October 29, 2024 • 11 mins
Ready to transform your teaching skills into a thriving UX career? Join me, Coach Zee, as I share my personal journey from a 15-year teaching tenure to becoming a Senior UX Researcher in EdTech. This episode will equip educators with the tools needed to craft their first UX portfolio piece. By leveraging your current teaching experience, you'll learn how to tackle the unique challenges of portfolio creation, turning them into an opportunity to shine in the world of user experience and product design. Discover how to brainstorm solutions based on everyday problems and tailor your portfolio to fit your dream roles, whether in ed tech or beyond.
___
- Click here to sign up for a Career Strategy Call and receive the PDF file of my first UX portfolio project that I walked you through in this episode!
- In case you missed it: Season 1 Episode 15 - Building Your UX Portfolio for Transitioning Teachers
- Listen to my most popular episode: Communicating Your Why in Job Interviews
Text Me! 📱I’d love to hear from you! Click here to send me a message.
*Click the Support the Show link above to become a UXTP Premium Member and join the monthly Q & A for members only! Thanks for the love!
Resources:
- Follow us on Linkedin, Instagram, and YouTube for daily updates and tips.
- Grab your free UX transferable skills cheat sheet to get started on your transition journey to UX.
- Ready to find balance and unleash your creativity? Explore uxteacherprep.com to see how we can support you.
- Subscribe to our email list to be the first to receive updates about workshops and networking events.
- Want to be a guest on the show or know someone who’d be a great guest? Sign up here.
- Have ideas for a podcast topic you want to hear next? Email us at hello@uxeacherprep.com.
- Don’t forget to scroll down and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️review. Thanks for listening!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Coach Zee (00:00):
Hello teacher friends , welcome to the UX Teacher Prep
Podcast.
I'm your host, coach Z.
In today's episode, I'm goingto take you step-by-step through
the process.
I used to create my first UXportfolio piece when I was
switching jobs from teacher toUX and interviewing for those
new roles.
So creating a portfolio is hardwork, and I feel like this is
(00:21):
especially true for teachers,since we never had to create and
present a portfolio to get ourteaching jobs At least, I didn't
, since I didn't have anyexperience in UX.
When I started my portfolio, Iwas given the advice to try to
create a UX project based on thework I was currently doing.
So that's what I did.
So if you're looking into UXroles and you want to learn how
(00:42):
to use your current non-UXposition to create a case study
for your portfolio, this episodeis for you.
Stay tuned.
Narrator (00:52):
Welcome to the UX Teacher Prep Podcast, the
ultimate destination foreducators who aspire to break
into the field of userexperience and product design.
Your host, Zee Arnold, a15-year teacher turned UX
researcher, is here to guide,coach and mentor you through
every twist and turn as you makeyour career transition into
tech.
If you're ready for a moresatisfying career and lifestyle
(01:15):
and you want the balance tounleash your creativity, this
podcast is for you.
Now for the show.
Coach Zee (01:38):
Some of you might have listened to season one,
episode 15, where I gave a highlevel overview of how to build
your UX portfolio as atransitioning teacher.
But today I'm going to get morein-depth and detailed.
I'm giving you the full rundown.
Okay, let me start by sayingthat I did create my UX
portfolio using a website.
I used Wixcom.
It was cute and a nice additionto my resume.
I had the link on top andeverything.
(02:00):
But when it was time for me toactually interview, I had to
make adjustments.
I wanted the interview panel toknow who I was as a person, and
I love putting my personaltouch onto things that I do.
So I was told that I would beasked to walk them through two
projects I worked on myportfolio site, actually had
four projects on it, so what Idid was I pulled two projects
(02:22):
from my website, but I tailoredthem for the specific role and
company I was applying for.
Now, the way that I decidedwhich projects to present was I
chose the two projects that weremost relevant to the role I was
applying for and the type ofcompany.
So, since it was an ed techcompany, I chose a project that
was specifically from myeducation work in the classroom.
(02:42):
And then another project thatreally showed off my UXR skills,
since I was applying for a UXresearch role.
All right, so now I'm going towalk you through how I actually
created the project, and it's 10steps.
But before I get there,remember the slide deck that
you're going to present for yourpresentation and your interview
is going to guide you throughthe conversation that you're
(03:03):
going to have, aka yourinterview.
