Teaching & mentorship

Philosophy

Good design education looks a lot like good design practice: start with the person in front of you, understand where they are, and build from there.

I teach because I believe the design community gets stronger when experienced practitioners invest in the people coming up behind them. Whether I'm running a seminar, reviewing a portfolio at 11pm for a career-changer who's nervous about their first interview, or giving critique to a designer who's been in the field for five years — I show up the same way: honest, specific, and on their side.

My approach to teaching is rooted in real professional practice. I don't assign abstract exercises. I build assignments that mirror the decisions designers actually make at work — how to frame a problem, how to present your thinking, how to give and receive critique productively, how to know when a design is done.

I also believe that who belongs in a design classroom matters. I've worked to make every course I've taught feel like a place where people from very different backgrounds could actually belong and do their best work.

University teaching

2021 – 2023  ·  Certificate program · Live & synchronous · Career changers  ·  Online

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Adjunct Instructor, UX Design

Taught live, synchronous UX certificate courses for career changers, with a TA supporting each cohort. Led one-on-one critiques and wrote detailed feedback on every submission, with a focus on career readiness over grades.

2021 – 2023  ·  Certificate program · Live & synchronous · Career changers  ·  Online

University of Miami

Adjunct Instructor, UX Design

Taught live, synchronous UX certificate courses for career changers, with a TA supporting each cohort. Provided written feedback focused on career readiness rather than just grades. Treated every student as capable of doing the work, and built the course around that assumption.

Mentorship

2020 – Present

Designlab

Design Mentor & Career Services Mentor

Mentoring designers on UX/UI fundamentals, portfolio development, and career strategy. Also serve in Career Services, working directly with graduates to help them land jobs through portfolio feedback, iteration, and interview prep. Many mentees have gone on to land their first design roles or make significant career moves.

2021 – Present

ADPList

Mentor

Portfolio reviews, career advice, and project feedback for designers around the world. Covering everything from first portfolio reviews to senior-level career pivots and design leadership transitions.

2020 – 2021

Springboard

Hiring Manager Reviewer

Evaluated bootcamp graduate portfolios against industry hiring standards. Wrote detailed pass/no-pass feedback for designers preparing to enter the industry, working directly with career-changers at the undergraduate level.

What people say

What I teach

Core UX
  • User research & methods
  • Usability evaluation
  • Information architecture
  • Interaction design
  • Prototyping
Design practice
  • Design thinking & process
  • Critique & feedback
  • Portfolio development
  • Visual design & typography
  • Accessibility (WCAG)
Emerging topics
  • Designing AI-powered products
  • Conversational UX
  • Human-computer interaction
  • Career strategy
  • AI tools in the design workflow

Get in touch at hello@amy.work