Overview

The SWID Design Education Program was created to address a gap I experienced firsthand: early designers often struggle to understand the design industry, the skills required to enter it, and how to build meaningful, portfolio-ready experience.

I led the design, development, and execution of a multi-week UX/UI curriculum that equipped students with practical skills, structured process, and hands-on project experience. The program emphasized real-world expectations — not just tools — and created a clear pathway into design consulting work through Stanford Women in Design.

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Background

Stanford Women in Design (SWID) is a student organization focused on empowering future design leaders through education, community, and professional development.

I joined SWID early in my time at Stanford and later transitioned into a leadership role on the Design Education team, where I ultimately served as Executive Director of Design Education.

Designing the Curriculum

Developing the curriculum required synthesizing insights from industry research, design education models, and conversations with practicing designers and mentors. I evaluated different design disciplines and determined that UX/UI was the most effective focus given remote constraints, accessibility of tools, and industry demand.

The curriculum was intentionally structured to mirror real design workflows — emphasizing iteration, critique, and storytelling — rather than isolated tool instruction.

Program Structure

The 7-week program combined weekly lessons, hands-on design sprints, critique sessions, and optional office hours. Each sprint built on the last, culminating in a final high-fidelity product prototype in Figma.

Participants earned certification by consistently delivering high-quality work and demonstrating growth across both craft and process.

Outcomes

The program equipped 50+ early designers with practical UX/UI skills, confidence in design process, and portfolio-ready projects. Certified members became eligible to join the SWID Design Consulting Group, where they worked with real startups and companies.

Learnings

Designing and teaching this program strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, design systems for learning, and lead groups through ambiguity.

Acting as both educator and facilitator deepened my understanding of design fundamentals while sharpening my ability to mentor others and adapt content based on feedback.

Testimonials

Feedback from participants reinforced the value of a structured, applied approach to design education.

• “I really appreciate how in-depth the presentations were, and I learned a lot from this program about the design industry/design careers, marketing, branding, and visual design principles!”
• "Maria was an amazing leader and mentor. The design sprints were helpful and applicable to real-world design projects, and the program was very well organized."
• “I really loved this program! I liked the length of the sessions, how digestible the content was, and how neatly presented it was.” 

Transitioning back to campus

When in-person programming resumed, I adapted the curriculum into a lighter Intro to Design workshop series. Rather than deep specialization, the goal was exposure — helping students understand the breadth of the design field and identify areas of interest.

The series featured industry speakers and hands-on workshops across Computer-Aided Design, Fashion Design, UX/UI Design, Toy Design, and Architectural Design, providing over 100 students with a low-pressure introduction to multiple design pathways.

The future of the program

The curriculum I developed continues to live on within SWID as the Design Certification Program, certifying members for participation in the Design Consulting Group.

I’m proud that the system I designed continues to support new designers beyond my leadership term.