About Natty

Natty Smith (he/him/his) is a User Experience Designer at Openfield working on EdTech Research & Design. After spending eight years teaching in elementary and secondary schools, Natty believes that within every person and every problem is a story. Finding narratives and designing solutions for the problems they reveal was central to his teaching and is at the heart of his user-centered design.

Natty has spent the last several years researching and designing the next generation of assessment tools. He is known as a thoughtful collaborator, creative thinker, skilled writer, critical strategist, and sophisticated designer.

Natty’s academic background supports his strong communication skills when researching and testing with users. Synthesizing that research and generating solution ideas excites him, and after years of presenting material to colleagues and students, Natty has the presentation skills and methods to convince his audience and convey information. His technical skills, from graphic design to curriculum design and information management, bring an accessible sophistication to his user experience and interface designs.

When not teaching or designing, Natty can be found in his neighborhood in Cambridge, Mass., sailing off of the coast of Maine, or organizing folk music and dance events, competitions, and performances. His love for stories and community drive his passion for folk songs and traditional music. An avid folk singer and fiddler, Natty helped found the Youth Traditional Song Weekend and served on the Pinewoods Camp, Inc. Board of Directors for nine years.

Natty holds a BA in Geography from Middlebury College, Masters of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University, professional teaching license and Sheltered English immersion educator endorsement from the state of Massachusetts, and a UI/UX Design Certification from the University of New Hampshire.