Amando Moreno

Amando Moreno is a GA graduate, now an Associate Instructor helping the next generation of GA students through mentorship and guidance. He is committed to reaching and delivering people of diverse backgrounds into the tech industry with the goal of creating more equitable systems and products. Outside of teaching UX Design, his interests involve hiking, playing soccer, traveling, and spending time with his family.

IN CONVERSATION WITH AMANDO:

What is your favorite technical skill to work with on your own projects and why?

Heuristics - it involves designing with trends and principles of design; it is easier for the layperson to notice when something is wrong/not working rather than when something is working properly.

Figma - this is a tool that is ever changing and growing in complexity and I never fail to amaze students with my Figma skills (mainly because they want to be good fast and they don't realize/dismiss the idea that I've been working in Figma for many years now)

Helping students understand how the methods and principles of UX lead to tangible designs.

Discover the structure/methods that optimizes your learning (i.e. having a social media account where you follow UI Designers; podcasts about UX, social issues, and Anthropological/Psychological topics; mentors and social circles that keep you in the loop and accountable - are just a few of the things that can help you with your learning structure).

Once you've defined your structure, continue refining it and building upon good foundations!

A "growth mindset" has become a keyword for many UX Design job descriptions, but I can attest that if you can sharpen your inner child's curiosity for learning new things, a growth mindset will come naturally and will help you enjoy learning new things - that's right, actually enjoy learning, even during hard times or complex concepts.

"It's a marathon, not a sprint." You may have to sprint a couple of times within that marathon to reach your goals is what I would add to that proverb. I studied Industrial Design, Software Engineering, and Product Management which gave me lots of knowledge used in the UX/Product Design field, but it would be very remiss of me not to mention that my upbringing, my culture, my previous experience and my experience post UX Design, and much more has made me the Designer I am today.

I have a few awards for a couple of Industrial Design group projects, but as cheesy as it sounds, I don't find the awards as rewarding as the experience I gained. That is especially true now, in hindsight. So I will continue appreciating and being cognizant of the process as I continue working in new projects throughout my career.

WHAT AMANDO'S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...

“Amando has a calming and reassuring presence in the classroom. He is very knowledgeable about the course curriculum, and has real world experience with it as well.”