Designation

TL;DR

I heard about Designation through a friend of mine who had completed the program a few years ago. She only had good things to say to me about the program, and kept repeating the mantra "you get out what you put in". After having gone through the program myself, I can safely say that this is 100% true. The people are brilliant, the experiences are unforgettable—and you'll learn more than you thought possible, as long as you're willing to put in the effort. An amazing program that I highly recommend, Designation helped me find my first full time design role.

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The full story

I transitioned into design about a year before I attended Designation—I had basic knowledge and internship experience as a UX designer going into the program, but I was largely self-taught and wanted a more structured environment to build my fundamentals. I debated between General Assembly and Designation, but ultimately chose Designation. While GA would have allowed me to remain in my hometown (San Francisco), I was really sold by the idea of a longer program with high quality instructors and the opportunity to work with real start-ups at Designation. 

My Designation experience was fantastic. The Design Essentials phase was a great way to introduce students designers (don't call yourself a student at Designation, seriously!) to the differences between UX and UI, and allow them to get a taste for both tracks before picking one. I picked UI because I already had some UX experience and thought it would be a great way to round out my skill-set. The workload for this phase was manageable, and I was able to balance it with my full-time internship. 

The Virtual Phase took that initial knowledge that we gained during DE and expanded on it exponentially. This deep dive over the course of 6 weeks helped really nail down those fundamentals by focusing on the theory side of things—this would help us apply the theory in a practical sense once the in-person phase started in Chicago. The workload during this phase was much heavier—I continued my internship throughout it, but I really don't recommend that to anyone unless they enjoy getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night and no free time on the weekends!

The In-Person phase in Chicago was by far my favorite part of the program. Taking all the knowledge we'd learned and applying it to solving real life problems for actual start-ups was an absoutely incredible experience. It made for some amazing stories and learning moments as well—which was just as well, because the final phase of the program saw us craft our experiences into case studies to showcase on our portfolio.

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I grew a ton over the course of Designation. I owe that all to the people I met and learned from along the way—and really, this is the coup de grace of Designation. More than the workshops, curriculum, or free coffee, it's the instructors, mentors, and fellow designers that make this program as great as it is. They really foster a culture of collaboration and community. At no point did I ever feel like I was competing with my peers, and even though the pace of the program was hectic, I felt like I could ask any question I wanted without the fear of feeling stupid. So many other bootcamps operate like a factory, looking to get people in one door and out the other—I never felt this at Designation. Everyone I met was genuine and took the time to get know me beyond a "student". 

One area where I do feel like Designation could improve is in career services or job assistance. While the career phase itself was fantastic in helping me write my case studies and create my portfolio, post-graduation was a different story. I found that the Designation name does not carry as much weight in the SF Bay Area as it does in Chicago, and the alumni community here is also much smaller and less active. I felt like I had to really take the initiative to network with the design community, and my job search was longer and slower than I would have liked. At the end of the day, however, my experiences at Designation were a crucial element to me eventually receiving a job offer. 

Designation is difficult—be prepared to work incredibly hard and immerse yourself completely in design. Despite the challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed the program because I was doing what I love to do and I felt at home.

I started working as a web designer in higher education in the mid-2000s, and as my career moved along I gained experience in areas like project management, data analysis and reporting, operations, and product management. Thinking about the next phase of my career, I realized I wanted to focus more of my time building stuff. After reaching out to my network and researching online, I found that UX would be a great space for me to accomplish my goal of focusing on building while also being able to leverage my previous experiences.

A two-year HCI masters program didn’t seem appealing or worthwhile—given my time in higher education, I don’t see traditional universities and colleges as being well-positioned to keep up with the fast-paced change of the tech world, so I narrowed my search to focus on the bootcamp/intensive learning space. Designation had by far the strongest reviews, the most intensive and comprehensive curriculum, and it also featured real client projects—a huge differentiator for me. Perhaps most importantly, people in my network working in design and tech in Chicago spoke highly of Designation’s reputation, and the alumni I connected with uniformly had positive things to say about both the program itself and its outcomes. An in-person conversation about the program with then Designation President, Mike Joosse was the last step in convincing me that Designation was the right program for me.

Online Phases (Design Essentials / Virtual)
Design Essentials is the “Design101” course that presents the foundations of user-centered design and the UX and UI processes. It’s a great overview and is packed with great information and materials. It’s a pretty intensive start to the program, and I found that I spent a bit more time than the weekly hours estimate on the site. That said, I was able to balance the workload while I was still working full-time. Coming out of DE, you decide between moving forward on the UX or UI track. Though I came into the program planning on doing UX, my conversations with James were incredibly valuable in solidifying that decision. The Virtual phase builds on DE, going more in-depth and expanding on many of the same topics, while introducing some new concepts and practices. Perhaps the most important element in Virtual is that you start working on teams and presenting your work, albeit in an online setting. I continued working part-time during this phase, and in retrospect I really wish I had been able to clear all of my time, as there is a tremendous amount of material to work through and absorb.

In-person Phases (Immersion / Client / Career)
The 12 weeks of in-person time is where the rubber really hits the road. The transition is, by its nature, kind of jarring—new surroundings, new people, long hours—and for most people there’s a lot at stake. The WeWork space was very comfortable (tasty free coffee is a nice perk), and it was fantastic to have another cohort there to be able to ask questions and learn from.  I was initially a little skeptical about the inter-cohort mentorship program, but I ultimately found it really valuable both as a way to get insight on the program, as well as just to connect with the other cohort socially and expand your network. Though they’d only been in the program 8 weeks longer than we had, a ton happens in that time. Immersion acts as bridge between your virtual experience and the client phase to come. It’s less about absorbing new material,  but instead more about application, teamwork, and presentation through storytelling. Two three-week client projects followed, where I was able to work with an accessibility-focused non-profit and a scaling startup. At this point in the program the training wheels are off, and I have no hesitation talking about and presenting these projects with colleagues and in interviews as being very much real. The in-person time wraps up with career phase, which is a significant shift from the previous weeks. Instead of team-focused work, you’re now almost entirely working solo to contextualize and document your experience, with a heavy emphasis on writing. The materials Mike has put together are incredibly well-wrought and comprehensive—quite literally all the tools you need to support your search and find a job. Beyond the tools, I was connected with a fantastic mentor external to Designation to act as a sounding board during my search. Then, of course, everybody has access to the 500+ designer alumni network, which is especially strong in Chicago. There is no promise that the job search will be easy, but the results that I’ve observed for myself and others absolutely speak for themselves.

Areas of Opportunity
Designation is very much still a startup. The program is scrappy, lean, and constantly iterating and improving. The transition between phases (especially between DE and Virtual) felt a bit disjointed, and there were times in the virtual phases where I didn’t get feedback as quickly as I might have liked. Also, as I mentioned, the Designation network is naturally especially strong in Chicago, but less so in other markets. Given the recent merger with WeWork/Flatiron, will be very interesting to see how this changes as Designation likely expands its footprint. 

Final Thoughts
Designation has gone to great lengths to build a great design education product. Without a doubt, I think the program provides everything you need to set you up for success as a professional designer. As it is with so many intensive/bootcamp experiences, how much you get out of the program is highly dependent on the effort you’re willing to put it. I suppose it would be possible to skate by on minimal effort, but almost nobody does this (and why would you?). I think a huge reason that designers are so uniformly committed are the people that Designation has been smart enough to hire. If I was surprised by anything in my experience, it was at the exceptional quality of the people on staff. Full disclosure: I had the opportunity to work for Designation as a Designer in Residence for 12 weeks after I finished, which gave me somewhat of an insider’s view to the program’s operations and an opportunity to get to know everybody even better. Without exception, the staff members of the entire program are kind, talented, and extremely dedicated. James, Doug, Megan, Dan, and Mike all had a huge positive impact on my Designation experience and on my life. I recommend Designation without hesitation.

Outcome
After a minimally painful job search, I signed on to be an experience designer at a national consultancy. I couldn’t be more excited for the next phase of my career in the new year!

I came to Designation for a career change. After many years in theatre and time as a stay-at-home mom, I wanted a career with growth potential in which I could utilzie my creative background. UX design seemed like a good fit, and I dove in. 

I chose the program at Designation for its reputation and rigor, and I was not dissappointed. I recieved an education not only in UX design, but in soft skills, teamwork strategies, and critical thinking. The workload is sizable and the pace grueling, but the results are remarkable. In six months' time I reinvented my career. I added numerous technical skills to my liberal arts background, becomming a well-rounded and marketable UX designer. I approached my job hunt with confidence in the skills and education I received at Designation, landing a job in my new field with a salary nearly twice that of my previous career. 

Designation was a big risk, personally and financially. I can say with confidence that it was absoultely worth it. 

 

I can only echo the thoughts of what so many other graduates of the program are saying. Designation is a lifechanger. By quite literally becoming your life for 6 months, it saturates you into the world of design and equips you with everything you need for your career in UX/UI — the most important of which is the learning mindset through which you can keep growing as a designer past your time in the program. Having come from working in assorted digital design roles, I came to Designation hoping to inject a little more meaning into the things I created and the problems I solved. Designation became the catalyst in my design career to refine my hard skills and build up the right soft skills to fuel my career.

Virtual (DE/Virtual Phase) – My virtual experience was unique in that at the time I had spent a few years living overseas and was managing an international move back to the States during DE and Virtual. The hours slowly ramped up through the phases but the coursework was definitely managable and meeting times worked out in the end. The coursework took me through the basics of UX/UI and after some valuable conversations with the instructors, it helped me get a solid feel for which track I felt was the best for me. Though I initially came into the program thinking I would go down the UX track, I opted towards the UI track because I enjoyed the visual design process and wanted to hone my skills in it. The virtual phases helped to not only prepare for the intense experience to come in the in-person experience, but really layout the groundwork for understanding your design process and personal workstyle.

In-Person (Immersion/Client) – Once you step foot in Chicago, or into WeWork if you're from Chicago, this is the portion of the program where you just have to concede that Designation, as well as the world of design will be your life. You are exposed to a network of designers, instructors who really are there to support you, and a community that breathes design. As so many other reviews say, you get out of this program what you put into it. Beyond the design itself, which will only get better with practice, this immersive phase becomes a place where you learn to talk about design, work with other designers, work with stakeholders, and manage the resources you have at hand. This was both the most challenging and most rewarding part of the program and despite the long hours, everything I learned in this phase helped me to shape my current process and work, and working with real clients places you in an environment with real stakes, real pivots and real problems to solve.

Post-Program - After the program was when I really felt that what you put into the program was what you get out of it. Designation equipped me with the network, the mentorship, the resources, the hard/soft skills and perspective to channel into stancing myself as a growing designer and I was able to find a job as a UI Designer about a month and a half into the job search as I kickstarted the career I had envisioned for 6 months.

Final Thoughts - The best advice I can give in this program is to not be discouraged and to stance yourself in a way that is ready to learn from your mistakes. Designation was an extremely intense experience of my life, but as great of an experience as it was in hindsight, it naturally came with frustrations ranging from teammates, to deadlines, to roadblocks in the work itself. It's curriculum is constantly being iterated to provide the most relevant design education and the instructors really seek to help you grow in the areas you most need to improve in. If you are serious about a career in UX/UI and are willing to put in the work, this is the program for you.

I read all the reviews and looked at other programs but what stood out about Designation was the opportunity to work with actual clients during the eight-month time frame. Although, the reviews for Designation were phenomenal I was not completely sold on the program until I reached out to a program graduate through LinkedIn. Our conversation reassured me that this program could be what I needed to refresh my skills before re-entering the workforce. Another concern of mine was that I had previous design experience and I was not sure if the Design Essentials phase would be as helpful. A Designation instructor told me that it would set the stage for the rest of the program, give me the necessary vocabulary used throughout the program and ensure that all cohort members start on the same page for the subsequent phases. I also thought Design Essential would give me the opportunity to try the program without a huge investment.

