

UX of EdTech
Alicia Quan
A design studio cultivating learning, creativity, and play
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 9, 2021 • 41min
Microsoft Education: Selecting your role in EdTech and thriving in it
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 navigating burnout
Insight on selecting a role in EdTech (not just design)
👉 Email Series: Exploring UX and Education HERE
⭐ Connect with Bridget:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- Website
🔺 Follow the UX of EdTech Network:
- Job Board
- Publication of resources on EdTech product design coming soon!
👋 Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley and Teknoaxe

Mar 2, 2021 • 26min
Design for Kids: Rosenfeld book supports digital products for playing and learning
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 she would make to the book for 2021
Some of the major pitfalls people fall into when designing for kids
Designing an experience for multiple age groups
👉 Email Series: Exploring UX and Education HERE
Connect with Debra Gelman:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- Design for Kids Book
Follow UX of EdTech:
- Job Board
- Publication of resources on EdTech product design coming soon!
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley

Feb 23, 2021 • 47min
UXKids: A design agency that develops products alongside kids
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 in collaborating and working together? Let’s connect below.
👉 Email Series: Exploring UX and Education HERE
Connect with Sabina:
- LinkedIn
- UXkids
- Blog
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Connect with UX of EdTech
- LinkedIn
- 💼 Job Board: UX Roles in EdTech
Music: Scott Buckley

Feb 16, 2021 • 31min
Microsoft Flipgrid: The design approach and the secret sauce
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 educators as designers and future founders
The role of teacher and student voice in product design
What’s on the horizon for Flipgrid
👉 Email Series: Exploring UX and Education HERE
Connect with Justin Chando:
- Twitter
- Flipgrid
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley

Feb 9, 2021 • 31min
Wakelet's Product Design: A team effort with educators and students
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 HERE
Connect with Finlay Thorburn:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- Wakelet
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley

Feb 2, 2021 • 51min
Building UX Education: Bringing together researchers and practitioners
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 stages
Finding meaning in your work
👉 Email Series: Exploring UX and Education HERE
Connect with Colin Gray:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- LX Book Chapter
- UXP2 Lab
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley

Jan 26, 2021 • 36min
The UX of Nearpod: EdTech Design Approach + Teacher and Student Voice
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
👉 Email Series on EdTech Product Design HERE
Connect with Lauren:
- Nearpod
- South Florida UX Meetup
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley and Teknoaxe

Jan 19, 2021 • 27min
What is Educational UX? (edUX)
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 discussion includes defining edUX and where this domain is headed in the future.
👉 Email Series exploring UX and Education HERE
LinkedIn Discussion Post
Connect with Kim Ducharme:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- CAST
- Blog on edUX
- edUX Meetup
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley and Schematist

Jan 12, 2021 • 39min
UX Manager Insights: EdTech Design Specialization, UX Research with Teachers, & UX Careers
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 Article
- LinkedIn
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley and Teknoaxe

Jan 5, 2021 • 55min
Pixar in a Box: How companies and designers can develop their vision for education (X in a Box)
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 that provides opportunity for all.
- What it is like to work at Pixar
- How companies can grow their education initiatives
- Advice for designers and educators
- Unpacking the Media Bias Project based on “When They See Us” (co-written and directed by Ava Duverney)
Explore UX and the EdTech space: https://sendfox.com/ux.edtech
Connect with Elyse Klaidman and X in a Box:
- X in a Box Website
- Twitter
- Adobe MAX Talk
- Pixar in a Box (Lesson Plans)
Connect with Alicia & the Podcast:
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- YouTube
- Instagram
- Medium
Music: Scott Buckley and Teknoaxe


