Erin Essex

December cohort

September (Online)

This is an IN PERSON New York City based cohort

July (New York City)

September - Online

March Cohort

January 2026

August 2026

June 2026

The "tell me about yourself" story recipe card

The ability to leave a positive first impression is a valuable skill to have. This recording of our Lightning Lesson [July 1] is a great resource to get you started! Enter your email to receive the video link then enter the code. Passcode Z8WRM?Cc

The Psychology of First Impressions

Struggling with where to start on your 'About Me' story? Our structured Storytelling Recipe Card will help you get started on crafting your own personal pitch, without having to overthink it.

Storytelling Recipe Card

Unlock the mindset of a UX designer and bring your ideas to life — faster, smarter, and cleaner in just 4 days.

15+ years in UX — now at YouTube

Design Leader at Google | Ex. Product Design Director of MongoDB & Shutterstock

Figma Crash Course: From Basics to Pro in 4 Days

Web designer

Senior Creative Marketing Designer

Project Manager

Freelance Designer

Transform your interviews with strategic storytelling. Learn through real-world examples, deep scenario analysis, practice, & live speaking.

15+ years in Product Design | YouTube

Design Leader at Youtube | Ex. Product Design Director of MongoDB & Shutterstock

Strategic Storytelling for Product Design Interviews

Full stack engineer

School Computer Specialist

Google

YouTube

Shutterstock

MongoDB

Major League Baseball

Figma has become the go-to tool for modern design teams and solo creators. Whether you’re sketching your very first wireframe or collaborating on polished prototypes, this course will give you the confidence and skills to create, collaborate, and share ideas seamlessly. In just four sessions, you’ll go from beginner to confident user — ready to design smarter and faster.

Ready to transform the way you design in Figma?
 

Master Figmas interface and workflow

Prototype Realistic User Flows & Present with Confidence

Create Clean, Consistent Designs with Certainty

Transform Ideas from Low-Fidelity to High-Fidelity

Build Professional, Reusable Systems

Collaborate Seamlessly in Real Time

Beginners who want to learn Figma from scratch. (PMs, engineers, rising digital designers, etc.)

Startup founders and business owners who want to be hands on and involved in the design and creation of their product.

Graphic designers looking for a new tool and skills for UX/UI, product, and collaborative design.

Let’s be honest—interviewing is tough. But you don’t have to go in unprepared. In this interactive 6-session course, you’ll learn how to use storytelling as a powerful tool to stand out in interviews, build connection, and speak with confidence.We’ll break down what interviewers are really looking for in design candidates and how to craft narratives that communicate your strengths with clarity and purpose. Through interactive workshops, practical exercises, and real-time feedback, you’ll develop compelling stories on key topics so you can walk into any interview feeling ready and self-assured.You’ll leave this course with a personalized story toolkit, polished answers, and a deeper understanding of how to adapt your message for different positions, companies, and audiences.

Ready to transform the way you communicate in product design interviews? 

How to approach and navigate a design challenge

How to develop a professional resume, LinkedIn, and portfolio

Story structure and key storytelling techniques

How to create emotional connection and get buy-in

Identifying and leveraging your authentic voice

Tailoring and adapting your story during the interview process

Design Professionals Looking to land job or move up? Learn how to communicate your value strategically in this course.

Struggling Interviewees Let's build your confidence and speaking skills through proven analysis and practice.

Product ProfessionalsEverything covered in this course can be applied to product interviews. Learn how to communicate your expertise.

You will evolve from traditional workflows to confidently using AI as a design partner to accelerate ideas and improve outcomes.