It turned out that I enjoyed Design Essentials, it was a mix of new and familiar material for me. I learned more about the UX process and designed a mobile app. I became familiar with Sketch and InVision and a few other programs. Working remotely concerned me but the way the program was set up made it easy to stay engaged. Design Essentials’ director James was awesome and I was able to ask him career questions and get advice to move forward. The only downside was choosing between the UX or UI track after the initial six weeks. Eventually, I chose the UX track but with great debate. I knew I wanted to build new skills and dig deeper into user behaviors and the UX track would help me achieve this.

Because the UX track is very process driven I learned to trust the process and to use these steps as tools. My big take away was that I am now able to write about and explain my ideas and design decisions more effectively. Overall, I learned a lot at Designation but it is still a lot more for me to learn. I enjoy the camaraderie of fellow grads and I have grown my network of design professionals. This was one of my best decisions and I highly recommend Designation as a starting point to a new career.

Overview:

Like others have said, you get what you put in. You'll work hard but learn the skills to be able to land a job after graduation. If you're looking to get into design but don't want to spend the time or money on a Master's degree, Designation is a great option. 

Choosing a program:

I knew I wanted to be a product designer but didn't know how to get there. I looked into HCI programs but they seemed expensive and long. While Designation is less academic than an HCI degree, the work is far more practical. If your goal is to get a job, Designation will teach you the necessary skills to get an entry-level role. That said if you're someone who's very interested in theory, you won't get that at Designation. Since my goal was to get a designer job as fast as possible, Designation seemed like a better option. 

I looked at other bootcamps but thought they lacked the rigor of Designation and wasn't confident that I'd be able to get a job after just 10 weeks. I liked that Designation was longer and much more in depth. I also spent a lot of time stalking past Designation grads on LinkedIn and noticed that they were mostly successful. I spoke with 4-5 folks to hear about their experience, which helped me feel confident about choosing Designation. 

Design Essentials:

The program starts with a 6 week DE course to learn the basics of UX/UI. Expect to spend 20-30 hours a week on the work. I worked full-time while doing DE, which was rough but doable if you spend your evenings and weekends working. For me, DE was a good way to confirm that design was interesting to me. It's very high-level, but you get a sense for the work, learn about the differences between UX and UI, and start using some design software. The work is individual and online, so it can seem a bit like you're on an island. At the end of DE, you choose either the UX or UI course and the instructor helps guide you based on your work and strengths. 

Virtual Phase:

During Virtual, you work with a team on a mock project for 6 weeks. It's the same basic work as DE, but you'll go more in depth. You also get some exposure to the teamwork that you'll have during the in-person phase. For me, this was the lightest part of Designation in terms of work. I had a great team, which made things easier, but some folks can struggle with their teams. Again, the online part is a little tough since you're isolated, but you can manage to make it work.

In-Person Phase:

This is the real point of Designation and where most of the learning happens. In-Person is split into 3 portions: Immersion, Client, and Career

Immersion: During Immersion, you continue with the same design process that you've learned in Virtual but take it to another level. The instructors will push you more and you'll do much deeper work. You also get to work on a real project, which completely changes things. 

You'll also get to know your classmates better and really collaborate. You'll have to work on your team skills and presentation skills. While they might seem soft, they're actually very important and help a lot once you start your job search. 

Client Phase: During Client Phase, you get exposure to actually working with clients and get a lot less handholding. Again, the process is the same but you have more agency and get to see how business challenges affect design (very important!). 

Career Phase: By the time you get here, you'll be burnt out and will want to chill. Don't do it! Mike gives great feedback and you'll have a much easier time post-graduation if you keep up the pace here. 

Job Hunt:

This is the hardest part but it's also why you came to Designation. When I first finished, I was still unsure about whether I'd get a job or what that job would look like. You're also alone again after spending 12 weeks with the same 20 people, so the transition can be a bit shocking. My advice is to be super-organized, make yourself a timeline for finishing your portfolio, and then start applying like crazy. While it's important to have a job you like, your first job will probably just be your starting point and not your dream job. Everyone has a different strategy (Meetups, networking, applying to a ton) so figure out what plays to your strengths. 

During the interview process, you'll be surprised at how well you can speak to your work and do design challenges. This gave me more confidence since I felt that I could actually do the real work. 

You'll definitely have low moments since applying is a grind, but if you work hard enough, you'll get there eventually. Depending on your skillset, it can take some people longer to find a job. There are a LOT of junior designers out there from other bootcamps but a lot of them suck. Designation is more rigorous than other programs, so you'll stand out if you put in a lot of effort to make your portfolio look good.

It took me about 6 weeks to make my portfolio and then another 6 weeks of interviewing before I got an offer. I managed to increase my salary from before Designation, which I wasn't necessarily expecting (but was exciting!)

Pros:

The people: Designers tend to be pretty fun people so you'll have fun. While the cohorts vary, mine was pretty diverse (a mix of people right out of college to people going back to work after having kids). Since you spend so much time together, you'll get goofy as well. You'll probably also have moments where you're pissed at others, but that's natural when you spend that much time with a small group.

Real work: Having actual projects is essential to getting a job. Employers want to see how you navigated the client interactions and business side, so Designation will allow you to speak to that. It's also way more fun to work on real projects that can have an impact. 

Presentation skills: You'll have to present every week, so you'll get good at making a pretty deck and articulating your ideas. Both are essential for a design career. 

Quality of instruction: If you want to be pushed, the instructors will help you. They'll constantly give you feedback, help you think through problems, and actually learn. 

Cons:

The people: While most people are great, there are always a few difficult teammates or some people who aren't cut out for design. Designation tries to weed them out during DE or Virtual, but they also need to keep attendance rates high because it's a business. At times, teammates can bring the group down and make it hard to learn.

Virtual phases: While these are necessary so that you have a basic framework, the structure could be improved. Some of the lectures were tedious. 

Post-grad: While Mike does a great job during career phase, you're kind of on your own after. You'll still check in with him but it's up to you to hustle to get a job. I did a lot of my own networking to get advice, which I'd recommend. You also don't get a lot of practice with design challenges, so that was a bit challenging. 

UX vs. UI: Designation makes a pretty clear split between the two but a lot of jobs tend to focus on both. I found it rare for a job to be just UX. Since I wanted to do product design, I spent some additional time teaching myself some UI skills. Basically, I wish there was just a product design track!

Six months at Designation jumpstarted a career that I love. I came to Designation with no design experience, spending the years prior to the program working in finance. The most designing I'd ever done was in PowerPoint. I was initially skeptical of the program because it didn't provide a formal degree or certification. I'd also need to leave the comfort and security of my current job. Wanting to understand more about the industry and program, I sought out a Designation grad (which I highly recommend doing). She eased a lot of my concerns about the field and the expectations of the program. 

As many of the other reviews have voiced, you'll only be successful at Designation if you're willing to put in the effort. The time commitment is significant, as is the amount learning you'll be doing in that time. The curriculum is structured in a way that allows designers to learn and grow through hands-on experience and repetition. 

The first phase of the program is Design Essentials, which serves as the foundation of your future learning. You'll learn the basic principles of UI/UX design through lectures, group work, and assignments. This phase is part-time, so I continued to work my full-time job. The amount of time this phase takes up is dependent on your learning and working style. I think I personally invested 20/30 hours per week reading and completing the assignments.

The second phase is the virtual phase. At this point, you'll likely need to commit 40+ hours per week. Between Design Essentials and the virtual phase, Designation requires you to choose a concentration: UI or UX. The next six weeks will be a deep dive into the concentration you choose. I chose the UI path because I enjoyed the visual design process. There are lectures during this phase, but most my of learning came from actually designing a mock project. The most beneficial part of the virtual phase for me was the critique and feedback I received on my work. It's difficult to accept at first, but you'll quickly find that feedback is invaluable to your growth as a designer; you can't take it personally. I did wish this phase incorporated more learning around UX. In looking for jobs, I found that most positions were looking for candidates that had a solid understanding of both UI & UX. 

The next phases are Immersion and Client phase. These are in-person at Designation in Chicago. This is when Designation becomes your life. You'll spend 60+ hours per week learning and actually doing real design work. This is an important part of the program; perhaps the most. I learned how to cohesively work in design teams and explain and present my designs to stakeholders. There are so many resources available to you, being in-person: creative directors, peers, guest speakers. Leveraging these resources will be crucial in your growth. I had the opportunity to design for two actual clients, so I learned firsthand how to communicate design to different types of people while designing for real business problems. This will be a challenging part of the program, but I learned the most during it and am able to apply the things I learned at my new job.

The last phase is the Career phase. You'll learn how to write case studies on your work, create your portfolio, and how to market yourself as a designer. Designation pairs you with a career mentor, which was really helpful for me as I crafted my story as a designer and reached out to prospective employers. Designation does not place you in a job after you graduate. You'll do all of the searching and applying on your own. However, there is a very active job board where the Designation community post listings for candidates. The creative directors are also more than willing to provide feedback on job listings and companies you may come across. Career phase continues post-graduation as well. You'll have access to Designation for six weeks to have any of your career materials reviewed. 

Designation provides you with all of the resources you need to learn and become a UI/UX designer. The result of the program hinges on the effort and quality you put into the learning. If you leverage all of the tools provided to you, the people you meet and stay humble, I think anyone can become a quality designer through Designation. I'm currently the sole designer at my company and feel confident in my ability to create progressive and meaningful work.

Designation is a life changer. If you are on the edge of deciding whether or not to join Designation, hopefully this review persuades you to go for it. You get out of the program what you put into it and it when you graduate, you are prepared for a career in the field, even if you don't think you are. 

Before starting Designation, I was working for a startup and saw the design side of things and wanted to be involved. I am so thankful that I chose this program, I grew as a designer and as a person in a matter of months.  

The virtual experience

When you start in the virtual phases, you learn the basics that will carry you all the way through, it can be tough, but if you take the time to really learn the material you are prepared for entering the in-person phase. 

The in-person experience

The in-person experience is intense and is designed to be ambiguous. As someone who recently started a career in the field, you're never going to be given a problem to solve that is black and white and as infuriating as it can be during the program, you will thank Designation in the long run. Having the opportunity to work with real clients is absolutely necessary and the staff is extremely involved and helpful. 

The in-person phase is no joke. You will be working early mornings, late nights, and weekends, I cannot stress enough that you will get out of it what you put into it. It sounds intense, but if you do want a change in careers, it's the best route to go. You have continued support and will get to know your cohort and make lifelong friendships. 

After the program

I was able to land a job within 3 weeks of finishing the program, though you should budget for about 3 months after the program to finding a job. If you use the tools the staff gives you, you will find something. Not only will you graduate with new skills and process, you will have formed a network that goes beyond your cohort and will get support from Mike, the career phase creative director, to help move your job search forward. 

Advice to staff

I don't have enough kind words to say about the program, and being in-person for 3 months, I already saw multiple changes made to curriculum and the program, so the staff is continually iterating on how to make it better. 

I would recommend having more material on user testing and different methods in the virtual phase for the UI track and having more opportunities for cross-track learning during the in-person phase. It was difficult for me to decide between both UX and UI and having the ability to learn more of the opposite side of things and having materials for portfolio on the UX side of things would have been ideal. 

What I wish I would have done before starting

I wish I would have gone to more meetups and events in the field to start building up a network and learning different methods and approaches. Do as much learning on your own as you can, it will help you inform your career path and what you are interested in before starting, and as you go through the program you will have a more concrete idea of what to expect in a career. 