So set yourself up for successby even adding notes to your
slides for yourself so you canplan it all out in a way that
flows and makes sense.
And if you actually want to seethe PDF that I use for my
interview to get the job that Icurrently have, I'll be walking
you through that today and youcan actually sign up for a
career strategy call through mywebsite and that's going to be
(03:26):
linked in the show notes and thedescription box below and
that's how you would get to seethe actual PDF that I used to
get the job that I have today.
All right, now to the steps.
So the first step was tobrainstorm problems I recently
solved.
So I thought about all theproblems I recently solved in my
life, in my work, all around meand I wrote them down.
(03:48):
Okay, problems like problems inmy church community, problems
in my school, community,problems at home, anything that
I had to kind of work out to seehow I could solve a problem I
wrote them down.
Step two was I narrowed down toed tech related problems
because I knew I wanted totransition to ed tech.
(04:08):
So think about problems thatyou've solved in your community,
things you've helped familymembers do, or even things
you've done at work, whatrelates to the role that you
want to transition to.
So you might be listening todayand maybe you don't want to
transition to UX research or UXdesign inside of an ed tech
company.
Maybe you want to go to ahealthcare company.
(04:28):
So think about something thatcan align to what you want to do
.
Step three was that once Ipicked the problem, I wrote down
my process.
Now, for me, it was a projectthat I already worked on, so it
was a matter of going back andconnecting the dots to one,
understand how it related to UXand research.
And, two, identify the UXcomponents of that project and
(04:53):
remember UX stands for userexperience, and I really do feel
like user experience is hiddenin most problems that we need to
solve on a day-to-day basis.
So think about the ways thatyou have improved an experience
for other people, whether that'srelated to, you know, a medical
office, teaching, a financialsituation or otherwise.
(05:13):
So the project that I waspersonally working on was that I
was solving a problem thatteachers were having while
navigating a new LMS that wewere using.
So it was actually GoogleClassroom, and this was during
the pandemic, when we had toswitch to remote work and remote
teaching.
So step four was that Icompared my process to the UX
(05:36):
design process.
So looking at my processcompared with the UX process
broadly and then the UX researchprocess, so I wanted to see all
the steps that I took tocomplete my project and how it
aligned or didn't align to theUX research process.
And then step number five, Ifilled in all the gaps.
So, for example, I had to goback and look through emails
(05:59):
that I had received fromteachers to create an empathy
map based on what they werethinking, what they were feeling
and what they were saying whenthey came to me expressing their
pain points about that LMS.
So it was a part of my processoriginally, but it wasn't
something that I actuallydocumented anywhere while I was
in the thick of it, like dealingwith the problem and trying to
help teachers solve this problem.
(06:20):
So, for the purpose of theportfolio, it was important for
me to go back and get thatinformation, put it all together
and bring it in as a componentof my portfolio to show my
process, in other words, showyour work.
Step six was I createdsupporting evidence and visuals
so think charts, graphs,pictures to illustrate the data
(06:41):
from the project, and I includedsuccess metrics.
How did my work impact thestakeholders involved?
In my case, 100% of theteachers reported feeling
successful using the new LMS.
So my work improved engagement,satisfaction and retention on
my staff.
Step seven was that I built outthe study by typing it all up
(07:01):
and the research format that Iused was plan, research, analyze
, then report.
So I had to type all of that upand get it organized in a way
that would make sense and thatwas the format that I chose
based on the steps that I took.
So when I was all done typingit all up, putting it into that
slide deck, before I made itinto that final PDF to present
(07:22):
to the company I shared my workfor feedback.
That's step eight sharing yourwork for feedback.
So I actually shared it with ateacher turned UX researcher who
I met on LinkedIn while I wasnetworking and she had kind of
been mentoring me through theprocess of transitioning and
giving me tips and pointers onthe way, and I asked her if she
would look at my portfolio pieceand she said yes.
(07:44):
So I then took her feedbackplus my own feedback, and
iterated on my work to make itmore clear and concise.
And that's step nine.
Make sure that you get yourwork in front of somebody else's
eyes who is actually in the UXresearch space.
