
What I teach
PROJECT 1
RAPID PROTOTYPING
Students build foundational knowledge of UX concepts using:-
Design thinking, rapid prototyping and iteration.
We cover core UX skills and methods, from how to run user interviews, to sketching and prototyping.
Students finish this unit with a proposed solution to a problem in the form of a clickable prototype.
PROJECT 2
INFO ARCHITECTURE
Re-designing an e-commerce website using:-
Evaluative research, testing and evaluating an existing product, we explore how e-commerce sites are structured.
Then we leverage the research to design an e-commerce site that implements information architecture, web layout and UI best practices to provide an intuitive, conventional and findable shopping experience.
PROJECT 3
DESIGNING IN TEAMS
Professionalize the design process by working in teams to research and design a robust, high fidelity prototype of a web application.
1. Understand and address the needs of a specific business and their niche clientele.
2. Work effectively on a team of designers to delegate work and accomplish the scope outlined by the deadline.
PROJECT 4
WORKING WITH CLIENTS
The Capstone Project; a culmination of all design work learned throughout the course.
Students work in teams as UX consultants with real-world clients to understand their business, propose a scope of work that will help clients move their business forward.
It is an around the clock job, but when I am not teaching, you might find me …
One to Ones with students
Researching industry trends
Collab with co-instructors
Planning & Iteration
Scouting prospective clients
Planning alumni panels
Grading
Building student teams
Student success team collabs
Feedback & critique sessions
What my students say
Linda's exceptional teaching has surpassed all my expectations. Her expertise, coupled with her caring demeanor has made her an invaluable asset to the course. Linda provided overwhelming support, helping us grow as designers and providing us with the confidence we need to move forward. Linda brings a much-needed perspective that always keeps the human experience front and center.
Marc Roman
Linda has a beautiful way of stretching our minds outside of the material, and getting us thinking about concepts. I appreciate that she holds space for the emotional journey we're also on, and ensures that we feel empowered along the way. This aspect of her teaching has helped tremendously with my confidence. There is no safer space to think, feel, question, and just "be" than with Linda.
Chloe Colden
Linda’s ability to truly connect with each student is remarkable, navigating the emotional highs & lows of the program, while helping us understand the root of our challenges in design. Her feedback was constructive and actionable, pushing me to grow my skills, and inspiring me to move beyond my comfort zone.