Priscilla Cao

Instructional Associate - UXB, General Assembly

Houston

With focus on UX Research and Interaction Design, Priscilla is an Instructional Associate who aids in mentoring students through their own journey by leveraging her experience of graduating from GA's own User Experience Design Immersive, and freelancing work that she does on the side.

IN CONVERSATION WITH PRISCILLA CAO:

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

My favorite technical skill to work with on my own projects would be the interaction design and bringing the designs to life. Another favorite would be to work through the research and synthesizing big pictures down into digestible problems that can be ideated and solved through different designs.

What is your favorite technical skill to teach to students and why?

I love to talk through and teach working with developers and clients because building a good relationship and networking is the biggest part of being a user experience designer. We work with people 100% of the time. Even when we are doing the design stuff, we are interacting with someone and understanding how to talk to your audience and present your work to whoever is looking. It is such an important skill to know and to be comfortable with.

What is most important to you about teaching technical skills at General Assembly?

Ask all the questions. There are no such thing as dumb questions. The only dumb questions are the ones not asked! Everyone starts at a different baseline and learns at different paces, so being engaged and asking all the questions will help the learners process in understanding the material more.

What advice do you have for anyone looking to learn technical skills to reach new career goals?

Stay curious and always continue to want to learn. No one knows everything. People who are successful in their careers are people who always want to learn and expand on what they already know. Challenge yourself, good things are never easy-easy things are never good.

What would you like to highlight about your experience in your technical domain outside of teaching?

I'm a freelancer, so I work with a variety of different clients. I would love to be able to share that with others, so they feel empowered to take on their own personal clients and not feel like they have to limit themselves to a regular 9-5 job if it doesn't fit their lifestyle.

WHAT PRISCILLA'S STUDENTS ARE SAYING...

"Priscilla creates a welcoming and safe environment in class daily. She continually draws from her experience as a GA student and her design experience afterwards to help us build confidence in our designs/research."

"P is an awesome instructor! She is always available for support and gives real, honest feedback in a supportive matter that helps us grow and learn. I enjoy all the time I've spent learning from her."