I know a lot of people thatlisten here have asked me to
look at their work and I've beenso glad to look at it and give
you guys feedback on what you'representing in your interviews.
(08:06):
Step 10.
Finally, I added my personaltouch and this is a bonus tip on
how I made my presentation abit more creative and
personalized.
So when you're interviewing fora position, it's your
opportunity to show them yourpersonality, who you are as a
human being.
People want to work with peoplewho are likable.
So if you have all the hardskills and experience required
(08:28):
for the role, but you're a rudeperson or you're combative or
you're hard to work with.
You never smile, you nevercrack a joke.
People are probably not goingto want to work with you every
day.
So in order for a company tosee if you're a good culture fit
, you have to show them who youare as a person.
So what I did was I included afew extra slides in the
beginning of my presentation toshow who I am, three slides to
(08:49):
be exact.
The first was a basicintroduction of my background
and how I discovered UX research.
The second was an about meslide to share pictures of
myself and my family and showwhat I like to do in my free
time.
I like to jump rope, I like totravel, I like to cook with my
family.
You want to make sure that theycan see that you are a human
being outside of work and showpictures of that so that they
(09:12):
could see who I really was.
And the next slide was where Iexplained my UX philosophy.
How do I approach my UX work?
What background experiences doI bring and pull from as I do my
work?
What are my underlying beliefs?
So, as you can see in thisslide deck, if you're looking at
it now, I focused on my beliefin inclusion and accessibility
(09:33):
when I talked about myphilosophy.
For you, it might be somethingelse.
Think about your philosophythat you use when you approach
your work, and that's what youwant to talk about.
You want to talk about thatvalue that you bring to the
organization and the angle thatyou're taking when you're
approaching your day-to-day work.
So now let's recap the steps.
First, I brainstormed my ideas.
(09:54):
Then I chose a former projector you can choose a new project
that centered on user experience.
I mapped out my process.
I created my visuals to show mydata and success metrics.
I typed it all up and organizedit.
I got feedback and revised mywork, and then I added my
personal touch.
All right, that's it.
I want to wish you all the beston your job hunt and, as always
(10:16):
, if my show has helped you inany way, please let me know.
Do not be shy.
Click, text me below or drop acomment if you're listening on
YouTube.
Thank you so much for listeningand take a moment to leave a
rating.
It really helps me grow andgets my podcast out to help more
listeners.
Until next time.
Narrator (10:38):
Hey, thanks so much for tuning in.
If you like this podcast, hit,follow and scroll down to leave
a five-star rating.
Then share it with a friend.
If you're looking for resourcesto help you on your tech
transition journey, head over touxteacherprepcom.
Follow us on LinkedIn andInstagram at uxteacherprep for
daily tips and motivation.
Have a topic you'd like to hearaddressed on the show?
(11:00):
Send us a DM on Instagram.
If you're listening on YouTube,like, subscribe and share.
Until next time, be well.
Hello teacher friends , welcome to the UX Teacher Prep
Podcast.
I'm your host, coach Z.
In today's episode, I'm goingto take you step-by-step through
the process.
I used to create my first UXportfolio piece when I was
switching jobs from teacher toUX and interviewing for those
new roles.
So creating a portfolio is hardwork, and I feel like this is
(00:21):
especially true for teachers,since we never had to create and
present a portfolio to get ourteaching jobs At least, I didn't
, since I didn't have anyexperience in UX.
When I started my portfolio, Iwas given the advice to try to
create a UX project based on thework I was currently doing.
So that's what I did.
So if you're looking into UXroles and you want to learn how
(00:42):
to use your current non-UXposition to create a case study
for your portfolio, this episodeis for you.
Stay tuned.
Narrator (00:52):
Welcome to the UX Teacher Prep Podcast, the
ultimate destination foreducators who aspire to break
into the field of userexperience and product design.
Your host, Zee Arnold, a15-year teacher turned UX
researcher, is here to guide,coach and mentor you through
every twist and turn as you makeyour career transition into
tech.
If you're ready for a moresatisfying career and lifestyle
(01:15):
and you want the balance tounleash your creativity, this
podcast is for you.
Now for the show.
Coach Zee (01:38):
Some of you might have listened to season one,
episode 15, where I gave a highlevel overview of how to build
your UX portfolio as atransitioning teacher.
