Norman Tran
Let's get personal
Learning Experience Designer, Artist, Improvisor, Composer, Poet, Neurodiverse (2e), Queer.
I design learning experiences that change the way people see themselves, and the world.
Let's chat.
Norman Tran is an interdisciplinary learning designer who weaves together learning science, visual storytelling, mindfulness, and improv to create unforgettable educational experiences.
Born from the urgency of Chinese immigrant refugees, Norman learned the hard way that gunning for "success" can lead to fatal burnout.
After a two year tour of duty in Silicon Valley, Norman developed an autoimmune illness from overworking, and during his 3-month recovery process, realized the real bugs aren't in software, it's in people.
This is when he switched paths from designing screens, to designing experiences to help people create more intentionality in their lives. His approach focuses on updating our internal "operating" systems of beliefs, mindsets, and practices.
From VC's and CEO's to career starters and high schoolers, Norman's trainings have been used by companies like Facebook, IDEO, Stanford d.school, and Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center.
Recently, Norman served as Head of Design at Tradecraft, teaching professionals in career inflection points to avoid avoidable failures. Through partnerships with companies as early as stealth to Fortune 100, he helped 200 designers develop both technical and soft skills to land roles at companies from seed-stage to IPO'ed.
Prior, Norman was employee #5 at MissionU, a one-year tuition-free college alternative for underserved adults with a hybrid in-person / online curriculum. His classes on self-awareness and interpersonal dynamics helped the 40 graduating students land technical roles at companies like Spotify, Accenture, and SurveyMonkey.
Other notable learning experiences include designing a playbook with the Stanford d.school to reimagine the role of K12 educators from content deliverers to learning designers, and facilitating Stanford Graduate School of Business' reknowned "Touchy Feely" where MBA's learn to use emotions to influence authentically.
For fun, Norman is a junior jazz pianist, a passable poet, and absolutely an alliteration addict.
SERVICES
Learning by design
LEARNING
Learning Needs Assessment
Course Production
Program Management
Learning Toolkits
Instructional Design Heuristics
EXPERIENCES
Facilitation
Workshops
Offites & Retreats
Speaking
Coaching
DESIGN
Persona Development
Brand & Identity
Style Guides
Storytelling
Collateral
CLIENTS
Work with purpose