Many props to the entire staff at Designation, it was a life changing experience and after 6 months, I have a completely different career that I am passionate about! 

 

If you are a naturally curious person who wants to know what makes people tick and doesn’t want to be spoon-fed instructions, Designation is the place for you. I had 10 years experience in graphic design but was looking to make a change to a field that would be more meaningful on a day-to-day basis. I was looking for the right balance of time to soak in new knowledge, but not the extended length of a graduate program. This was the perfect split for me compared to some of the shorter 10-week programs I compared it too. One of the best parts of the program is that it lets you get a taste for either UX or UI track before committing to it fully. In my case, I was pretty sure I wanted to pursue the UX path, and Design Essentials helped confirm that it would be the most beneficial to me. It has been nine years since graduating from design school, but it was pretty easy to get back into a ‘student' mindset. Once you move from virtual in person, the program tries to drive you out of that mindset back to more of a professional setting, but the ambiguity can be mentally confusing at times, and it doesn’t click for everyone at the same time. This is especially true if you like to follow a syllabus and play by the rules. You eventually have to figure out what is the most valuable task to do to make the best product possible, not because it was handed down for you to do. This can lead to some frustration feeling like you are not learning enough pure technical skill (esp in UX), but you are learning the stuff that you can't learn from watching a YouTube tutorial. This has been most beneficial in the post-graduation world where for me it has become much more about what part of the process will bring the right insight to build the best product. The client phase is the real deal. I’ve worked live in design for a long time, and while you have some guardrails thanks to the tireless effort by your creative directors, the working process with the clients is as it has been at any point in my career. This should give you total confidence when putting together your portfolio that the work you have done is legit and enough to get you a job. Speaking of getting a job, the career phase is a perfect ender to the program. It teaches you all the things you would never learn in a graduate program about the in's and out’s of the interview process. Everyone in my cohort that put all their effort and trust into the career phase process has come out with great jobs and on an exciting new path forward. I cannot recommend it enough, and I know Designation is only going to keep iterating and improving from here!

I had been a designer for a good while. I was working at a large reputable ad agency as an Art Director for 5 years but the work I was doing was of a very narrow skill set and it was extremely difficult to advance or find many job opportunities elsewhere that really got me excited to apply. Even changing companies would only have afforded me minimal additional money or career advancement opportunity. I had been wanting to make the transition to digital work for a long time but it was difficult to break into it without the prior experience. I met with a couple mentors who told me that is was going to take a lot of self-education or going back to school but one of them mentioned a short but intense program that he knew produced some really solid designers. It was called Designation. He told me that he had even hired a designer out of Designation and was very impressed with him. That was a huge endorsement and the rest is history. 

Designation was a game changer for me. It actually sounds fake to talk about all the positive things that it did for me. I landed a contract gig doing freelance UX design immediately after finishing Designation. I went on to work at a reputable startup in Chicago, getting a lot of praise for my work there. About a year into my UX career, the recruiters started to call and message. I've had many people contact me asking if I'd like to hear about new opportunities. I haven't had to actually seek out jobs in almost 2 years. The jobs come to me. And I'm on the cusp of doubling my salary. DOUBLE. 

Designation did many things for me and my career but it was also just a great experience to go through. I made some great friends that I still keep in touch with over 2 years later. The program itself was no joke. It was challenging and consumed my life for over 4 months but the knowledge and experience gained was worth far more than the program costs and the program is not cheap. I feel it was every bit as valuable as 2 years of grad school would've been but grad school wouldve cost multiple times the tuition of Designation. 

I can't say enough good things about Designation. It did incredible things for me that I still can't believe and I'm way grateful for it! 

I have to echo what has been said in multiple reviews of Designation—you will get out what you put in to the program, the time and money are worth it, and it is a life changing experience… but let’s back up to how I got here.

Before Designation

In 2017, I was unhappy with my career in administration and operations and was looking for a change. I knew that I wanted to work in a creative, project driven environment and started exploring ways to move into a design career. I explored a number of bootcamps, but ultimately chose Designation for three main reasons:

1. The 8-week Design Essentials was relatively low cost and allowed me to dip my foot in the waters to see if this field was the right fit for me before I committed to the longer program. Also, since DE gave me the full spectrum of UX &UI work, I was able to better decide which track I wanted to pursue.
2. The big differentiator is the Career Phase that is offered at Designation. It was important to me that I have the experience of seeing how a design team works together in a real-world environment and that I walk away with a portfolio that included more than spec work.
3. The last piece that drew me to Designation was the people. Through design meetups around town, reaching out to people online, and my interview at Designation, I got a good look at the culture at Designation. The staff and alumni of Designation is truly a village–kind, supportive, constructive and responsive individuals that want to see all members of the community succeed and be their best selves.

With the decision made, I embarked on my journey at Designation in October 2017 with Design Essentials.

Design Essentials

Pros: James is a great instructor and breaks down the process into easily digestible pieces. You will learn not only the “what” of UX/UI, but more importantly the “why.” You will also get introduced to design crit and feedback, which is extremely important to both growth as a designer and learning to become a great team member.

Cons: The time estimate for DE is 15-20 hours a week, but I easily spent 30-35 hours in DE. The work can be done in less time, but to get the most out of DE it really pays to do the extra reading and to start spending time getting to know the tools better.

Tips: (1) Don’t think you can wait until the weekend to get the work done. Work a little everyday–before or after work if you are still working. (2) If you have time before DE starts, take some online courses to get to know Sketch and the UX process. Lynda.com is great for this. (3) Make the effort to get to know your cohort. Online is awkward and everyone is new, but you will eventually be spending 70+ hours with these people. Take advantage of the slack channels that James sets up for you and do some Google Hangouts with your group.

After DE, I chose to take the UI track for the rest of the program. This is because I am more interested in visual and interactive design, and knew I wanted a job in that space rather than research, concept, information architecture or other more UX focused areas.

Virtual- UI Track

Pros: The UI track starts by building on the visual design principles (color, layout, hierarchy, etc.) that you learn in DE, progresses through learning the tools of the trade (Illustrator, Sketch, Photoshop), and then builds web and mobile UI practices on top of this foundation. Jancy is a great creative director in this phase. She strengthens your design feedback and crit skills having everyone participate in the feedback for each designer’s project deliverables.

Cons: The first couple of weeks can feel overwhelming–there are many deliverables during this time and the course materials are also heavy towards the beginning.

Tips: (1) Try to bond with others on your track, share tips you’ve learned with the tools and interact around the coursework throughout the week (2) Do the extra credit­–you’ll thank yourself for learning those skills when you get to Immersion.

Immersion- UI Track

Pros: This is where you will feel like the training wheels have come off. Doug will challenge you start taking ownership of your design process and by the end of Immersion you will be amazed by how much you grow in a few short weeks. It is here, too, where you will polish up your presentation skills and learn how to communicate design to stakeholders. This will be invaluable in Client Phase.

Cons: Week one was a bit overwhelming with your first deliverables due at the end of week one. However, design is an iterative process and Designations curriculum is no exception and I understand that this is no longer the case.

Tips: (1) Actively solicit feedback from your cohort mates–from both tracks–you will learn so much. (2) You will have mentors and a Designer-in-Residence–they have been through the program, understand what you’re going through and are there to help.

Client Phase

Pros: So far you’ve built your skills as a designer using a linear design process, but client phase is where you meet the real world and it gets interesting. You’ll be jumping into a project for real clients, so expect some pivots and to start flexing your design skills. Megan and Dan, the creative directors for this phase, will push your team to continue taking more ownership as designers but are also there as a great support and sounding board.  

Cons: It is hard to judge what kind of work will come in the door for each cohort, but ideally it would be useful for each designer to have a mobile and a web project.

Tips: (1) You should know your team members pretty well by now, leverage each other’s strengths. (2) Build a good relationship with your clients, you may want to use them for recommendations in the future.

Career Phase

Pros: Designation has had over 500 grads, and Mike uses the feedback he gets from alums to build a great career phase that gives you the blueprint you need to build your portfolio and find a job.

Cons: I wish there was more of an emphasis on practice interviewing with creative leads in the industry.

Tips: (1) Try to get all of your writing finished for your first case study before graduation. Building your portfolio site is fun, but you won’t really know what you want or need until your case study is written. (2) Take advantage of the time Mike offers all graduates for the 4 weeks after graduation.

Final Thoughts

You get out what you put in–do the extra reading and projects, make connections with your cohort, creative directors, alumni, and guest lecturers, and give 110% every day. You will leave Designation will the skills, portfolio, and confidence to launch a new career in design. It truly is life changing.

 

 

 

Designation is a life changer….if you want it to be. The program itself provides you with the necessary resources, knowledge, and integration that will help you become a successful designer. Here are some pros, insights, and tips.

INSIGHTS

1. The Designation staff is excellent. They’re super knowledgeable and they know what they’re talking about. They’re really supportive and are willing to help you out every step of the way. You're never gonna feel like you're in this alone. Besides the great staff, you have your own team members for support as well.

2. What's great about Designation is the opportunity for real client experience. That is one of the main reasons I chose this program over GA and others. You’re able to work for and interact with 2 clients during your time with the program. This definitely helps you stand out once the program finishes and you start looking for a job.

3. Designation does an amazing job of fostering a great positive community within the Designation and the Chicago design community. It’s awesome to see Designation alumni come back to the program as either guest speakers or DIR’s (Designer-in-Residence) to help out. Towards the end of the program, you’ll even go on company/agency tours in Chicago. When I was there, we got to go on a tour at Allstate and meet some of the designers that are currently working there. It’s cool to see how well Designation is connected with not just companies and agencies in Chicago, but all around the world.

4. Designation provides career assistance through their Career Phase. They even give you some assistance after you graduate from the program as well. I do wish the program added a couple more weeks into the Career Phase, it felt a little rushed. With the extra weeks, I would hope to gain more in-depth knowledge on how interviews/design challenge/networking work specifically for designers. Just being around Designation staff and cohort members can make such a huge difference when it comes to support and staying motivated, especially because there’s still a lot of work to do even after graduating.

TIPS AND ADVICE

1. I would like to remind people that this is a “bootcamp” program, meaning you will eat, drink, and sleep design for the next 6 months. They don’t call it a bootcamp for nothing. There will be a lot of early mornings and late nights put into your work. You’ll spend 6-7 days out of the week working with your team in order to get work done for your project and client. Yes, that means Saturday and Sunday. It is a very intensive program that is built to help you learn a lot of stuff in order to best prepare you to be a great designer. Basically, people should join this program expecting to be working 24/7.  I don’t want to scare anyone away from the program, I just don’t want people joining this program w/ the wrong expectation and giving themselves a bad experience. But at the end of the day, every early morning, late night, and Saturdays I spent for Designation, IT WAS WORTH IT.

2. As you can tell from almost every review that you read on here, it’s important to know that “you get what you put in,” no matter how cliche it sounds. It can be very easy to join this program and really leave without feeling like you actually learned something. Be interactive and curious, and really try to soak in as much as you can. Ask questions, ALWAYS find ways for improvement.

3. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been working in whatever industry you were working in…please come into the program with a “student” mindset. Drop your egos and be humble. Learn to grow with other “soon-to-be-designers” from other walks of life and help each other out. This program isn’t a competition to see who is the best designer. Thankfully Designation doesn’t have that kind of vibe, nor does it encourage it. Again, it builds a great positive community where you will probably call your cohort “a family” and stay connected with them even after the program ends.

IN CONCLUSION...