But today I'm going to get morein-depth and detailed.
I'm giving you the full rundown.
Okay, let me start by sayingthat I did create my UX
portfolio using a website.
I used Wixcom.
It was cute and a nice additionto my resume.
I had the link on top andeverything.
(02:00):
But when it was time for me toactually interview, I had to
make adjustments.
I wanted the interview panel toknow who I was as a person, and
I love putting my personaltouch onto things that I do.
So I was told that I would beasked to walk them through two
projects I worked on myportfolio site, actually had
four projects on it, so what Idid was I pulled two projects
(02:22):
from my website, but I tailoredthem for the specific role and
company I was applying for.
Now, the way that I decidedwhich projects to present was I
chose the two projects that weremost relevant to the role I was
applying for and the type ofcompany.
So, since it was an ed techcompany, I chose a project that
was specifically from myeducation work in the classroom.
(02:42):
And then another project thatreally showed off my UXR skills,
since I was applying for a UXresearch role.
All right, so now I'm going towalk you through how I actually
created the project, and it's 10steps.
But before I get there,remember the slide deck that
you're going to present for yourpresentation and your interview
is going to guide you throughthe conversation that you're
(03:03):
going to have, aka yourinterview.
So set yourself up for successby even adding notes to your
slides for yourself so you canplan it all out in a way that
flows and makes sense.
And if you actually want to seethe PDF that I use for my
interview to get the job that Icurrently have, I'll be walking
you through that today and youcan actually sign up for a
career strategy call through mywebsite and that's going to be
(03:26):
linked in the show notes and thedescription box below and
that's how you would get to seethe actual PDF that I used to
get the job that I have today.
All right, now to the steps.
So the first step was tobrainstorm problems I recently
solved.
So I thought about all theproblems I recently solved in my
life, in my work, all around meand I wrote them down.
(03:48):
Okay, problems like problems inmy church community, problems
in my school, community,problems at home, anything that
I had to kind of work out to seehow I could solve a problem I
wrote them down.
Step two was I narrowed down toed tech related problems
because I knew I wanted totransition to ed tech.
(04:08):
So think about problems thatyou've solved in your community,
things you've helped familymembers do, or even things
you've done at work, whatrelates to the role that you
want to transition to.
So you might be listening todayand maybe you don't want to
transition to UX research or UXdesign inside of an ed tech
company.
Maybe you want to go to ahealthcare company.
(04:28):
So think about something thatcan align to what you want to do
.
Step three was that once Ipicked the problem, I wrote down
my process.
Now, for me, it was a projectthat I already worked on, so it
was a matter of going back andconnecting the dots to one,
understand how it related to UXand research.
And, two, identify the UXcomponents of that project and
(04:53):
remember UX stands for userexperience, and I really do feel
like user experience is hiddenin most problems that we need to
solve on a day-to-day basis.
So think about the ways thatyou have improved an experience
for other people, whether that'srelated to, you know, a medical
office, teaching, a financialsituation or otherwise.
(05:13):
So the project that I waspersonally working on was that I
was solving a problem thatteachers were having while
navigating a new LMS that wewere using.
So it was actually GoogleClassroom, and this was during
the pandemic, when we had toswitch to remote work and remote
teaching.
So step four was that Icompared my process to the UX
(05:36):
design process.
So looking at my processcompared with the UX process
broadly and then the UX researchprocess, so I wanted to see all
the steps that I took tocomplete my project and how it
aligned or didn't align to theUX research process.
And then step number five, Ifilled in all the gaps.
So, for example, I had to goback and look through emails
(05:59):
that I had received fromteachers to create an empathy
map based on what they werethinking, what they were feeling
and what they were saying whenthey came to me expressing their
pain points about that LMS.
So it was a part of my processoriginally, but it wasn't
something that I actuallydocumented anywhere while I was
in the thick of it, like dealingwith the problem and trying to
help teachers solve this problem.
(06:20):
So, for the purpose of theportfolio, it was important for
me to go back and get thatinformation, put it all together
and bring it in as a componentof my portfolio to show my
process, in other words, showyour work.
Step six was I createdsupporting evidence and visuals
so think charts, graphs,pictures to illustrate the data
(06:41):
from the project, and I includedsuccess metrics.
