Cassidy Fidler

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

My favourite technical skill to work with is user journey mapping. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for aligning teams, spotting pain points, and uncovering the right opportunities to solve. It bridges the gap between user research and delivery—bringing insight into every decision we make and grounding even the most complex technical choices in real user needs. I love how visual, collaborative, and iterative it can be, and how it brings clarity when you’re navigating ambiguity.

One of my favourite skills to teach is stakeholder management—specifically how to set clear expectations, say no when needed, and keep roadmaps and backlogs focused and realistic. Product management often means balancing competing priorities and requests, and it’s essential to push back respectfully to protect scope and delivery timelines. I enjoy helping students build confidence in these conversations and learn techniques for prioritising work that truly delivers user value. It’s empowering for them to realise that saying no is not about shutting down ideas but about making better product decisions and leading their teams effectively.

The most important thing to me about teaching technical skills at General Assembly is helping students develop a strong user-first mindset alongside practical, industry-ready skills. It's not just about learning tools or frameworks—it’s about building the confidence to ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, and stay curious about real user needs. I love seeing students go from feeling unsure to running research sessions, mapping journeys, and making product decisions with purpose. For me, success is when a student can step into a product role and say, "I know how to make this make sense for the user—and I know how to bring my team with me."

My advice is to embrace the discomfort of ambiguity and see it as part of the learning journey—not something to fear. Technical skills often feel overwhelming at first because there’s so much to take in and not always clear "right answers." Developing resilience and curiosity is just as important as mastering tools or frameworks. When you get stuck or don’t know what to do next, lean into asking questions, experimenting, and learning from failure. Learning to be confident even when you don’t have all the answers will set you apart and help you approach complex problems with creativity and calm. Finally, focus on how your technical skills can serve real users or business goals—it keeps learning purposeful and rewarding.

Beyond teaching, I focus on coaching and building strong, happy teams where collaboration and trust drive success. I believe in "vibes-driven development"—creating environments where people feel supported and motivated to solve problems together. This approach not only boosts delivery but fosters continuous learning and innovation.

WHAT [Cassie’s] STUDENTS ARE SAYING...

"Cassie was really great and provided valuable insight from their professional experience as a PM."