Designation has helped me to finally be in a career where I can be passionate about my work as a creative. I was able to build confidence that I’ve never had before in my previous work experience and take great pride and ownership of my skills and works. I can honestly say I'm finally in a career field that I know will make me happy and put me in a position to always CREATE.

If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to reach out! 

I won't lie and say this program was fun the entire time. I struggled through it. Some days, it felt really overwhelming. I was pushed beyond my comfort zone, I lost sleep and sometimes it felt like I failed pretty hard but ultimately, I learned a ton about myself, my skills and what I actually wanted out of a career. I made great friends, I acquired years worth of knowledge in a short time and I can actually see my new skills in action with every new job/project I take on. I felt the curriculum itself needed a bit more fine-tuning, and I hear it continues to be updated, which is great!! Its probably already better now than when I went through the program. Don't get me wrong though, I felt I learned SO much and I wouldn't trade this experience. The knowledge they share is robust and ahead of the curve. I loved the staff at Designation. Everyone has their own style of teaching and leading. Working with different staff members was an added bonus for prepping to be a designer in the real world. I also loved the client work that makes up part of this program. I personally feel this is what separates Designation from other design bootcamps. Working with real clients allowed me to talk about my actual design experience in job interviews versus just fictional projects. I also was lucky to be able to continue to work with one of the clients beyond the program, giving me even more experience than I could've hoped for. If you're thinking about attending Designation, I can tell you from my experience, it was worth it! I'm on the verge of starting my first design focused job and I can't wait to see where my career goes from here. 

It was the end of 2016 and I had been looking for a job for close to a year with no luck. The jobs I was looking at during that time were not very desirable. I was not in a good place, but one day I stumbled upon a post about bootcamps as a way to jumpstart a new career. A year after graduating I'm now employed as a UX Designer and couldn't be happier. Designation is a great place to change your career if you are willing to put in the work.

Positives

In my case, I had no design experience coming into the program and really appreciated how they started slow and introduced new concepts and ideas before ramping up the difficulty later on.

The Client phase gets you exposure to what working for clients is like. I loved that I got to work with actual clients and get some really solid projects for my portfolio. This is something that most bootcamps are missing.

The Career phase is another thing unique to Designation. You learn how to write case studies, resumes, cover letters and portfolios to help you land a job after the program.

Designation's staff is full of the most hardworking and dedicated people I've ever met. They really care about the program and providing the best experience for people wanting to learn UX/UI.

Improvements

Despite how thorough career phase is, there is a lack of focus on interviews. I would have loved a couple mock interviews or design challenges.

I would have liked for interaction between the UX and UI side of the program. For the most part, you don't work with the UI side if you are UX very much. Working alongside a UI designer would have been a great experience.

Things to consider before you decide

During the in-person phase of the program, I was putting in 70-80 hour weeks on projects. If you are not willing to put in the work you won't get a lot out of the program. 

The program is also quite a bit longer than most. You have to commit to 6 months to complete the program. It is worth it, but you might want to look elsewhere if you want a quicker program.

Overall

From the amazing friendships I've made to the great job I have now it is safe to say attending Designation was the best decision, I've ever made.  It was a lot of work, but worth every late night and early morning to get where I am now. If you are serious about starting a new career in UX and are willing to put in the work Designation is the best program out there for you.

 

In short Designation teaches you a process that gives you confidence in tackling the unknown. I came from an engineering background and was used to building things, and working through problems. The skills that I picked up during my enrollment in Designation have made how I build things, and how I solve problems more purposeful. To be more specific Designation explicitly taught me the process of how to create mobile and web applications, but they also teach you how that process can be applied successfully to nearly everything. Since then I've used the same process to confidently do anything from leading the art direction and writing the script for marketing videos, to developing key performance indicators that will monitor the health of a mobile application through a beta launch (both completely new experiences for me).

The programs immersive nature gives you opportunity to apply what you're learning in real time, with real people, and real problems - which is an invaluable. Now that I'm graduated, I find myself the member of an active Designation community, who continually help each other, whether it be through asking and answering questions, or provide leads and connections to new opportunities. It's really a wonderful community to be apart of.

If you are looking for a program to help you break into the UX/UI world, you cannot go wrong with Designation.

After working as a content writer in Chicago for a few years and hearing from my department's UX team that Designation was the way to go to learn UX, I decided to give it a try. Designation is broken into different phases, beginning with Design Essentials, a 6 week virtual introduction to UX and UI. The idea is that you pay a deposit for DE, take the course online (15-20 hours/week), then talk with your TA about whether the rest of Designation (which spans almost 6 months) is the right fit for you.

A few things to keep in mind: PLEASE do not take Designation Essentials UNLESS you are working <40 hours/week at your current job or your job is truly just so boring/easy that you can lock yourself in a conference room for hours during the day to complete your assignments. Further, you'll need a Macbook, access to a few softwares, and a lot of flexibility to get through these 6 weeks. I love user experience design, had been working with a UX team, was familiar with some of the concepts and work - and yet, it still took me FULL DAYS most weekends to complete the assignments, which build on one another, so if you mess up early on, you're playing catchup for the duration of your time in DE. Assignments are due multiple times a week, so if you work 9-5 and can't pull out your Macbook to very obviously work on design homework, you're probably SOL and won't be able to submit assignments on time. (I am a person who is always 3 days ahead of a deadline for anything, and yet, I was always behind at Designation.)

The good news: you will learn a TON in six weeks, including but not limited to doing user research, conducting a competitive analysis, creating wireframes, loading early hand-drawn prototypes into various prototyping tools (InVision, Marvel), creating style tiles (basically branding your app), plus more. Most of this is learned through hours and hours and HOURS of online videos from across the web, from real designers and researchers as well as YouTube designers.

I know what you're thinking, "but is this worth the money?" Yes. "Couldn't I just find all of that stuff on my own and teach myself?" No. Because when you're looking to jump into a new career, you don't have time to find all of this content, let ALONE learn it. I never had time during my 6 weeks to read every article or watch every video, but I have access to them all even after leaving the program. Your TAs and staff at Designation are truly passionate about helping people launch a career in ux/ui design, which means they answer Slacks and emails quickly and with flexibility.

I loved this program, and even though I ultimately determined the full 6 month course wasn't right for me at the time (I had just started a new job), I fully encourage people to sign up for Designation's DE and just give it a try. I am not a rich person, and yes it was an investment, but it felt like it was worth the money. I have never before taken an online class that didn't just feel like a joke. Designation is no joke.

2017, one year into my life as a Junior Architectural Designer, I was feeling extremely unsatisfied with the work I was doing. I felt as if I wasn’t making an impact on peoples lives and the work I was doing did not quench the itch I had to design conceptually, create, and problem solve. I had been mulling over transitioning out of Architecture for some time at this point, and after months of research plus some intro courses at a few boot camps, I made the pivot of a lifetime and couldn't be happier with where I am now. I owe an enormous debt to Designation, and could not have changed my life without them.

Why I Chose Designation
I discovered Designation through months of research and even took some intro courses at different programs to really test the waters before making a decision. Ultimately, the genuinely immersive program length and Designation's unique Client Phase—no other program pushed designers to work with real clients/startups— were key deciding factors that prompted me to take the leap. My potential program also needed to have a true studio culture and the energy and melting pot of knowledge that comes it. I believed that Designation was one of the few programs where I would find this, and needless to say, I was not disappointed!

 

Pros

The Staff: The staff at Designation is unbeatable. Passionate, caring, un-imaginably talented and hard-working, the leadership consistently worked to build the next generation of great designers. Throughout the entire program, there was a keen sense of care for each cohort member. Each teacher pushed us as a team and individual to be better than the day before.

Client Phase: By far the most significant differentiator compared to other boot camps. The experience gained by working with real startups, stakeholders and investors not only showed me the true power of design but helped prepared me for the professional world of UX/UI Design. Client Phase gave me a huge competitive edge during my interviews, and no amount of academic work can replicate the constraints, pivots, and hurdles of real-world projects—which become fantastic talking points during interviews!

Career Phase: This phase was the culmination of the entire program, and Mike Joosse—president of Designation—runs Career Phase at a level that pushes everyone to do better and be better. An incredible career coach and mentor, he works one on one with each cohort member to craft resumes, case studies, elevator pitches and portfolios that ultimately set you up for the highest amount of success. Mike cares about each and every designer that comes through Designation, and I couldn't speak more highly of him and the way he has structured Career Phase.

Network: Ever buzzing with the latest design news, job opportunities, and helpful hints and smiles, Designation's postgraduate network is always readily available to assist in any capacity. While not the only key to success, Designation's Alumni are a force to be reconned with and provide new grads with a great foundation that makes networking and job hunting that much less daunting.

 

Cons

Not enough focus on the interview process: While Career Phase and Mike do an incredible job of pushing designers to develop industry ready portfolios and case studies in a short period of time, there's a noticeable lack of interview prep. I was often blindsided by interview requirements such as whiteboard challenges and take home design challenges. There's so much focus on the portfolio, and just not enough on mock interviews and interview best practices and technique.

Not a high enough barrier to entry: While Design Essentials and the application interviews with staff are excellent filters, inevitably, your cohort might have a few people just not cut out for the design industry. Be it their inability to work with other people, attitude or lack of good design talent, there was someone who the entire cohort dreaded working with. I understand Designation is a business at the end of the day, but I wish there were a more extensive filter at the beginning of the program to ensure that people who see design an "easy way out" (to money or happiness) don't make it through.

 

 

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, Designation was an incredible part of my life. The staff, my cohort, and the environment helped me grow as a designer and as a person, and there is no better way to transition into the UX/UI world. I learned an unbelievable amount and formed relationships to last a lifetime. I would recommend the program to anyone!

 

Designation was absolutely crucial to me getting my foot in the door. After the program, I got 4 interviews out of ~20 applications and my first offer as a UI/UX designer about 2 months out. It's a very thorough program that is focused on developing one's design process and gaining hands-on experience working with clients. It never felt like I was being pushed to just make artifacts for the sake of making pretty things to show in a portfolio. Every deliverable I made added to my portfolio's narrative and demonstrated my own design process. The 24 weeks was worth it in helping me create a design portfolio from scratch and having the language necessary for UI/UX job interviews

 During the on-site experience, especially the really tough immersion project, it was a 70 hour work week with a few all-nighters. All the instructors were great at being guard rails against failure, but they often felt hands-off unless asked to. During the client projects, my team was given a lot of freedom to dictate the flow of the project. I think that was the most important aspect I talked about in my interviews: not so much about any particular design concept, but about working with clients, facilitating discussions, managing expectations, and developing your design process. The client projects ended up being the real meat of the experience, and they gave me enough confidence to do freelance projects apart from the program.

Designation has ups and downs. Their network is mostly in Chicago. I was looking for a position on the east coast, so it felt more difficult for me to access that network once I was out of the program. For me personally, the job assistance felt rather lacking. Also, one thing that helped me get my offer was doing a personal project outside of the program. This was necessary to demonstrate my passion for design beyond the program. Designation currently does not officially offer any assistance in helping designers find valuable side-projects, but once I had one, my mentors were very supportive. So yeah, expect long hours, a kinda lackluster job assistance experience if you're looking outside of Chicago, and the possible need to take personal initiative to do a side-project in addition to the main program.

As an indicator of my satisfaction with my experience, since the couple months I've been out, I have felt comfortable enough to mentor a new designer in doing a side-project and developing their own portfolio.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Designation to friends as a great place to get your foot in the door for design and meet and work with wonderful people. They do a damn fine job if you're able to handle a 70 hour/week workload and be okay with not having everything handed to you. My only real suggestion for the program would be to work on developing a network outside of Chicago.

