Instructor Profile: Cory Hughes
Cory has been teaching the Online User Experience & Interface Design course at Experience Haus since 2021, and has been working in Head of Strategy and Co-Founder roles at companies such as Inside Edge.
Tell us a little about yourself and your current work outside of Experience Haus?
I’m an experience design strategist, consultant and advisor. In other words, no-one in my family has ever really understood what I do for a living! My career in the creative industries has taken me around the world working with agencies, nonprofits and multinational brands. Right now, I’m Head of Strategy and Co-Founder of Inside Edge, a transformation consultancy that helps organisations own their digital future.
Did you have a specific goal you wanted to achieve before you started teaching at Experience Haus? Do you think your time here so far has kept you on the right track?
My experience-design career path has been unorthodox. I wanted to share what’s possible when you back yourself to transition into a new industry. I also believe that the best creative leaders should do a bunch of interesting things outside of their day job, and work hard to demystify an industry that can often feel exclusive and hard to break into. Joining the Haus has packed my evenings with imagination, ideas and inspiration – everything I’d hoped for, and more!
What is your teaching philosophy?
‘Start where you are, with what you have’ – that’s a quote from Pema Chodron that I always return to. There’s no magic moment where you are ‘ready’ to be a designer. Design is a continual process of polishing and iterating and the learning journey is no different.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Experience Haus?
The community is incredible – warm, welcoming and human. Everyone lives the mission of making design skills accessible and sharing knowledge generously. I love that real world experience is baked into the course and that battle-scarred practitioners are leading the teaching.
How would you describe your dream classroom?
One that is constantly evolving. For students, that means embracing a beginner’s mindset, feeling brave enough to create safe spaces for learning and asking all the silly questions. I love outdoor swimming and surfing too, so maybe some classes could happen at the beach…
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Saying ‘yes’ to more opportunities to work with like-minded folks. I was lucky enough to become a board advisor for social enterprise in 2020 and would love to continue working in that space. Oh and finally getting another dog as a pal for our very anxious greyhound, Elvis.
How do you keep up to date with your industry and the courses you teach?
My energy comes from people, so every conversation with students and peers will teach me something I didn’t know before. I’m also a big fan of taking inspiration from outside of the industry – whether that’s reading about innovation in biotechnology or the effects of cold-water on the human body. Staying curious about anything and everything, in other words!