UX Design Institute

I've decided to take this course so that I can get my foot in the door as a UX designer, it was so much more than what I expected. I have greatly enjoyed the course. It not only offers a well-structured learning experience through hands-on activities but also provides opportunities to gain insights from seasoned UX designers. Additionally, we have the chance to hear from course graduates about how they successfully landed their first job as UX designers. I'm taking another course from the institute! Five stars all the way!

I was looking to enroll in a UX course that has substance but didn't want to go back to college or university due to the rigid schedules (I've got a full time job & 2 young kids). When I found this course, I got really excited because it lead to a tangible accreditation and allowed me to go at my own pace. It was challenging but incredibly interesting and relevant. I'm really glad I did it. Just to give some context: My background is in UI design and front-end development, therefore I was already familiar with some of the concepts introduced in the lectures but it gave me the tools to back my design decisions. There was also A LOT I didn't know and I was able to apply this newly learned UX knowledge immediately during my day job. I can say with assurance that the course's content is relevant and useful. 

Pros:
- Diploma & university credits upon completion.
- Flexible schedule (6-12 months).
- 11 assignments (3 of which are optional) to apply learned  knowledge and validate your understanding.
- They host many monthly webinars during which you can get feedback on your assignments before submitting and see what other people's assignments are like. This is helpful to see what type of project and quality is expected.
- The course is divided in 4 blocks (Research, Analysis, Concept & Design) and follows the same sequence as a real-life UX project.
- You have access to Slack channels where you can ask questions, reach out to other students in your cohort, or just look at what UX topics people are talking about. It made me feel a bit more connected.
- If you've been inactive too long, they send you automated reminder emails but without being annoying. I loved that because it kept me in track when a 1 week break turned into 3 :)
- They host webinars with UX professionals in the field and you can ask questions.
- They have a lecture and webinar on how to prepare your portfolio.

Cons:
- I found the "mentors" on slack to be... not great. It really depends who you talk to. I reached out only once and felt like I was shut down, asking me to instead submit my work for review during a webinar.
- Webinars can be helpful before you start working on your own assignment, but I found that the quality of the feedback given really depends on the mentor hosting. I kept hoping for Faolan every webinar because he makes project requirements very clear. No room for interpretation.
- I wish they had been clearer on what the free version of Figma can/cannot do and shared examples of mid-fidelity prototypes as part of the lecture. I would've spent a lot less time trying to figure out how to create the level of interactivity I wanted within Figma. Mind you, I already had experience building interactive prototypes using UXPin...
- The only area where I feel I am lacking now is how to conduct unbiased interview or usability tests. It can be challenging to ask the right questions after a response to get to the core values or to recover from mistakes (leading questions). I wish they had provided more guidance on this and links to examples of good interviews.

This is an solid course. I chose it mainly because it's university accredited and didn't have that ' bootcamp'-vibe. The course material is good, the lecturers nice to listen to. For me the 6 month schedule did not work so well, because I juggle a fulltime job and a family, but in the end I did graduate. Be prepared to dedicate longer stretches of focused time for the practical part. Personally, I do not think this course prepared me well enough for my current design job - then again, I did not expect it to. Working with designers a lot, I more or less knew what the job was about. I will be honest: although I am lucky enough to be an in-house trainee, still it will take another 6 months till I potentially could reach the junior level my company holds as a requirement for even hiring someone. The UI/visual design part, being able to sketch, wireframe and prototype (using a design system) often, on the spot, and fast, is what you do not learn doing just 1 case study. Also I will really have to skill up on the research and testing part. Another skill that is essential is to present and defend design choices ' en public' to stakeholders - and to gather the feedback and iterate. This, I would say, is one of the most important parts of the job! The theory about this is mentioned in the course but this is sth. you need to practice. All in all, a good foundation. 

Really enjoyable course, that covers the breadth of the UX role - from the fundamentals of UX, to research, analysing research, design and prototyping and all the steps in-between. Gives a good understanding of terminology and process and I especially enjoyed the coursework assignments. This online course meant I could learn at my own pace and fit around my full-time job and it's great to get a University accredited Diploma upon completion. There is an excellent online community and supportive and knowledgeable tutors.