Overview. Like all things you do in life, Designation is what you make it of it. If you put in the work and use the resources provided, this program can change your life. It is intense, challenging, and satisfying. I came out of this program a different professional person and a more reflective human. I loved my time in the program, most of the people I met, and everyone that works at Designation. 

Strengths
* In-depth curriculum and working knowledge of design prepares you for application in a job setting
* Well versed and supportive staff members that really care about designers success
* Client projects that give you real portfolio pieces
* Work-like style of in-person phase

If you are serious about making a career change and are ready to work your ass off and embrace loving it, then Designation IS for you. You will lose most of your social life, but if you care about design, you’ll likely fall in love with working as hard as you do during your time here and it can be a valuable experience. I couldn’t be happier with my choice to attend. I was able to change careers, grow as a human being, and made a lot of life-long friends in the process. 

Choosing a Program. I choose Designation because as a career switcher if I was going to make the jump I wanted to do it at 150%. Designation is the longest and most specialized I looked at and gave real client experience in a small community setting. I couldn’t be happier with my choice to attend and feel confident in my decision. 

Overall Curriculum. Designation is 24 weeks long, a mix of virtual and in-person, which I thought was beneficial to learning and then focusing on applying skills. They have great curriculum online if you take the time to read it. The in-time focuses on applying your skills and soft-skill development where you will work closely in teams and with real clients. You end the program with an in-depth career phase to help you set yourself up for success. They are constantly improving and looking for feedback on how things can be better, which I found to be a strength of the program. 

UX vs. UI. You have to choose UX or UI after 6 weeks, which I had a very hard time with. I felt pressure to choose UX based on the advertising and curriculum but ended up choosing UI. A lot of people told me I would be better served to do UX, but I actually don’t think this is true now for where I came from and what I want to do. UI forced me to learn in a completely different way and really pushed me out of my comfort zone to learn something (visual design) that I think would have been much harder to do on my own. I knew that I wanted to do Product Design, which has elements of both UX and UI. My background was all in research and jobs that required critical thinking, so I felt more comfortable with the UX, which is why I choose UI. I think visual design is harder to learn, or it was for me personally, and I feel confident it would have been harder for me to get the job I did having chosen UX. 

Also, due to the way in which the design process works, if you do UI, you are inherently involved with some UX changes in all of your projects, which allows you to have a little bit of both UX/UI in your portfolio. I feel as though I got a little more experience on both sides of UX and UI due to this. 

Time Commitment. The in-person phase is very intense. They say 10-12 hours a day, but I put in closer to 15-18. I believe this allowed me to make a real change and improve in the way that I personally needed to as a designer. I don’t necessarily advise other people to do this, but I moved from another city for the program so I didn’t have any other asks on my time. I will say that I think it paid off afterward and showed me that if you can work that hard towards something, be exhausted, but still be happy to get up the next morning, then you’ve probably made the right choice. You can do anything for 12 weeks, but if this type of intensity (at least 10 hours a day), then I might look elsewhere. 

People. As a growing startup, they cannot be as selective in who they let in. They work to help people of ALL backgrounds move into design, which is a strength, but with this can come people with differing levels of commitment and work ethic. You may have people in your cohort who are difficult to work with or simply burn out, and to ensure it doesn’t negatively impact your work, you may have to carry their weight. I was also lucky enough to work with some incredibly hard working people too and made a lot of life-long friends. It goes both ways. 

Networking. Take advantage of the networking. I moved back to SF and thankfully had a large network here, which helped me immensely in my job search. Utilize the network you gain access to during the program as well as the guest speakers, and if you are moving elsewhere, start reaching out to people in those cities during the program. 

Getting a job. It took me 3 months to get a job, while I continued to work at Designation as a DIR. That is another thing that Designation doesn’t really hype up, but if you work hard and are a good communicator/collaborator, there is a chance you’ll be asked to stay on for 3 months in a paid position. It was a good fit for me, as a previous teacher, and I really enjoyed giving back to the program, learning more about UX/UI, and working with all of the staff for three months. It also gave me a nice window to work on my portfolio without stress. I think this is another huge advantage for Designation. I interviewed at three companies before landing my job and felt very prepared from all of my time at Designation. I will say that I was rejected without interview from probably another 10 or so jobs, so that is why the networking is so important—it helps get someone to actually look at your resume and consider you.

My Background: Prior to Designation I worked as a Project Manager in a completely non-related field to design, which is to say that I'm a career switcher and I was quite hesitant to do so in the beginning since I had to quit my job and take a leap of faith.

 

The Program: The structure of the bootcamp is setup so that you’re initially exposed to the entire process of designing a digital product to get a sense of what UX and UI (separately).  You're expected to pick either one to move forward in the curriculum after the introductory virtual course.

I personally struggled with the decision between UX or UI and would've liked to be a multidisciplinary designer (or maybe a major and minor kinda thing) but chose to move forward with UX since it was a better fit for my background and knew my odds of getting a job as a UX Designer would be better. Also, as you proceed in the program, there isn't any exchange of knowledge between UX and UI folks and it's something that I personally would've liked.

Looking back at the entire experience, I think it helps if you know what kind of work environment and prospects you're seeking i.e. small vs. big (company), startup vs. enterprise, hybrid vs. specialized (role). I would say talk to as many people in the field as you can to figure out what works best for you.

The one aspect that I can't stress enough about is the importance of networking!  Designation does a good job of bringing in guest speakers from the industry (some of whom are former Designation grads) to share their experience but the onus is on the individuals to go to meetup events and industry events outside of the curriculum. It definitely helps knowing designers in the field once you've completed the program and are looking for jobs. Designation also has a strong alumni network and quite a few people that I've spoken with have gotten jobs because they were referred to by other grads of the bootcamp. (speaks to the strength of the program)

The in-person phase of the program was definitely the most challenging since most of us aren't used to working 10-12 hours a day but I got accustomed to it after the first week and it was definitely the best part of the program. You get a chance to work directly with entrepreneurs and you’ll be presenting your work in weekly Sprints; I definitely got a lot better at presentations and public speaking through these. Designation does a good job of vetting the clients but they were a couple instances where the clients either weren’t as serious about their project and it was a slight bummer since all the designers wanted feedback from their clients to move the project forward.

Most of the people in the program that get to the in-person phase are absolutely committed to the cause, however there are some who slip through the cracks that just want to do the bare minimum and it's ultimately up to you to either drive the process or bring it to your creative lead's attention for the sake of the project.

The most challenging part of the curriculum for me was the career phase. You're expected to finish a lot of work in a very constrained time frame and I know that none of the people from my cohort were able to get most of the work done within this timeframe. You do have access to Mike who’s a valuable resource in not only providing you with feedback about your portfolio and resume but will also help you navigate the job market by putting you in touch with the right people!

It took me roughly 6 months to get a job after the program and it was quite challenging to get interviews in the first few months after the program. Even though the program says that it takes 3-6 months on average to get your first job, be prepared for the worst case scenario. I feel like it is a combination of a lot of factors that leads to anyone eventually getting an offer; I know some designers from my cohort that got a job a month after and some that still don’t have anything solid. Try to take on freelancing and contracting gigs in the meantime since this will be your ammunition when you go into interviews. In my experience a lot of employers/recruiters want to hear about what you’ve been doing after the program.

In the end, I will say that Designation is a solid program and I was able to switch careers to do something I find challenging and fun! Be real with yourself and assess your strengths and weaknesses before the program...just going through the program is not going to magically present you with a job. Be prepared to say goodbye to your social life for the duration of the program since you’ll be putting in 10-12 hours of work daily. Everyone in the faculty will absolutely help you get to the point where you have the best shot at becoming a designer and finding a job and you will also make some really great friends along the way!

 

One year ago, I was feeling super unmotivated and defeated at my current position at a family business. It had been two years since finishing undergrad with a degree in Psychology, and I knew I was meant for more. I didn’t think it was possible to find a career that would align my passions for psychology, art, and helping people until a friend encouraged me to look into UX/UI. I did as much research as I could on UX/UI as well as numerous programs, and it was clear that Designation was the best choice because of everything it offered.

A year ago, I had no idea what UX/UI even was. Now, I’m a UI Visual Designer at a great company, and I’m confident I could not have reached this point without Designation and the people I met along the way.

 

Why I Chose Designation

I believed Designation was the right choice for me after doing extensive research on other UX/UI programs and weighing out what they offered. What drew me to Designation was the immersion and client phases it offered to gain real-life design experience with real clients and collaborating with others. What also helped me choose Designation was the loan programs they offered through Climb Credit, which made it an easy to apply and take out a loan.

 

During Designation

For the first 3 months during the virtual phase, I was able to juggle a full-time job with the design workload I had because of the flexibility of working for a family business. Design Essentials and the Virtual phase really set up and prepare you for what to expect in the Immersion phase. Instructors will teach the basics of how to use design tools, but it is really up to you to self-teach and master them.

The Immersion phase consists of a mock project and two client projects with small groups, which require a LOT of work. You will learn your own design process while honing both soft and hard skills. No, it’s not easy, but it is so worth it. The creative directors, designers-in-residence (DIR), instructors, speakers, and cohort mates truly make it one of the best and unique experiences you will ever have. They are some of the best people I’ve ever met!

 

Career Phase/Post Graduation

During this phase, you will work with Mike Joose, who is the president of Designation and also handles the career phase. He will help you write and edit resumes, Linkedin profiles, case studies, cover letters, portfolios, etc., but most importantly, he will help connect you with clients and companies if you continue to stay in contact with him and show effort in the job searching process. He helped me get a short contract position right after graduating and continued to send my portfolio and contact information over to companies and recruiters until I found the best job match. He is the best resource you will have coming out of Designation.
 

Final Thoughts

Designation was one of the most rewarding, fun, and best learning experiences I’ve ever had. There is truly no other program like it, and that is why it draws people in from all over the world. You learn to work harder than you ever have before and meet the best people along the way. If you want to get into the UX/UI field, I highly recommend it!

 

Long story short: If I can change careers, you can too. Designation is worth it, and you get what you put into it. It was easily the best career move I've ever made, hands-down.

I won't go into crazy detail about the curriculum, but I can touch on my personal experience and why I chose Designation. I was in logistics sales for 2.5 years, not crazy about it, and wanted to do something more creative. Obviously, I didn't have the skillset to make it in design, so I did my research and found that Designation was highly-recommended by family and friends in the industry.

Holy cow, was it a lot of work but 150% worth it. The early phases worked with my work schedule. These virtual phases were excellent for grasping the broader concepts of UX, and the instructors were incredible. They taught me that all feedback is useful, and the in's and out's of the design process.

For me, the best part of Designation was the in-person phases. Meeting the creative individuals I had only known virtually was a lot of fun, and everyone was extremely passionate. Collaborating with these different designers was really fun, and really drove me to think outside the box. This was also where I got the most hands-on experience with my technical skills, which I drastically lacked. We worked with real clients, designing real products, and I built out a solid portfolio. Yeah, late nights and some weekends, but so what? I was completely changing the direction of my professional career in less than 6 months!

The final phase preps you for the job-hunt, and what to expect when looking for jobs in design. This was also extremely useful for someone like me who had to explain why I changed careers, and why that company should hire someone with only a bootcamp under their belt. Fortunately for me now, I have a substantial amount of technical skills and professional experience, all thanks to my time in Designation.

All in all, I went from a Joe Schmo who could only operate Microsoft Paint, and now I have a job as a visual designer at a major pharmacy company. The time, effort, and enthusiasm I put into Designation definitely paid off.

When I first heard about Designation, I was a mechanical engineer without a background in design. I wasn’t sure if I had the skill or creativity to be successful in UX design, but once I decided to switch careers and pursue a career in technology and design, I knew Designation was the best option for me. They provide the most education for their price (24 weeks is a long time!) and offer real client experience, which is crucial when getting your first UX/UI design job.

