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Felesia McDonald, '14 is an adjunct instructor in the iSchool, teaching courses in User Experience (UX). McDonald is also the Sr Manager UX Design at Optum, a branch of UnitedHealth Group.

McDonald worked as a page designer at the Plain Dealer but went back to school to get a diploma in web design from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. This introduced her to the field of UX.

“I enjoyed the strategy behind building a website more than designing, which led me to UX” McDonald said.

The UX master's degree program at 91�ֿ� helped McDonald refine skills such as client and stakeholder interaction and presenting.

“The program provided me with learning the methodology that goes into building a good interaction and having a good user experience,” McDonald said.

“I try to teach a holistic thinking approach to all my students. You’re not just working on one piece of the puzzle, but working on how that piece fits into the entire puzzle.”

At Optum, McDonald is using her past experiences as well as skills from her master's program to mentor designers about the importance of strategy and critical thinking behind their work.

“I’ll help the designer understand the process and point out different pain points and gaps in their thinking,” McDonald said.

Additionally, McDonald does freelance work to build websites for small businesses or individuals, increasing their digital brand presence and the UX component to web design.

“It’s not enough to create a design,” McDonald said. “You must understand what’s important in that design for that user group, which is the level of expertise that I bring.”

As a UX instructor, McDonald helps students understand real-world best practices that help them further understand audiences and stakeholders.

“You need to show empathy for audiences and help them understand why they should invest to improve their usability,” McDonald said. “It’s understanding why you need to do the work and conveying the validity of it.”

McDonald is doing just that in her interaction design and user research course. She said that having a holistic thinking approach is important for all students to learn.

“I try to teach a holistic thinking approach to all my students,” McDonald said. “You’re not just working on one piece of the puzzle, but working on how that piece fits into the entire puzzle.”

While certain technological advancements such as artificial intelligence have entered this space, McDonald said it is important that professionals be the mind behind strategic processes.

“AI can help in certain areas,” McDonald said. “But for me, I have to dig into my understanding to identify what needs to be done.”

McDonald reiterated that AI can help UX professionals do jobs more efficiently, but professionals must learn how to use the tool effectively.

“I feel the need to understand AI and not be intimidated by it,” McDonald said. “I think that’s what people have to understand.”

For students looking to go into the UX field, McDonald recommends that they look at their strengths and qualities to help them understand where they can fit in this rapidly growing industry.

“You should have a some understanding of what you want to do with your UX degree,” McDonald said. “You have to communicate well, show empathy and learn from every experience.”