BE A BETTER PRODUCT DESIGNER
For senior-level product designers who want to grow themselves, their compensation, and their responsibilities. Sessions feature our signature talks, hands-on workshops, critiques, and more.
This 12-week virtual class is on 1 weeknight per week. The curriculum below was for a previous cohort, and will be similar for future cohorts. Apply now.
Student intros
Review course outcomes & individual project
Developing your design POV
Decolonizing & divesting from traditional (European) design perspectives, methods, and approaches to design
Collective deconstruction of a product from a divestment lens
Design a poster spread that celebrates your personal and cultural identity & heritage
Azeez Alli: co-founder of Àròko Cooperative, Former Principal Product Designer at Netflix
Advocating for yourself
Reframing perceived weaknesses as superpowers
Workshop: identifying your values, writing your personal statement & bio, and building a brag board (a class favorite!)
Write down your intro statement, 3 personal design principles, and 3 reasons you should get a new role, client, promotion, and/or fee increase
Get 3 testimonials showing why you should get a new role/promotion/fee increase
Mitzi Okou: Co-founder of Where Are The Black Designers?, ex-Spotify
Live, inclusive design crits of your portfolio, brag book, resume, and social media
Workshop: prioritize and make 3 portfolio improvements
Make 3 high-impact, low-effort changes to your resume, portfolio, & social presence based on the critical feedback
Amy Lima: Product Designer at Amp/Amazon Music, Founder of Diversify Design, ex-Pinterest
Workshop pt 2: making portfolio improvements
Update your portfolio based on what you learned from other students
Ashley Kim: content creator @pashtime, Product Designer at Praxis Labs, ex-Accenture
Each student presents their work, design journey, and advice for others in class pt 1
Building your personal development plan
Advanced case studies for advanced roles
Map out your existing network and identify who will be useful in your journey as sponsors, and create an action plan that you’ll complete by the end of the class
Annika Hansteen-Izora: Lead Product Designer at Lex, ex-Somewhere Good, ex-Hyperakt
Each student presents their work, design journey, and advice for others in class pt 2
Discuss professional issues classmate(s) has/have
TBD based on our discussion
Mig Reyes: Senior Director of Product Design at Duolingo, former Director of Product Design at Instagram
Balancing work, people, and compensation
Setting $ expectations and your personal worth
Workshop: Salary negotiation
Update your compensation requirements for your job search and pitch deck
Jared Erondu: SVP of Design at Lattice, Advisor at Designer Fund
Bring up new ideas to managers/leadership
Working with data, KPIs, and OKRs to advocate for changes you want made
Communicating design decisions
Write down 3 ways you can better pitch new ideas, and record yourself pitching; receive critique from 3 people
Dan Mall: founder at Design Systems University
Navigating bureaucracy as a POC
Partnering better with Product Managers
Dealing with difficult feedback
Write down your award acceptance speech in 30 years focused on your purpose. What award did you receive? What did you accomplish? Why did you do the things you did? Rewrite your own career bio that includes a specific reference and representation of your personal brand
Write or rewrite your own career bio that includes a specific reference and representation of your personal brand. This should include your personal brand tagline
Write a 3-point annual plan of three goals you want to accomplish that will impact your team and/or organization. (Only 3 goals no more). Include how you will accomplish these goals
Ovetta Sampson: Director of User Experience Machine Learning at Google, ex-Capital One, ex-Microsoft
Getting gigs in unconventional ways
Applying, finding a sponsor, interviewing, great portfolios, negotiating, cover letters, resumes, and LinkedIn tips
Write your cover letter and resume (using only fonts by POC)
Update your Linkedin, resume, website, and portfolio (PDF or Figma)
Apply to 5 new roles and/or set up time to discuss with manager about promotion/additional responsibilities
Grace Ling: Founder at Design Buddies, Product Designer at EA
Portfolio critiques by Terrell Griffith: Lead Product Designer at Headspace
Students share what each person accomplished during the class and in personal and professional settings
Portfolio and action plan due
Shannon Morales: Founder at Tribaja
Graduation activity!
None!
Pinterest Recruiting Team
The only thing we’re serious about is food.
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The only thing we’re serious about is food.
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Monday to Friday :
10 am to 9 pm
Saturday :
10 am to 5 pm
Sunday :
12 pm to 5 pm