I used their 6-week prerequisite course, Design Essentials, as a litmus test to determine whether I’d actually enjoy the Designation and UX design. I fell in love with the process during this phase, and I was excited to go through the rest of the program.

After completing Designation, I spent about a month working on my portfolio. I was hired as a short-term contractor about 1.5 months after graduation. Two months later, I started my full-time role as a UX designer for another company.

 

What I liked about Designation:

Staff

The staff are incredible and do as much as they can to help designers succeed. They truly believe in educating the next generation of effective, workplace-ready professionals. They not only teach us how to iterate, but also look for improvements in their own curriculum. This willingness to change and try new ideas helps this program stay ahead of its competitors.

Real clients

Perhaps the biggest stigma against bootcamp graduates is that they only have academic projects that don’t reflect working experience. Designation directly combats this stigma with not only one, but TWO client projects. I regularly discussed these projects with prospective employers, who were generally glad to know I’d worked with real businesses.

Soft skills

A lot of interview questions ask you about your working style and any problems you’ve overcome working in groups. Each Designation cohort is fairly small (mine was 16 people), so there’s a lot of room for collaboration. With each project, I learned to effectively work with others, and I learned a lot about my own working style as well. This program cultivates an environment that’ll develop your soft skills, yet another factor that prepares you for a great career in design.

Career support

Designation ends with two weeks of career material. Mike, the President and career counselor of Designation, walks you through everything you need to know about the UX/UI design job hunt. He often reiterates that it’s not enough to be good at design—you also need to be good at selling it. He’s the greatest career resource, and with his help, I created a portfolio that received a lot of positive feedback throughout my job hunt. He also keeps Designation graduates accountable until they find a job. You won’t find career support like this anywhere else.

 

At the end of the day, you get out of this program what you put in. The staff at Designation make sure all their designers understand that. As you can guess from other reviews, the program is tough, but if you work hard and check your ego at the door, you’ll find it incredibly rewarding as well

There are plenty of reviews here that go into detail about the Designation curriculum and experience, so I don't want to go too deeply into those topics. What you're signing up for is an opportunity for a new, kickass career and a set of tools.

Designation will provide you with all the learning resources you need to get started as a designer, an incredibly knowledgeable and friendly community, and a chance to apply what you learn in a safe environment (it's seriously hard to screw up and you might need to do some self examination on whether this is the thing for you if you do). What you get out of it is ultimately up to you.

The only drawback was the lack of repetition on using certain programs like Axure, which is more related to the nature of tight timeframes in a bootcamp.

The most valuable part of Designation is the client phase projects where you get to work with real clients (which is critical for creating a portfolio that stands out. Make sure you take thorough notes during the client phase for your portfolio case studies. This will save you time and help you as you begin preparing for the job hunting process.) and the career phase where you get to work with Mike, who is an incredibly helpful individual. That man will fight for you.

For me, Designation was hands down one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. It widened my perspective on things that go way beyond just UX and design. I made life long friendships, leveled up professionally, and was able to better envision what it is I need to do to become a strong designer.

What that means is I was exposed to a variety of scenarios and able to closely collaborate with all sorts of people in a short amount of time, which allowed me to fully understand and confirm my own professional strengths and weaknesses. That in turn was key to presenting and branding myself to companies as I job hunted.

Many people are nervous about that job hunting portion but if you understand what you're good at and not so good at, it saves a lot of headache in terms of your optimizing your strategy and maximizing your chances of getting the right job for yourself. Mike Joosee will help you a lot with this in the career phase.

So my biggest piece of advice to get the full value out of Designation is:

1. Decide why you want to join a UX bootcamp

2. Familiarize yourself with the curriculum and what they are presenting to you

3. Create clear objectives for what you want to get out of each phase

4. Work HARD

5. Take advantage of all the networking opportunities and get to know your fellow designers as the cool people they are

Bottom line: Take an active approach. Do not be passive. You're here to make a career transition into a profession that you actually like. Use Designation as a practice round and confidence builder.

TL;DR

From self-taught designer to UX design career with Designation. With passion, a lot of hard work and genuine curiosity; designation can help you transition too.

 

My background

Since I have a non-traditional education path I want to preface this review for others who may have a similar path.

Growing up I self-learned design tools and always had a passion for solving problems. As I started pursuing a BA in Graphic Design I realized it wasn’t what I was searching for. I soon dropped out and working as a Production Designer. Four years later I discovered a place for my passions with UX and debated on how to pursue a career. I looked at HCI programs, CS programs, and bootcamps. After a long debate, speaking to some grads and visiting both Designation and another bootcamp program I decide to go with Designation and I can now say am happy I did.

 

Is a bootcamp program right for you?

Coming from a non-traditional education path this was my biggest question before starting Designation. The short answer is: if you are dedicated, passionate, and have a genuine curiosity for design and UX this program can get you to where you need to be to land a job. With that said, before I started Designation I tried to teach myself UX as must as I could, read a few books, went to a workshop, listened to podcasts and I would suggest you do the same. As Designation is a big commitment in many ways(financial, time, life), this insures you are passionate about the industry before diving in. A career isn’t handed to you at the end of the program, this program is tough. It takes commitment and you will have to put in long days and drop your social and personal life for months. You get what you put into Designation and this program isn't for everyone.

 

As some of the reviews may mention the barrier entry can be seen as low, I believe this is due in part to the fact that if a student has a true passion for UX and design they will succeed. Sometimes that passion is hard to see externally, but if you have the passion, don’t be scared to take it to the next level with Designation.

 

Program Structure and curriculum

One of the factors that caused me to chose Designation was the length of the program. As it is longer than most other bootcamps added to the fact that UX and UI are split, allows you to cover more content and repeat the process enough times that you can start to form your own views and toolkit. Having phases online before the in-person portion of the program begins allows you to do the bulk of the learning of processes and deliverables before diving in. This allows you to take full advantage of the valuable three months in person applying the design process over and over. This is what I think was most valuable to me at Designation as by the time we reached client phase of the program not only does it teach you how to interface with real stakeholders and refine your soft skills but client phases also gave you and your team the autonomy to make your own decisions about the best processes and deliverables to address the business problems. During this time in person you also learn many soft skills crucial to being a successful designer. From presenting and telling compelling stories to employing empathy towards your team, client and of course the user.

 

Job placement and career readiness

In career phase of the program, you are assisted in creating all your career materials such as resume, portfolio, cover letters, and more. Here you also learn tips on finding a job and different types of companies and roles. Some have an easier time than others finding a job, as it can all come down to time and place. For me it took about 5 months, during this time I was refining my portfolio, keeping my mind sharp by learning every day, going to events and meeting with people for coffee. You will most likely need to network, meet people, get referrals. Reach out to other designers, people you saw present at Designation, alum, take advantage of programs like AIGA’s mentorship program(how I made my connection to my job) and just meet people. The design community is welcoming and most people are happy to help as many helped them too. Due to when my cohort finished the program, towards the end of the year, the beginning of my search was a little slow but as soon as one interview came 3 more followed soon after and I was soon employed as a UX Designer.

 

In my current role, I feel confident and capable to handle the projects I have been given. As the field is large and every job is different it's no surprise that Designation can't teach you everything you will ever need in your career. But that is also the beauty of the industry, stuff keeps changing and we keep learning. What Designation does give you are the fundamentals to be successful in the industry.

 

Staff and cohort members

All the staff at Designation are awesome. Everyone is super approachable and willing to help. If you show effort they will show you respect. The creative directors especially in the client phase they are awesome resources to bounce ideas off of and truly feel part of the team.

 

Your cohort will become like your family for a few months. But also being stuck around with people 10 hrs a day tension can also build and everyone might not get along, you learn to work through these situations too. At the end of the day a room full of like-minded individuals all taking the same leap as you, you will grow close with some. I can truly say I made a few lifelong friends.

 

Feel free to contact me if you would like to chat with an Alum or have a similar background and want to learn more about my experience! 

Designation is a highly intense program that's not for those looking for a easy career transition. However, as many reviews on here have already stated...you get out of it as much as you put into it, and it will absolutely get you results if you put in the work and push yourself. 

The Experience 

The curriculum is broken out into three sections of varying length, with the first two sections being through a virtual classroom and class session held through video chat. The third section is four months, working roughly 70+ hours a week onsite at Designation's location in Chicago; the last two weeks dedicated to preparing your portfolio. After the first section (which exposes you to both UI + UX), you are required to chose either the UX or UI path, and then spend the rest of the program specializing in your path.  

The general experience is an extremely hands-on curriculum; it's all project based learning (with supplemental readings during the first two phases) so this is great news if you're a tactile learner (as I am). The instructors and online curriculum also provide alot of additional supplemental material if you are interested in exploring a certain topic more on your own. Do be warned that due to it's project-based structure, the entirety of the last two phases require that you work extremely close with a team of two-four people over several weeks. So if you're not a people-person, be prepared to either stretch that muscle or consider other bootcamp options. That being said, I made some very close friends during the program + my cohort lot's of good times together; so again, the experience is all that you make it :) 

I did a ton of research on the pros and cons of different tech bootcamp and graduate school options before chosing Designation, so I'm pretty confident when I say that Designation was definitely the right choice. The top things that make Designation stand apart from other tech bootcamps, would be the 1) personalization, 2) client work, and 3) career assistance. 

Personalization - by this I mean the amount of personal attention that you get during the program. The cohort class sizes are really small (there were 10 UX'ers and 8 UI'ers in my cohort) by the time you get to the in-person phase, which means a lot of one-on-one check-ins with instructors and feedback on how you can improve. This is also extremely helpful during the career phase when you get your case studies, resume, and entire portfolio reviewed (more than once) with feedback. 

Client work - I believe that a few other bootcamps also use project based learning as a curriculum method, but I'm pretty sure that none have projects that involve working on products for real clients. During the in-person, on-site phase you work with start-ups or businesses to further develop their products. This is an invaluable experience that allows you get experience working with clients (adding them to the equation changes things more than you would realize), have tangible "real-world" products in your portfolio, and network with professionals.

Career assistance - the best part about Designation is hands down the career assistance and almuni network after you graduate. The career portion is also the most intense part of the program (you'll be building out your entire portfolio in two weeks), but also the most rewarding as you walk out of Designation ready to start applying for jobs. On top of being coached on how to build a portfolio, write your case studies, design a resume, and navigate the job hunting process in general, you also get continual support up until the moment you get your first job. Job hunting is intense, but Mike Joose (amazing resource and support system) and the Designation network give you countless resources. 

General Takeaways 

One thing that I think the program could improve, would be to encourage better exposure to areas of tech + design that aren't in your chosen focus - i.e exposure to some basic UI skills for UX designers or UX skills for UI designers, and a general exposure to some coding basics for both. Since tech teams in the professional world blend together a lot of different team members with different role types, I think that it would have been useful to get a little bit of exposure/context to other roles outside of my UX discipline. However, this is easily supplemented if your motivated enough to ask for the right resources + put in some of your own time. 

Generally, the experience I gained through the program translated seamlessly when I started working in a professional design environment - I felt very prepared to handle a role as the primary designer on projects when I started work at a professional design agency. 

