Mentoring the Next Wave of UX/UI Designers
Mentoring the Next Wave of UX/UI Designers
Mentoring the Next Wave of UX/UI Designers
How I helped my students build skills, confidence, and portfolio-worthy case studies.
How I helped my students build skills, confidence, and portfolio-worthy case studies.
How I helped my students build skills, confidence, and portfolio-worthy case studies.
✅
✅
✅
What: Offline course (Minsk, Belarus)
What: Offline course (Minsk, Belarus)
What: Offline course (Minsk, Belarus)
📅
📅
📅
Duration: 3 months (18 lessons)
Duration: 3 months (18 lessons)
Duration: 3 months (18 lessons)
👩💻
👩💻
👩💻
My Role: Volunteer instructor
My Role: Volunteer instructor
My Role: Volunteer instructor
🎓
🎓
🎓
Students: 8 career switchers with no prior design experience
Students: 8 career switchers with no prior design experience
Students: 8 career switchers with no prior design experience
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📒
📒
Curriculum: UX and UI fundamentals, teamwork, presentation skills
Curriculum: UX and UI fundamentals, teamwork, presentation skills
Curriculum: UX and UI fundamentals, teamwork, presentation skills
🎯
🎯
🎯
Final Outcome: Two portfolio-ready projects per student – one individual and one group
Final Outcome: Two portfolio-ready projects per student – one individual and one group
Final Outcome: Two portfolio-ready projects per student – one individual and one group
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
CONTEXT
Zefir Design School is a creative education program in Minsk, Belarus, that helps students explore the depth and diversity of the design world. The school offers structured courses in graphic design, UX/UI, and intensive bootcamps that combine both disciplines. As a volunteer instructor, I led an offline UX/UI design course, guiding career switchers beyond theory into real-world design work.
Zefir Design School is a creative education program in Minsk, Belarus, that helps students explore the depth and diversity of the design world. The school offers structured courses in graphic design, UX/UI, and intensive bootcamps that combine both disciplines. As a volunteer instructor, I led an offline UX/UI design course, guiding career switchers beyond theory into real-world design work.
Zefir Design School is a creative education program in Minsk, Belarus, that helps students explore the depth and diversity of the design world. The school offers structured courses in graphic design, UX/UI, and intensive bootcamps that combine both disciplines. As a volunteer instructor, I led an offline UX/UI design course, guiding career switchers beyond theory into real-world design work.
Contribution
Contribution
Contribution
Guiding, Teaching & Supporting: How I Helped Students Grow
Guiding, Teaching & Supporting: How I Helped Students Grow
Guiding, Teaching & Supporting: How I Helped Students Grow
As an instructor, my goal was to bridge the gap between theory and practice, helping students gain hands-on experience and build their first design portfolios. My key contributions included:
As an instructor, my goal was to bridge the gap between theory and practice, helping students gain hands-on experience and build their first design portfolios. My key contributions included:
As an instructor, my goal was to bridge the gap between theory and practice, helping students gain hands-on experience and build their first design portfolios. My key contributions included:
Structured Learning Experience:
I guided students through the full UX/UI design process, ensuring they understood key steps from discovery to final UI execution.
Structured Learning Experience:
I guided students through the full UX/UI design process, ensuring they understood key steps from discovery to final UI execution.
Structured Learning Experience:
I guided students through the full UX/UI design process, ensuring they understood key steps from discovery to final UI execution.
UX Research & Product Thinking:
We covered design briefs, user interviews, user personas, customer journey maps, and competitive analysis, helping students develop design thinking and problem-solving skills.
UX Research & Product Thinking:
We covered design briefs, user interviews, user personas, customer journey maps, and competitive analysis, helping students develop design thinking and problem-solving skills.
UX Research & Product Thinking:
We covered design briefs, user interviews, user personas, customer journey maps, and competitive analysis, helping students develop design thinking and problem-solving skills.
Wireframing & Prototyping:
I introduced students to low- and high-fidelity wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing to create functional digital products.
Wireframing & Prototyping:
I introduced students to low- and high-fidelity wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing to create functional digital products.
Wireframing & Prototyping:
I introduced students to low- and high-fidelity wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing to create functional digital products.
Visual Design Principles:
I taught essential typography, color theory, composition, and grid systems, ensuring students could create aesthetically strong interfaces.
Visual Design Principles:
I taught essential typography, color theory, composition, and grid systems, ensuring students could create aesthetically strong interfaces.
Visual Design Principles:
I taught essential typography, color theory, composition, and grid systems, ensuring students could create aesthetically strong interfaces.
Feedback & Design Analysis:
I provided detailed feedback on each assignment, helping students improve their portfolio projects, develop critical thinking skills, learn from mistakes, and make informed design decisions.
Feedback & Design Analysis:
I provided detailed feedback on each assignment, helping students improve their portfolio projects, develop critical thinking skills, learn from mistakes, and make informed design decisions.
Feedback & Design Analysis:
I provided detailed feedback on each assignment, helping students improve their portfolio projects, develop critical thinking skills, learn from mistakes, and make informed design decisions.
Portfolio & Presentation Skills:
I helped students refine their work and present their final projects, improving their ability to communicate design decisions confidently.
Portfolio & Presentation Skills:
I helped students refine their work and present their final projects, improving their ability to communicate design decisions confidently.
Portfolio & Presentation Skills:
I helped students refine their work and present their final projects, improving their ability to communicate design decisions confidently.
Outcome
Outcome
Outcome
5 out of 8 students successfully transitioned into UX/UI design, landing their first jobs with the portfolios they built during the course.
5 out of 8 students successfully transitioned into UX/UI design, landing their first jobs with the portfolios they built during the course.
5 out of 8 students successfully transitioned into UX/UI design, landing their first jobs with the portfolios they built during the course.
LEARNINGS
LEARNINGS
LEARNINGS
Hands-on practice is the key to confidence. Students learned best when applying concepts through real projects rather than just studying theory.
Hands-on practice is the key to confidence. Students learned best when applying concepts through real projects rather than just studying theory.
Hands-on practice is the key to confidence. Students learned best when applying concepts through real projects rather than just studying theory.
Teaching is also a learning experience. Mentoring students deepened my own understanding of UX/UI by pushing me to explain processes clearly, reflect on key concepts, and structure my knowledge through answering diverse questions.
Teaching is also a learning experience. Mentoring students deepened my own understanding of UX/UI by pushing me to explain processes clearly, reflect on key concepts, and structure my knowledge through answering diverse questions.
Teaching is also a learning experience. Mentoring students deepened my own understanding of UX/UI by pushing me to explain processes clearly, reflect on key concepts, and structure my knowledge through answering diverse questions.
Personalized, in-depth feedback accelerates growth. It helped students not only improve their work but also develop critical thinking and design analysis skills.
Personalized, in-depth feedback accelerates growth. It helped students not only improve their work but also develop critical thinking and design analysis skills.
Personalized, in-depth feedback accelerates growth. It helped students not only improve their work but also develop critical thinking and design analysis skills.
Design education isn’t just about concepts and processes—it’s about collaboration. It’s essential to guide students in understanding the importance of teamwork, articulating their design decisions, and giving and receiving constructive feedback for a successful career.
Design education isn’t just about concepts and processes—it’s about collaboration. It’s essential to guide students in understanding the importance of teamwork, articulating their design decisions, and giving and receiving constructive feedback for a successful career.
Design education isn’t just about concepts and processes—it’s about collaboration. It’s essential to guide students in understanding the importance of teamwork, articulating their design decisions, and giving and receiving constructive feedback for a successful career.