How did my work impact thestakeholders involved?
In my case, 100% of theteachers reported feeling
successful using the new LMS.
So my work improved engagement,satisfaction and retention on
my staff.
Step seven was that I built outthe study by typing it all up
(07:01):
and the research format that Iused was plan, research, analyze
, then report.
So I had to type all of that upand get it organized in a way
that would make sense and thatwas the format that I chose
based on the steps that I took.
So when I was all done typingit all up, putting it into that
slide deck, before I made itinto that final PDF to present
(07:22):
to the company I shared my workfor feedback.
That's step eight sharing yourwork for feedback.
So I actually shared it with ateacher turned UX researcher who
I met on LinkedIn while I wasnetworking and she had kind of
been mentoring me through theprocess of transitioning and
giving me tips and pointers onthe way, and I asked her if she
would look at my portfolio pieceand she said yes.
(07:44):
So I then took her feedbackplus my own feedback, and
iterated on my work to make itmore clear and concise.
And that's step nine.
Make sure that you get yourwork in front of somebody else's
eyes who is actually in the UXresearch space.
I know a lot of people thatlisten here have asked me to
look at their work and I've beenso glad to look at it and give
you guys feedback on what you'representing in your interviews.
(08:06):
Step 10.
Finally, I added my personaltouch and this is a bonus tip on
how I made my presentation abit more creative and
personalized.
So when you're interviewing fora position, it's your
opportunity to show them yourpersonality, who you are as a
human being.
People want to work with peoplewho are likable.
So if you have all the hardskills and experience required
(08:28):
for the role, but you're a rudeperson or you're combative or
you're hard to work with.
You never smile, you nevercrack a joke.
People are probably not goingto want to work with you every
day.
So in order for a company tosee if you're a good culture fit
, you have to show them who youare as a person.
So what I did was I included afew extra slides in the
beginning of my presentation toshow who I am, three slides to
(08:49):
be exact.
The first was a basicintroduction of my background
and how I discovered UX research.
The second was an about meslide to share pictures of
myself and my family and showwhat I like to do in my free
time.
I like to jump rope, I like totravel, I like to cook with my
family.
You want to make sure that theycan see that you are a human
being outside of work and showpictures of that so that they
(09:12):
could see who I really was.
And the next slide was where Iexplained my UX philosophy.
How do I approach my UX work?
What background experiences doI bring and pull from as I do my
work?
What are my underlying beliefs?
So, as you can see in thisslide deck, if you're looking at
it now, I focused on my beliefin inclusion and accessibility
(09:33):
when I talked about myphilosophy.
For you, it might be somethingelse.
Think about your philosophythat you use when you approach
your work, and that's what youwant to talk about.
You want to talk about thatvalue that you bring to the
organization and the angle thatyou're taking when you're
approaching your day-to-day work.
So now let's recap the steps.
First, I brainstormed my ideas.
(09:54):
Then I chose a former projector you can choose a new project
that centered on user experience.
I mapped out my process.
I created my visuals to show mydata and success metrics.
I typed it all up and organizedit.
I got feedback and revised mywork, and then I added my
personal touch.
All right, that's it.
I want to wish you all the beston your job hunt and, as always
(10:16):
, if my show has helped you inany way, please let me know.
Do not be shy.
Click, text me below or drop acomment if you're listening on
YouTube.
Thank you so much for listeningand take a moment to leave a
rating.
It really helps me grow andgets my podcast out to help more
listeners.
Until next time.
Narrator (10:38):
Hey, thanks so much for tuning in.
If you like this podcast, hit,follow and scroll down to leave
a five-star rating.
Then share it with a friend.
If you're looking for resourcesto help you on your tech
transition journey, head over touxteacherprepcom.
Follow us on LinkedIn andInstagram at uxteacherprep for
daily tips and motivation.
Have a topic you'd like to hearaddressed on the show?
(11:00):
Send us a DM on Instagram.
If you're listening on YouTube,like, subscribe and share.
Until next time, be well.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Ridiculous History
History is beautiful, brutal and, often, ridiculous. Join Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown as they dive into some of the weirdest stories from across the span of human civilization in Ridiculous History, a podcast by iHeartRadio.