Overall, Designation was one of the most intense and rewarding programs that I've ever experience. I left it with a completely new set of skills, a new career, and a few incredible new friends. This program is highly intense, but absolutely worth it at the end. You'll be pleasantly surprised and amazed at how far you've come :) 

The short and sweet   Designation is pretty fantastic. It’s probably not for you if you don’t know why you want to switch to a design career or are not ready for 6 months of intense, and sometimes grueling work. However, if you are ready to make the commitment, Designation will provide the resources and framework you need to successfully transition into a UX or UI career. You get out what you put into the program as many other reviewers have mentioned.    My background   Prior to DES I worked in a variety of operations & marketing roles within the tech and e-commerce space for ~7 years.  I had absolutely no training in any design field. I never thought I would embark on a career in the creative or design industry. After going through a minor quarter-life crisis and ALOT of research, I decided to pursue a career in UX. I realized I wanted to build products that delighted users instead of presentation decks for clients (I still do this a little bit but only to show what we’ve built!) I wanted to talk to real people about their frustrations and needs and find a solution for them.    I chose Designation over other programs for a few different reasons:   - At 6 months, Designation was the longest program so I thought I was getting the best value without making a two-year commitment.  - It was based in Chicago and allowed me to move to a new city (I was previously in NJ and working in NYC.  - The admissions staff was incredibly helpful. They also put me in touch with 2 alumni who I spoke with to confirm if the program was right for me.    I started my journey in January 2017 and graduated from the Yucca cohort in July 2017. I had the opportunity to stay and work with Designation for 3 months after I graduated which helped reinforce everything I had learned up to that point. I have been happily employed as a UX Strategist at super cool mobile app agency in Chicago since October 2017. I continue to TA for Design Essentials, the introductory course into Designation to stay involved with the program and community of designers.    A quick overview of each phase    Design Essentials: DE is a great, thorough introduction to the basics of UX and UI design. I was able to make a confident decision that UX was the right choice for me after DE.   Virtual Phase: My advice- do not work during virtual phase! The amount of work ramps up very quickly during Virtual and it’s difficult to manage if you continue to work.    Immersion Phase: Immersion is exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. You hit the ground running VERY quickly when you get to the WeWork space in Chicago. It’s also the first time you meet your cohort mates in person which is awesome. It takes a bit of time getting used to the 70+ hr work week but you will survive and it is worth it.    Client Phase: Client phase is a huge differentiator for Designation and sets it apart from other design programs. You put everything that you’ve learned into practice for real clients. I also appreciate that you get to work with mainly startups and non-profits in Chicago.It’s rewarding to know that you are making n positive impact in the community through your DES projects.     Career Phase: Career phase goes by within a blink of an eye but it's incredibly important for your success once the program ends.  The reality starts to hit that graduation is approaching and now it’s on you (with resources from DES) to find your first design job.    Best parts of the program   Career Preparation: I  don’t think you will find better resources to jumpstart your career than you will at Designation.  Designers spend two intense weeks learning how to craft case studies, "design” a resume that’s not a Word doc., how to speak to and present your work, what to expect in interviews and how to build a portfolio.  You name it, Designation covers its. It’s by far one of the most valuable aspects of the entire course and very difficult to learn on your own. Hiring managers are often impressed with the quality and thoroughness of Designation graduates’ portfolios due to the material we cover in this phase.    Peer Network: The peers in your cohort are amazing for a number of different reasons. First, they are your support system throughout the whole process. You learn, teach and grow together. Second, once you graduate they become one of the strongest parts of your network as you embark on your job search. I’ve made lifelong friends through Designation.    Cohort size: The size of each cohort is intentionally small so that the staff can focus on providing a quality experience for the designers. I truly appreciate the effort the team puts in to keep this mentality alive year after year.    The staff: I love the staff at Designation. They genuinely care about helping every designer succeed. They bring their A-game every day. You may not always like what they have to say but it’s ultimately for your benefit. Each instructor has a unique perspective they bring to their teaching style and I have learned something valuable from every one of them.    Opportunities for the improvement   No school or course is perfect. What I appreciate about Designation is that they are always iterating on the program to make improvements and keep up with trends in design. They also take feedback from graduates very seriously. That being said, I have a few suggestions for how they can continue to offer the best educational experience for designers.   Collaboration with UI designers: In my current role, I  collaborate with a visual designer every day. We sketch, solve problems together, define interactions and present to clients together. We are a very close-knit team. I would have liked the opportunity to work more closely with UI designers throughout the course of the program in a structured way to get more experience with this way of working. Opportunities for continuing education: I would love for Designation to expand to offer classes, workshops, other educational opportunities to alumni. I think it would be a great way to continue learning and growing as a designer.     Final thoughts    If you are serious about pursuing a career in UX/UI design and are looking for the best way to transition, I truly believe that Designation provides that opportunity for each cohort of designers. The program pushes you, sometimes beyond your comfort zone but it it is worth it in the end.    I have achieved exactly what I wanted out of this program. I have my dream job as a UX Strategist (combination research, strategy, and UXD role).  When I started my job at Eight Bit in October, my training and onboarding were pretty slim. I was thrown into a project and expected to run with it and figure it out. Designation teaches you how to do just that…figure it out. I had the toolkit to get through my first project successfully and with little oversight. I’m very grateful for the way I was set up for success. 

My personal experience at Designation was very intense. I always made it a point to stay later than everyone else during weekdays and took half of Sunday to practice coding. I took advantage of the instructors, my peers and the general Chicago design community to improve my craft as much as possible. As a result, I had a lot of success coming out of the program. I had a strong portfolio that was picked up by a few online galleries and forums, where my eventual first employer reached out to me and made me an offer.

You can coast through the program doing only what is required. But the reality is that there are enough bootcamp grads out there competing for jobs, that you will likely not find anything by just being good enough. No bootcamp will magically make you a designer, but good bootcamps like DESIGNATION will act as a multiplier for the effort you put in.

Summary

As someone who really wanted to break into the UX consulting world, Designation played a crucial role in not only teaching me the hard technical skills that were needed on the job, but more importantly the soft skills that are needed in a client facing/collaborative environment. The work I did with real clients and the obstacles I faced along the way ultimately prepared me to deal with unexpected curveballs that get thrown my way on the job.

My Background

Prior to joining Designation, I worked as an account manager at a small real estate firm and had little to no experience in design. I had always been interested in UX, mainly due to the fact that I had the opportunity to observe other UX designers work at my last job.

My Experience

It’s been a year since I started Designation and I couldn’t be happier with where I’m at with my career. I knew pretty early on when I started the program that I wanted to be in a UX consulting role and the knowledge and opportunities Designation provided helped me get there.

Pros

Working with real clients: This is by far the one thing that sets Designation apart from the rest of the UX/UI design programs out there. My experience interacting with real stakeholders on their digital products gave me a competitive edge during my interviews. Companies want to see how you work in a real life environment, where real life obstacles will be thrown your way. Whenever my team and I were hit with an unexpected hurdle from the client’s end, our creative director would always joke that this would make great interview material. She was 100% right. Interviewers were way more interested to hear what went wrong and how I worked with others to resolve the problem.

Career services: Mike Joosse is an excellent career coach because he doesn’t just give you general advice about job searching, but he also helps you hone in on what exactly you want out of your next career. (In-house vs. consultancy, big company vs. small company, etc.) After expressing that I wanted to be in a consulting role, I was matched with a Designation alum who was a UX Consultant so that I could get advice specific to that field. Mike truly cares about tailoring his career services to your goals.

A strong network: One of Designation’s greatest assets is its alumni. The job hunting process can be daunting, especially when you’re trying to transition into a new industry. Many of the Designation alumni have a strong “pay-it-forward” mentality which really helps pave the way for incoming designers in the program and helps you feel more at ease if you’re breaking into design. Of course, I still found it necessary to network, but it was a wonderful foundation to start with and made networking a whole lot easier.

Areas for improvement

More collaboration between UX and UI: After Design Essentials, I had to choose between the UX and UI track. I chose UX. During our client projects, I worked strictly with UX designers and was kind of isolated from the work the UI track was doing. At my current job, I work on a team with a diverse set of backgrounds (UI designers, art directors, content strategists, etc.) I only work with one other UX designer. I definitely think I would have been better prepared for my job if I had the opportunity to work with my fellow cohort members in the UI track on projects.

Focusing on the job searching process more: Although the career phase was incredibly valuable, it’s all crammed into two weeks which can be overwhelming. Mike does a great job at organizing a timeline of the things you need to get done and he also makes time for your post graduation if you need additional coaching. However, I think there is a much greater focus on the portfolio and not enough on applying and interviewing. I did find myself overwhelmed the first month because I didn’t feel entirely prepared to interview with companies.

Final Thoughts

Designation is not a one way ticket to a new career. To put it simply, once you join the program it will take over your life. If you truly want to get the most out of the program, be prepared to work 12 hour days, 5-6 days a week. As you can imagine, this does require you to put other aspects of your life on hold. However, I know had it not been for Designation’s immersive (sometimes intense) environment and the amount of hard work I put in, I certainly would not have landed my dream job. If you’re truly committed to building the foundation for a design career you’re passionate about, you’ll learn a ton, grow in unexpected ways, create lasting friendships, and it will definitely all be worth it.

 

My timeline: I started Design Essentials in April 2017 and completed the Career Phase in October 2017. For a month after graduation, I did nothing but revise and complete my portfolio. After three months of active job hunting (A LOT of job applications, emails, networking, and interviews), I received an offer that I liked, and I began working at the end of February 2018. Now, I just finished my second week working as a User Experience Designer at a global consulting firm. This is my first position in my design career, and I couldn’t have done it without Designation.

My background: Prior to design, I was an art therapist and had worked for mostly not-for-profit organizations. After a few years of experience, I found myself burnt out and unfulfilled by the work.

How I decided on Designation: Design was a field I had always wanted to try but never got a chance to explore. Once I decided that I needed a career change, I looked into different types of design. As I learned more, I felt like UX/UI design would be a good fit where I’d be able to make use of both analytical and creative skills. To learn about design programs, I attended an info session that highlighted various tech boot camps including Designation. I had a friend who went through Designation already, and she had a lot of positive things to say about the program. I spoke with her extensively about her career change, read everything on Designation’s website, and read through each and every review I could find (on switchup, course report, quora). I made the decision after listening to and reading through first-hand accounts of designers’ experiences with Designation.

Phase 1: Design Essentials (6 weeks, ~20 hours a week)
This is a foundational course for those who has no experience with design. You have check-ins twice a week virtually to review design material and assignments. It’s a good introduction into UX and UI design, and at the end, you choose a track for the next phase of the program. Before starting this course, I was almost certain I would choose UI, but I found myself enjoying the UX material and assignments more. This course is a good way to dip your toes in design and to see if it’s something you want to explore further (you’re not committed to the whole boot camp at this point). Due to the small(er) time commitment, it’s definitely possible to complete this in addition to a full-time job, which was what I did.

The learning resources are varied—readings, videos, slide decks, podcasts, et cetera. When you submit assignments, graders review your work and give you feedback. 

Pros: good introduction to UX/UI design, wealth of resources, critiques helpful (to begin developing an eye for good design)
Cons: my graders didn’t review my work in a timely manner (if you speak up about this, they’ll fix it)

Phase 2: Virtual Phase (6 weeks, ~40 hours a week)
Similar to Design Essentials, you have two virtual check-ins a week, but the material and assignments are specific to your track (UX or UI). You’re assigned a group and you work together on a project (from research and concepting to designing and validating). The assignments require more time and effort and groups often present to each other during check ins. 

Pros: in-depth experience in your track, working in a group, going through an entire design thinking process
Cons: material wasn’t always the most organized, check ins weren’t always as detailed or deep as they could have been, expectations for assignments weren’t always clear

Phase 3: Project Phase (12 weeks, 70-80 hours a week / IN PERSON)
You finally get to interact with the staff and your cohort in person on site. While the other phases are more introductory and educational, the in-person phase is designing and working (as designers would work out in the field). It’s so much easier to work with teammates in person, and you’re fully immersed in the design process. There are guest speakers and workshops to supplement your experience. This phase is broken into sub phases: Immersion, First Client Phase, Second Client Phase, Career Phase.

