User Research
Field Marketing
Product Marketing
Project Management
Adobe Inc.
Campus President at SJSU
Adobe Express is a web-based design tool that makes creating graphics easy for non-designers, perfect for students and casual creators. Even with free access at San José State University, engagement was low. Under the supervision of Adobe program managers, I recruited a team of nine Campus Leaders and led 270 Student Ambassadors to make Express more visible, useful, and engaging across campus.
Despite free access to Express and the full Creative Cloud, students at SJSU weren’t using it. Many didn’t know they had access, others preferred familiar consumer tools, and some felt Express was being “forced” on them without a clear reason to care.
I led the team in interviewing and surveying students about the creative tools they actually enjoyed and why. After researching, the team worked with professors to integrate Express into coursework naturally, and hosted hands-on workshops and events where students could explore it in a low-pressure way. We then shared feedback with Adobe to help in shaping a more student-focused experience.
Express is now integrated into over 130 general education courses, reaching over 7,200 freshman students per year. SJSU’s success became Adobe’s “gold standard” for campus engagement, and is what Adobe is actionably pursuing with the rest of the California State University system.