Designlab

I thoroughly enjoyed the UX Academy Foundations course. I had a rocky start. My first mentor never engaged with me so I had to apply for a mentor switch. The administration staff was quick to help and the process was pretty easy. By the end of the second week, I had received feedback from both weeks and had a great first meeting with my new mentor who has 20 years of experience in the industry.The course is not easy, to say the least. Most of the readings took me longer to complete than the suggested times, so overall I have been putting in closer to 15 or more hours of work a week in the part-time track, but I still feel like the program is worth it. Now that I am in my final week, I can certainly see how far I have come in the course. I do also want to say that the discord community is an essential part of the program. Get on there, share your work and find a handful of students to check in with weekly. It will really help you all stay on track and stay motivated through some of the tougher weeks. Also, get used to the unexpected. Going into this course, I didn't think I would enjoy the visual design portion but as it turns out, I really did! I specifically enjoyed creating icons in Figma. Last note and suggestion. Learn auto layout. Keep practicing even when it seems like nothing is working out and I promise it will become your friend once you get the hang of it.  Read less

Pros. 
- the course lessons would be my number 1 choice. it was easy to understand each content and supported each lessons with reference images  and extra information or links to dive in deeper. 
- providing estimate time on each course lesson / assignment would take helps managing your time.
- able to work on your pace.  does not need to wait for approval from the mentor on each unit. 
- submitting assignment and receiving feedback helped to improve the work and learn mistakes

cons.
- the last unit has to be unlocked by the mentor in order to move on and depending on the pace  / situation, there could be a wait time for the mentor to approve.  Read less

I went into this course with very little design experience but had a very helpful mentor that gave me excellent feedback and am now in UX Academy. I do wish there was more videos and some info was dated which required me to look for tutorials and resources outside of the course.  I think as long as you have a good mentor, you're in good hands.  Read less

I enjoyed completing the Foundations course from Designlab to see if I will further pursue UX design. Needless to say, I had an overall great experience from the help of my mentor, the layout of the units, and the tutorials they provided for the students. Will definitely recommend if anyone is interested!  Read less

I started with DesignLab’s foundation course, which primarily went into UI and design principles. I loved it so much I applied for the UX academy and got in. I learned so much from the course, my mentor, and the designlab community… not to mention the excellent projects that gave me a bunch of hands on experience which is the best way I learn. 

This course is definitely not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of work and for the past 10 months, my free time was primarily doing the coursework, but it was 100% worth it! I got a job as a UX Designer two months after finishing my portfolio. 

Thanks DesignLab!! Read less

I enjoyed the program which gives a good introduction to using Figma and mostly UI Design. The mentors I was paired up with were excellent and really really experienced and also love passing on their knowledge. The mentor sessions itself are worth the course. It is though designed as a primer for UX Academy, which is clearly communicated beforehand, UX design as a whole is barely touched on. I am not planning to take Academy course at the moment and skill can recommend UX Foundations. Read less

Designlab’s UX Academy Foundations is useful, easy to access, and productive in the long run. I’m glad I took the time to focus on the basics and to get to know Figma.

I have some experience with graphic design, but not with web or app design. Foundations gave me the understanding and confidence to design basic websites and mobile apps.

The structure of the lessons is consistent and easy to understand. The pacing is extremely flexible. 
One of the best features is your personal mentor. It depends on each mentor’s availability, but I was able to meet with mine once a week. If you want to finish Foundations quickly, you ought to consider how frequently you are able to meet with your mentor. 
Another great feature is the Discord community. Any questions or struggles you might have can be answered quickly by fellow students, mentors or Designlab representatives, whether it might be about the curriculum, the program, Figma, anything.

Overall, I’m satisfied with Foundations. I’d recommend it to a friend. Read less

Design lab foundations was a good start to get your toes wet to see if you actually like this field or not. I got a lot of hands on experience ok working via figma and creating landing pages and mobile apps. It was a really fun and educating course. Would recommend for anyone looking to switch careers.  Read less

I am so glad that I decided to study with Designlab. The course was structured well with great resources which prepared me well for the real world. I really appreciated my 1-on-1 mentor sessions where I got really valuable feedback. The course set me up for creating a solid portfolio and preparing for a job. Read less

I can not think of any cons besides the fact the courses are not in person but that is only because I am a more in-person type of student but the experience and structure was great and being asynchronous and self paced is great for those with full time jobs.

Pros, the course is thorough and gives anyone interested in learning about UI the opportunity to get an intro into the field  Read less

UX Academy foundations course gave me an incredible experience in learning the basics of ux design. Each week covers different important aspects of ux design and allows the student to build up their skillset throughout the course. I worked with an incredible mentor as well who provided me honest feedback which made me more confident in my work.  Read less

I enjoyed taking the UX Academy Foundations course. They give you a great introduction into UI visual design and teach it in a way that's easy to understand. I appreciated the mentor program option which truly helped me succeed. I would highly recommend taking this course if you have no background in visual design and are hoping to pivot into UX Design.  Read less

Before beginning Foundations, I had no prior experience with UX and UI design. This course covered the basics and has helped me get a better understanding about the work and career opportunities. The courses is packed full of learnings and there are many hands-on experiences through copy-work, as well as creating original work. The highlights for me were working with my mentor and seeking career advice along the way. I highly recommend this course as an entry point into UI design.  Read less

I'm really glad I chose to opt in to the Foundations Course even though I already had a design background. I learned a lot of new info related to product design. It was a great way to refresh my understanding and add to my skillsets. I specially loved the mentorship aspect, as every week I could get feedback both on assignments or anything related to design in general. My mentor, Leah, was great and super responsive! The readings were brief but extremely valuable in information. The courses were well divided and structured so that you knew what to expect in order to plan out your week. I would definitely recommend! Read less

Pros: Mentor support, straightforward assignments, good practice opportunities

Cons: No option to do ~5 hours a week instead of 10-20.  Many individuals who are looking to change careers are doing so because their current schedule, workload, and commitments are not very flexible, so the option to do 5-10 hours a week over a longer time period would be helpful! Read less

I really enjoyed taking UX Foundations and thought the curriculum was well-structured. Being able to have 1-on-1 sessions with my mentor was extremely helpful. At first I was paired with a mentor who was unavailable but Designlab was quick to pair me with a new mentor the first week. My mentor was professional, knowledgeable, funny, and supported me all the way. This course helped me feel more confident applying to UX Academy and I recommend students to take it if they want a comprehensive  intro to UI/UX. The resources included in each unit (8 units total) were invaluable (bookmarked!) and I know I will come back to them often during UXA. The curriculum had a good balance between reading materials and design application. I'm confident using Figma and know so much more about UI after only a month. Another nice thing about the course pacing is that you can go at your own speed.  Read less

I just completed the UX Foundations course and I am excited to continue with DesignLab for the UX Academy. The Foundations course is more centered around UI. You learn about color and font selection, typography, hierarchy, and a few other design concepts. There is a new balance between reading material and working on projects. I feel much more confident now. There is also a lot of time spent on Figma or Sketch, depending on which design tool you want to use.  Read less