Meet Natalie Fang

What do you teach? What’s the top line learning goal for that class?

I teach Games & UX and UX-Driven Entrepreneurship. In Games & UX, we explore ways to be a better player advocate by being critical about games, coming out of the course with a few portfolio pieces including game design documentation that you'll pitch to real local stakeholders - including a publisher. For the entrepreneurship course, we study how UX methods support startup success by putting customer problems & needs at the forefront while working with a startup client and creating a pitch deck by the end of the course.

How and when did you start teaching at UMSI?

I was introduced to the UMSI curriculum through the game dev community in Ann Arbor but had also been exposed to brilliant MSI students in the past through interesting client projects! I started teaching at UMSI in 2023.

What’s your favorite thing about working with UMSI students?

UMSI students are so multi-talented! I love chatting with students and seeing all the brilliant projects they're working on - whether they're professional ones like an interesting case study, or really cool personal projects like wood crafting.

What’s your deal? (Where are you from, what do you do?)

I'm originally from Ohio but have been bouncing around the Midwest for various endeavors - from product development to investment fund experience. I'm a Founder/CEO of a gaming startup based out of downtown Ann Arbor and we're part of the University's tech startup portfolio through the Desai Accelerator. If you'd like to chat about the University's or A2's entrepreneurial ecosystem, happy to connect over a nice cup of coffee at RoosRoast 🙌

What is something you want folks at UMSI to know about you?

I'm an entrepreneur & gamer at heart. Outside of planning social activities for my startup team, I love to spend my free time debating in a heated co-op board game session (Pandemic Legacy, anyone?) or pulling an all-nighter for an addictive video game!

CLIFF NOTE: Natalie teaches with me in SI110 too! She's very good at creating online experiences for that class. She also supports SI422 and Gabi threatened to end me if I tried to move her out of that class.