Design
Free
Online
Thursday, 24 July, 2025
12
–
1
pm
EDT
The minds behind UX design: Skills and trends to stay ahead
About This Event
UX is the backbone of user satisfaction, brand loyalty and conversion, and business success. If you’re obsessed with delivering best-in-class design and product solutions, this may be the role for you. And if you’re in an adjacent role, like product management, it may be a good time to broaden your skillset. During this panel discussion, you’ll get the chance to meet our bench of UX design experts, hear about our UX courses, and learn about the trends and skills quickly changing the field.
Takeaways
Get an understanding of what makes our instructors special.
Learn about the GA classroom experience.
Understand what you can expect to gain from learning hot skills.
About the Instructor
Clementine Brown
Principal Product Designer, Red Badger
Clementine is a Principal Product Designer and Design Educator. She has been designing for the web since before the smartphone 😱, educating UX designers of the future at General Assembly since before Brexit 🎓, and mentoring designers and career-changers since before the pandemic 🦠.
You can find her at clmntnbrn.co.uk, cactushandshake.co.uk, and LinkedIn.
I’m Letizia, and I’m a Senior Freelance Experience Designer. My job as a UX designer is very diverse , I like working on different phases of design, from Research, Strategy, Service Design and Product design. I am passionate about bringing an ethical perspective to businesses through innovation and design thinking. I’ve worked both in-house and agency side. Some of my clients include UCL, Starling, JustGiving, Sutherland Labs, Shelter, Bally, Arcadia, Else, Guy’s and St Thomas’s Charity. In the last few years, my focus has been working with startups and small businesses in the social, health and sustainability sectors 🌱 🌎. I am particularly passionate about creativity and self-expression in the workplace and business. As a coach, I help people connect to their strengths, creativity and vision. I have been teaching at GA since 2018, and I love it! I mentor and coach Junior designers as they step into their new careers.
IN CONVERSATION WITH Letizia Ghisletta:
What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?
My favourite technical skill is ideation — especially when it follows rich user research. I love using design thinking to turn insights into fresh, creative possibilities. Ideation sits at the sweet spot between analysis and imagination, and it allows me to bring both my UX and coaching skills together. Whether I’m designing experiences or supporting people through blocks, I’m always looking for ideas that are both innovative and human-centred. .
What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?
Coming up with ideas (of course ;0) ! I love using tools like ‘How Might We’ or Crazy 8s to tackle both simple and complex problems.
What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?
Seeing the possibility of changing careers later in life: the joy, the hope, and the possibilities that become real for people is incredibly powerful. I’ve gone through this experience myself, and I know how challenging it is to put yourself on the line. But it’s also deeply rewarding, and a real privilege to witness that transformation in others.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?
Stay open and keep a beginners mind, especially if you have tons of experience in other or similar fields. The people who learn and grow faster are the ones who stay grounded, playful and open to the unknown.
What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?
I’m a certified life coach, yogin, and musician, and I bring a holistic lens to my teaching approach. In UX especially, I encourage students to stay connected to their passions outside of work. As creatives, these are not distractions. They are what make us unique as humans and professionals. I’m deeply inspired by helping people thrive in their self-expression, strengths, and individuality so that they can make a difference not only to their lives but also to teams, communities and leadership.
WHAT [Letizia’s] STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
”I am especially thankful for Leti's ability to empower us and help us believe in ourselves and our abilities. I am thankful for their unconditional support, their openness and accessibility, and their willingness to help and guide us every step of the way.”
Julianne Burke
Background in virtual/augmented reality
Julianne Burke is a UXDI Lead Instructor who is passionate about uplifting the next generation of designers and exploring design’s role in social change. She has experience leading creative direction for a range of experiences, including virtual and augmented reality games, 360° green screen photo booths, and touch screen experiences, all of which empower her to be an informed and resourceful educator. In her creative practice, Julianne designs with accessibility and inclusivity at the forefront. Outside of work, Julianne is active in the design community as a writer, speaker, and zine-maker.
IN CONVERSATION WITH JULIANNE
What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?
The most important thing to me when teaching technical skills is to emphasize how all of these skills are simply tools for students to call on when they need them. Not every project needs every skill, and it's fine if some skills come easier than others. They are all ultimately building a student's design toolbelt.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?
Advice for anyone looking to learn new technical skills is to immediately find a way to apply those skills in a project where you can see their impact.
What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?
Outside of teaching, I have experience leading creative direction for a range of technologies, including virtual and augmented reality games, 360° green screen photo booths, and touch screen experiences, all of which ultimately empower me to be a more informed and resourceful educator.
WHAT JULIANNE'S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...
“Julianne was a great instructor. I really appreciated learning from her, she was friendly, approachable, and super inspiring especially in terms of social causes that we can approach as designers. She constantly shared her favorite resources, design tips, real world experience and fun facts.”
“Julianne is a really great instructor -- she explains things super clearly and also makes sure that everyone is on the same page during lecture before moving on. She is really great about providing an abundance of extra class resources in our Slack for the majority of lessons, including other design communities or design-related events. She is also really empathetic and adjusts the class schedule/ timing to our needs (for example, if we're in the really busy part of a project, she'll move around lectures so we have more time to work on the projects). She is also just a good person and makes it clear that she is non-judgmental of each of our identities and personal circumstances!”
Community Code of Conduct
Your registration for or attendance at any General Assembly offering indicates your agreement to abide by this Community Code of Conduct policy and its terms.
Spread the Word
