resume — ngan hoang / art + design

BIO/BLURB

Hi! I’m Ngan (pronounced naan, like the bread) Hoang. I’m a multidisciplinary [digital + print] designer who loves code, puns, and donuts. I’m also an advocate for diversity and inclusion in tech. Building great and intuitive products that make people’s lives easier is what I’m most passionate about. I have 10+ years of experience strategizing innovative digital experiences for small startups to high-profile brands.

Ngan bridges the worlds of front-end design, UX research/design and creative/product strategy. Her most recent role was as Principal Designer at a startup called Prefect, before she took a light sabbatical to travel and visit family abroad.

The TL;DR is that Ngan isn't a generalist, but a specialist in everything that she is focused on. She's one of the most passionate and dedicated people I know in the business, because she's the kind of person who will obsess over how UX research will go--down to how she should send a handmade and handwritten thank you card to interviewees after she's interviewed them and applied her user insights to her product designs. She's that dedicated to the fine print and details of things! -- But she can also think macro. A lot of her work at Vox was to overhaul systemic product features and components before design systems were the norm. And, because she has both a coding and design background, her work is super informed by how to build, and not just design compelling visual journeys. She really wants to find a good work home, with people who have strong principles and values. Mission driven.

Work that bridges UX/UI, front-end code, and brand partnerships. Multifaceted creative strategist and design leader. One of the most authentic people I know, super passionate and honest about everything, from design to donuts to leading Sketch workshops at conferences.

Gave a professional talk during a design conference (Chief, with Alisha during AIGA DC Design Week, October 2016?) in the DC area about design work at Vox. Led design executions while also collaborating with other members of her team (i.e., developers). Passion for design, loyal to collaborative team dynamics. Curiosity about how to create powerful and immersive experiences and ability to easily educate and present her design work with others.

Cares deeply about user research, HCD, processes and systems. Natural design evangelist who knows how to build design systems and operations from the ground up.

Strong product designer who has experience working in media, healthcare and startup orgs. Can also do FED as well, though identifies as a designer vs. developer. Strong design evangelist who knows how to humanize the design and tech process for all stakeholders involved (users during testing, non-design peers, etc.) Isn’t jsut someone who produces the work, but also the strategy. Projects have contributed to how her companies and clients can rethink the model of their business, product, interaction patterns with users, etc.

SKILLS

UI/UX design
product design
user experience
design research
usability testing
service design
systems design
user research
user testing
infor architecture
content strategy
brand(ing) identity
marketing
advertising
storytelling
HTML
CSS
project management
illustration
print design

TOOLS

Figma
Sketch
Visual Studio Code
Github
Adobe Creative Suite
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- InDesign

SPEAKING / TEACHING

OCTOBER 2017
Sketch 101, Color Coded + AIGA DC+ IM
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dc-design-week-unhackathon-with-ibm-tickets-38208347195#

https://www.hackathon.com/event/dc-design-week--unhackathon-with-ibm-38208347195

Color Coded and IBM want to empower women founders, creatives, and ideators by providing the space and resources to get their projects started or further developed.

How are we doing that?
We bring you Color Coded’s second un-hackathon: A free event where you’ll learn new skills, work on the project you’ve always wanted to make happen, and build your community. No pressure, no competition, just good vibes.

What can you expect?
We will kick things off with a Design Thinking workshop led by IBM, then you're free to jump into working and hacking on a project of your own or taken from the list of suggested ideas available on site.

Not hacking? No problem. There will be other workshops throughout the day such as an intro to React, Data Visualization, an intro to the Adobe Suite, a meditative yoga class, and more.

Tutorial/workshop on how to use Sketch for a Color Coded + AIGA DC event when Sketch was just starting to get popular (basically: wherever emerging technologies and trends are, you'll find Ngan in the front of the class... teaching it or contributing to it at a high-level).

“Sketch 101 for non and new designers”
Sketch is a a vector design tool entirely focused on user interface design. This hands-on workshop will teach you the basics of Sketch 3, whether or not you have a background in design. We'll begin with a brief overview of the software itself and end with some advanced techniques to explore Sketch's capabilities. Along with learning the fundamentals, participants will be taught tools and tips to help optimize workflow and speed up the design process.

Bridging the Gap Between Design & Dev

General Assembly - Women in Tech Breakfast Panelhttps://generalassemb.ly/instructors/ngan-hoang/13440
featuring great women in tech to give their insight on how they reached their level of success, advise on navigating the workplace, and how we can help the next generation of women in tech. This dynamic panel will be moderated an expert in the field.

Our esteemed panel of speakers are pioneers in their respective fields, representing many facets of international tech industry.

After the panel we will break into groups and take a deeper dive into the issues women face in the tech industry and find solutions to how we can rise above the obstacles and thrive in this growing field.

Bustle x Ladies Get Paid - Women in Tech? Salary Negotiations

Poynter Workshop - Doodle, etc.

EDUCATION

University of Texas at Austin
School of Design and Creative Technologies + Dell Medical School
MA in Design, focused on Health
AUG 2021 - MAY 2022, AUSTIN, TX

George Mason University
BFA in Art & Visual Technology, Graphic Design
AUG 2008 - MAY 2012, FAIRFAX, VA
Magna Cum Laude

AWARDS, HONORS, RECOGNITION