This article is part of a series exploring diverse career paths within the IDEO community, focusing on “the learning experience careers.” Drawing inspiration from an original interview, we delve into the journey of Nusrat Ahmed, a Learning Experience Designer at IDEO U, to illuminate the possibilities within this dynamic field.
Nusrat Ahmed is at the heart of crafting engaging educational experiences at IDEO U. As a Learning Experience Designer, her role is pivotal in ensuring that the courses offered are not just contemporary and relevant, but also deeply compelling and engaging for learners worldwide. Her work involves refreshing existing courses, creating new content, and iterating on designs to meet the evolving needs of the learning community.
Currently, Nusrat has been instrumental in projects that infuse Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) perspectives into the foundational Foundations in Design Thinking course. She also applies data insights, learner feedback, and suggestions from the Teaching Teams to refine the Human-Centered Systems Thinking course, showcasing her commitment to continuous improvement and learner-centric design. Looking ahead, Nusrat is excited to be co-creating a future course, further expanding her impact on the learning landscape at IDEO U.
From Anthropology to Learning Experience Design: A Circuitous Career Path
Nusrat’s academic foundation is in Anthropology, a field that nurtured her profound interest in cognitive science, psychology, and human performance. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Cognitive Science in Education, she is deeply invested in understanding the theoretical underpinnings of effective learning design. Her overarching career aspiration is to empower individuals by teaching them not just what to learn, but crucially how to learn, unlocking their full potential.
Interestingly, Nusrat’s path wasn’t always clearly mapped out towards learning experience design. Her career journey began in journalism before transitioning into finance. It was her burgeoning interest in education and design that illuminated the field of user experience (UX) design. This led her to a role at an AR/VR startup, which subsequently opened the door to her first learning experience design position within a fintech company. Driven by a desire for more creative projects, she eventually found her way to IDEO U, a place where creativity and impactful learning intersect.
Nusrat describes her career path as a responsive journey, guided by her engagement with inspiring leaders, insightful courses, and thought-provoking ideas. By synthesizing these experiences, she recognized a consistent pull towards roles that value creativity, empathy, and a learner-centered approach. This self-discovery process led her to seek a career that harmonized her admiration for certain individuals with her belief in industries poised to significantly shape future learning paradigms. For Nusrat, becoming a learning experience designer crystallized as the embodiment of this career vision.
Career Advice: Patience, Curiosity, and Intention
Reflecting on her journey, Nusrat shares invaluable career advice: “I learned about what I liked by eliminating what I didn’t like. It helped me narrow down my choices.” This process of elimination was crucial in focusing her energy and passion. Once she gained clarity on her desired direction, she was able to dedicate herself fully.
Her key advice to others is to cultivate patience and curiosity in their career exploration. She emphasizes the importance of being receptive to the subtle signs and directions that emerge along the way. Nusrat reassures that a winding career path is perfectly acceptable, provided there is a continuous renewal of intentions. She poses a fundamental question for career seekers: “Who do you want to be?” This introspective question serves as a compass for navigating career decisions.
For those intrigued by learning experience careers, Nusrat recommends exploring the multifaceted nature of the field, which intersects people, learning, design, and cognitive science, among others. She suggests working backward from the desired end goal, identifying any skill or knowledge gaps that need bridging. Crucially, Nusrat advises aspiring learning experience designers to connect with experts in the field, listen to their career stories, and share their own narratives to gain deeper insights and forge valuable connections.
Nusrat Ahmed’s journey exemplifies that learning experience careers are not always linear. They are often a synthesis of diverse experiences, guided by curiosity and a commitment to impactful learning design. Her story offers encouragement and practical advice for anyone considering a career in this evolving and vital field.
Inspired to take action? Explore the methodologies of iteration and experimentation in IDEO U’s online course [From Ideas to Action](https://www.ideou.com/products/from-ideas-to-action).
