🎙️E66 - Leading the design of reading products at Microsoft Edu

Alicia Quan and Sarah Mondestin interview Alex Darrow, Principal Designer at Microsoft Education.

Alex discusses his journey from a childhood love for gaming to leading the design of innovative reading tools at Microsoft. He shares his experiences working on reading products, including the development of the Reading Coach and Reading Progress tools that have become essential in classrooms, especially during the COVID pandemic. Alex highlights the importance of observing children’s learning processes and emphasizes creating engaging, gamified educational experiences.

The episode also features a special guest, Alex’s daughter Zoe, who provides her perspective on her dad’s work and shares valuable advice for designers creating educational tools for kids.

🎙️ Available on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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• Early Gaming Influences

• Career Journey and Academic Background

• Transition to Microsoft and EdTech

• Voice User Interface Design

• Hackathons and Product Development

• Reading Progress and COVID-19

• Future of Reading Coach and Gamification

• AI Hype vs. Panic: Where Do You Stand?

• The Role of AI in Education

• Advice for EdTech Designers

• Personal Literacy Journeys

• The Impact of Reading Progress and Flipgrid

• Lightning Round: Quickfire Questions

• Special Guest: Zoe’s Perspective

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