Sr Interaction Designer Google | Youtube

Sr Interaction Designer @Google | Former Shutterstock & MongoDB Design Director

Stop wasting time on tedious, time consuming tasks when you can automate your design process and dedicate your time to the high-impact work you enjoy most: designing, understanding your users, and shaping better experiences.Why it's Important:We're no longer living in a time where we have full week long design sprints anymore. Most tech companies have shifted to a flexible, condensed 4-day format with half-day sessions. Time is scarce and design standards are constantly increasing, leaving designers in place where we either adapt or become obsolete.Automating your design process with AI is essential to freeing up time for decision-making, understanding users, and delivering high impact design.Key Student Outcomes:📗Apply AI tools directly to your own projects and portfolio📘Master the real-world capabilities of AI in design today📙Integrate AI tools seamlessly into your UX design process📕Leverage AI to save time and focus on creative problem-solvingWhat to Expect📆This is a completely live 6 day course with office hours✏️You will engage in a series of workshops and applied projects👋This is a hands on course - get ready to learn multiple programs over the next 2 weeks

Automate Tasks and Spend More Time on Design That Matters

How AI is used in UX today

AI tools for designers

How to incorporate AI into your UX workflow

The future of AI in UX

How to effectively work with AI design tools

Figma

Designers looking to maximize their time

Creatives who want to learn how to integrate and use AI in their design process

Design leaders and managers who want to improve team output

How AI is Changing Processes: What You Need to Know

Sr Interaction Designer @Google | Former Design Director: MongoDB, Shutterstock

As AI speeds up product development, understanding new workflows is essential for all PMs and designers.

How the product process is changing

Roles and responsibilities are shifting fast. Learn what companies increasingly expect from today's designers and PMs.

How roles & expectations are evolving

Learn what to do next in order to stay relevant and competitive in the AI era: tools, skills, design processes and more.

What this means for your career

Everyone’s Vibe Coding: Here’s What They’re Missing

Learn how thoughtful design improves fast-moving AI products.

How to balance rapid prototyping w/ intentional design

Explore practical ways to spot friction in AI products.

Frameworks for evaluating AI-generated experiences

Learn how to question AI design decisions with confidence.

How to think critically about AI product experiences

How to Show Product Thinking in Design Interviews

Alicia Gonzalez

Sr Learning Specialist & Education Consultant | Host

Discover how to effectively explain constraints and choices to show strong product judgment.

Communicate Tradeoffs Like a Product Leader

Understand how to clearly walk through your work so interviewers trust your thinking and decision-making.

Explain Your Design Decisions with Clarity

Learn how to talk about navigating stakeholder conflicts effectively under pressure.

Present on Stakeholder Conflict with Confidence

Sr Interaction Designer @Youtube | Former Design Director: MongoDB, Shutterstock

Explore the nuances of communication and how verbal, non-verbal, and behavioral cues can affect your first impression.

Factors that impact the first impression

Learn how to leverage confirmation bias and the halo effect to go further in interviews.

Navigating confirmation bias

Understand the psychology of a lasting impression and the steps you can take to make yourself more memorable.

Creating impressions that stick

Rapid prototyping in Figma: What PMs & SWEs need to know

Learn to navigate frames, layers, components, and prototype mode so you can follow projects and collaborate confidently.

Figma interface literacy

Learn how to create quick, low-fidelity prototypes to share ideas, test assumptions, and align teams.

Rapid Prototyping to Communicate Ideas Clearly

Understand how to use prototypes and flows to prevent early on misinterpretations and unnecessary redesigns.

Reduce Rework by Making Ideas Visible

Figma for Non-Designers: How to Lead Communication & Impact

Name

Create polished slides, integrate product demos, and seamlessly import them into Google Slides, PowerPoint, etc.

Build, create, and integrate in Figma Slides

Learn to use simple animations and graphics in Figma to make your presentations dynamic, engaging, and clear.

Animate your ideas to elevate your presentations

Learn to comment directly on Figma components and product elements to give clear, precise feedback for your team.

Learn directly from Erin Essex

Erin Essex

About Erin

Courses

Figma Crash Course: From Basics to Pro in 4 Days

Strategic Storytelling for Product Design Interviews

Maximize Your Design Process With AI

Lightning Lessons

How AI is Changing Processes: What You Need to Know

Everyone’s Vibe Coding: Here’s What They’re Missing

How to Show Product Thinking in Design Interviews

The Psychology of First Impressions

Rapid prototyping in Figma: What PMs & SWEs need to know

Figma for Non-Designers: How to Lead Communication & Impact

Resources

The "tell me about yourself" story recipe card

The Psychology of First Impressions

Storytelling Recipe Card