Join Fred Beecher and Ange Wang as they share how they have addressed the local need for more UX designers through project-based learning and professional apprenticeship programs.

Professional Critique in the Classroom

What better way to shape an aspiring UX professional’s education than leveraging the knowledge of local professionals? Ange Wang will share the results of asking professional UXers to critique student work, and show how this unique approach not only gave students valuable feedback, but also established real-life expectations for their future careers.

Maximizing Mentorship in the Office

Every project is a learning opportunity for someone, and your company is full of them! Taking advantage of these opportunities requires a little planning and a lot of mentorship. Mentorship accelerates learning like nothing else, making these learning opportunities invaluable to both your team and your organization.

Mentorship is the cornerstone of The Nerdery’s UX Apprenticeship program. Fred Beecher will share what he and his colleagues have learned about building teams, honing skills, and integrating mentorship into their daily work.

The Presenters:

Ange Wang, Designer & Educator

Ange is a graphic and interactive designer who has taught as adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota College of Design since 2007.

Ange recently joined the user experience team at Honeywell as a Senior UX Researcher after years of consulting in education-focused nonprofits and small businesses centered on healthcare and fine arts. Here she conducts user research to inform the end-to-end (re)designs of industry-focused products and services.

Fred Beecher, Director of User Experience Design at The Nerdery

Fred Beecher has been working in User Experience since 1998. In that time he’s seen UX mature from a field struggling to prove its value to one driving an explosion of innovation and economic growth. To help feed the ever-increasing demand this explosion has sparked, Fred designed and implemented the UX apprenticeship program at The Nerdery in Minneapolis, MN where he is currently the Director of User Experience Design.

Fred is an established contributor in the UX world. In 2007, he authored the first official Axure training program, which he ran until 2012. He has written numerous articles and blog posts on prototyping, iterative design, and UX career development, and he has spoken on these topics at design conferences worldwide.

Location:

Metro State University

Great Hall, New Main Building

700 East Seventh Street

St. Paul, MN 55106

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