Immersion (4 weeks)
You work on a new brief with your new teammates (they try to switch up groups to give you different work experiences). Immersion phase is the time get a more thorough understanding of the design steps and the processes. The Creative Director and Designers-in-Residence are heavily involved and give you a lot of helpful feedback. You’ll get a lot of practice with presentations.

First Client Phase (3 weeks) + Second Client Phase (3 weeks)
You work on real projects with real clients. This is one of the most valuable parts of the program because the stakes are higher and your designs can make a real difference. These phases are more self-directed; you and your teammates will have more ownership over the projects and designs. These are the projects you’ll talk about as your experience in your job interviews. 

Career Phase (2 weeks)
This was one of my favorite parts of the program. While group work is an essential part of the other phases, in the career phase, you’re in charge of your own deliverables. You’ll get to synthesize on the work that you’ve done so far by writing case studies on your projects. You’re given direction, feedback, and support as you prepare various materials (portfolio, résumé, personal statement, et cetera) to start applying for jobs. You’ll also start to learn about the various ways UX/UI design could look like in different settings (hearing from past graduates and going on studio tours). It’s really exciting to tangibly see all the pieces come together; you’ll directly use everything in this phase for your job search. (Trust Mike!)

Pros: working as a group in-person, being able to devote this chunk of your life to design, getting so many opportunities to practice presentations, learning from other designers in your cohort, learning about how to get a job
Cons: 70-80 hour work weeks get exhausting

Overall pros:
Time investment: 6 months of intensive experience helps you feel confident as a designer.
Staff: Everyone really cares about your development as a designer and is invested in helping you succeed. They are amazing resources and fun/knowledgeable human beings.
People: I love my cohort, and I still talk to a lot of them regularly. I didn’t expect to make friends, but I’m so glad I did.
Program: Everyone at Designation is constantly reflecting and iterating on the program. They are always interested in feedback, and they use it to make the curriculum, projects, and overall experience better and stronger. 
Hard skills: You’ll get a lot of practice using different types of design software (I mostly used Sketch and Axure; now at my job, I use Axure).
Soft skills: If you're on the UX track, you'll be doing group work 24/7. You'll get practice fostering and navigating through work relationships.

Overall cons:
Time investment: 6+ months is great for learning, but it’s a long time not working/having an income.
Financial burden: It is a bit pricey, but they have different payment/loan options available. I do definitely think it was worth it, though.

Last words: As everyone else has mentioned, it’s not easy. The program got grueling at times, but Designation has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. At first, I was extremely hesitant when deciding on this boot camp (time and financial investment, risk, uncertainty of future). However, I will say that if you put in the time and the work, it’ll pay off. You can work to make the time, money, efforts—the sacrifices—all worth it. As far as the job hunt, no one will hand you a job; you’ll have to continue to put in a lot of work. As long as you keep putting in the effort and are patient, you’ll find a position. 

When I started Designation, I just expected to learn some hard skills so that I could land a job that I wouldn’t hate. However, thankfully, I received so much more—I rediscovered what it was like to experience joy in work, I expanded my network, I created lasting friendships, and I had a lot of fun all while becoming a designer. 

At Designation, you all are truly allowed to design their next career if you put forth the effort.

Before Designation, I was a Relationship Manager at Bank of America. I had significant experience in finance and banking, but I also worked in other industries including healthcare and food retail. I also have a degree in sociology. Throughout all my positions across industries, they were all people and client facing, so I knew I had a love for customer service and client experience.

Why Designation

I was looking for an opportunity to challenge myself in a new way and I wanted to get out of sales. UX would allow me an opportunity to use my people's skills, inquisitive nature, and curious mind. After a series of Google searches, I found a couple of bootcamps. I was undecided between Springboard, General Assembly, and Designation. I chose to attend Designation because of the client phase. The opportunity to work with real clients and design digital solutions for real problems for me was invaluable. I knew having client experience would afford me more opportunities later and make me stand out among other applicants during my job search. No other program offered client facing projects.

During Designation

Unforgettable and transformative are two words to describe my experience there. The in-person phase called for 70-80 hours per week, and it was intensive. But I loved what I was doing. The work wasn't work for me. I had finally found something that invigorated my soul. At times, working on a team of people with different and sometimes challenging personalities was difficult. The team dynamic played a huge role in the quality of work. Making a team contract and understanding your teammates preferable working styles, what makes them tick, and how they prefer to communicate especially when solving conflict made it easier to solve a conflict if ever there was an issue.

All in all, I learned a crap ton at Designation. I truly felt prepared for a career in UX upon graduation. I didn’t have a technical background before Designation, but I found myself confident and reassured when looking for jobs because there’s no doubt they fully prepare prepared me. Long story short, I grew both professionally and personally and learning skills like how to work in teams or how to resolve conflict are skills I couldn’t have learned in an online program.

Designation tailored me for my new role as a UX Designer. It expanded my toolbox for everything I needed to begin my new career. My confidence soared and I am forever thankful and proud to call myself an alumna of Designation.

The only con is I wish I could've learned more UI to be interdisciplinary. Yet, I understand the industry is going in a direction of specialization, and I did get UI exposure, but I want to be a unicorn!! 

   

The in-person instruction, group collaboration, career counseling, and an opportunity to work with real clients attracted me to Designation. During my time there I acquired the experience that I have used to transition my career onto a more rewarding path. I also gained a valuable network of Designation peers, mentors, and friends.

Before Designation, I was working as a Graphic Designer doing mostly production work. I had a desire to move into a position where I could grow as a creative visual problem solver, but I lacked digital experience. In addition to my background in graphic design, I also had experience with illustration and fine art, so the UI track was a clear choice for me.

As a career transitioner, I was allowed to submit a portfolio for review and opt out of the first virtual phase of the program. I quit my job and joined my cohort in the second virtual part of the program. This part of the program is around 40 hours a week but there is a lot of material, and you could quickly add 10-15 hours to the work week by completing the supplemental reading and extra credit work. My instructor for this phase had a lot of industry experience and conducted beneficial feedback sessions and lectures. 

The program ramps up in intensity for the next two in-person phases. There is a lot of team collaboration although UI designers do create individual design systems which will be critical for your portfolio and interviewing during the job search. There is also a substantial emphasis and instruction on conducting client presentations, and they were part of weekly sprints.

Some of the things specific to the UI track such as typography and color theory are hard to gain more than a necessary level of experience. That said, I saw many people in my cohort with no design background metamorphize into effective UI Designers.

The Designation staff makes an honest effort to improve the program and themselves from cohort to cohort. They conduct objective exit interviews with the designers and implement changes based on that feedback, sometimes immediately. The staff is very caring, and the small cohort sizes create a very close working relationship. 

During the hunt for a job, I received positive responses to my new portfolio and resume. When writing cover letters and interviewing I utilized skills that I gained in the Career Phase. In the end, I found a good fit at a company who does exciting work and has values that align with mine.

It is a boot camp environment, and it can get intense, but I highly recommend the program if you have an honest interest in design and a strong work ethic. It's a commitment, but you will get out of it what you put in, and it can be life-changing. 

First little bit of my background. I'm coming from another country with the background in banking and accounting. I always had a passion for design, and in one moment in my life, I decided to work in a more creative world. I opened flower shop and gallery and learned how to make beautiful flower arrangement and that way make my customers happy and satisfied. When I moved to the USA, I continued to follow my passion but this time in the digital design. I spent a lot of months researching and learning about new trends in digital design, schools, and boot camps and finally found Designation. 

Why Designation?

Designation is a place where you can learn or improve your UI or UX skills in such a short time frame. For some people, seven months (twelve weeks virtual, ten weeks in-person and two weeks career phase) could sound as long time, but when you see yourself at the end of the program, you'll be impressed how many things you've learned for that time. During the Designation time flies, and every single day you can notice an improvement. 

Whenever you're in doubt about your work, process, or struggling to finish something, there are your instructors or creative directors to help you. Their advice, feedback, and support are invaluable. 
Designation is unique because there isn't another place where you can have and work for a real client. You'll have a chance to put your knowledge and effort to help someone to grow their business. 
Once you start to build your portfolio and see how long way you've passed, how much improvement you've made, you'll be proud of yourself every day, every moment. This pleasure and indescribable pride the only Designation can provide. 

Designation is a big family, and during this program, you'll make lifetime friendships. Your cohort peers will be your most significant support and resources. 

I didn't have situation yet that I've mentioned Designation in front of someone from design world that haven't heard about Designation. Everyone admire Designation's program concept, and Designation's graduates are more than welcome in the design world. 

Conclusion

Designation is a place where I changed my life. My journey through Designation was hard and very challenging due to my language barrier, but if someone asks me to do it all over again, I  definitely would say yes. 

I'm going to preface this review with the fact that I am a) usually an optimist and try seeing everything as a learning opportunity, b) still processing the entire experience seven months out of the program, and c) had literally no design experience prior to Designation, so I won't be able to compare the workload/experience/lessons to anything (job or boot camp-wise) "in the industry." I'm about a month into my new job, so my feelings about it can and will obviously change the more I go deeper into this field.

Highlights: 
- For someone who had no previous UX/UI OR design experience, this program is great at introducing you to ideas, methodologies, techniques, approaches, etc. I can genuinely say I learned more about UX and UI (I focused on UI while there).
- Working in 1871 immerses you in Chicago's tech industry. If you've never been part of this field, you get a super focused view of what the startup and tech world is like, and you're usually working just feet away from another boot camp member or a techie or a startup. Everyone is more than likely excited to talk about what they're doing in 1871.
- You get actual client experience. Client phase was my favorite primarily because you apply everything you've learned to real businesses looking for design work. Interviewers will most likely look for this kind of experience and what you were able to create and learn from these sprints.
- Each cohort is a diverse cast with differing work styles and strengths and weaknesses. You'll work with a good number of your classmates, and you'll work well with some, and not well with others. If you remind yourself that this is what the real working world is like and that there's something to learn from everyone, you'll be more level-headed throughout the experience and your career.
- There's a large emphasis on presentations. As someone who is naturally anxious in presenting, I've gotten super comfortable with talking and defending my designs.
- You have access to a growing network of alumni, future and current students, and mentors. There's always someone to connect you to the right person, be it a user tester, potential employer, or professional connection.

Areas of improvement: 
- Each phase tends to weed out more students; by the time you get to Immersion phase, the students who are in it are the ones who are (I believe) the most committed to making a career out of UX/UI. The earlier phases tend to be full of a hodgepodge of people who are figuring out if this is for them (which is great) and people who are just not committed to it. The program could be more selective to ensure committed students work with committed students.
- You sadly have to choose to focus on either UX or UI for the majority of the program. I understand the idea behind investing in one field to really learn that process, but there are a lot of opportunities to integrate UX designers with UI designers throughout the program instead of feeling like there are two classes who happen to work in the same office space.
- Career phase could be a six-week experience that emphasizes collaboration from outside of Designation. You'll spend a lot of time typing and assembling your previous work as coherent case studies, which is itself super satisfying. I admittedly didn't take advantage of the career phase resources (huge shoutout to Mike Joosse) post-graduation, I do feel like I learned a lot about the application process and case study creation/design from people and mentors outside of the Designation bubble that tend to get lost in those final two weeks.

Overall: You get what you put into it. I cannot emphasize this enough. As someone without prior design experience (I worked in customer support for four years and desperately needed a career change), I wanted to fully commit to learning as much as possible in the time I had with the program. This meant quitting my job for Virtual phase, and I have absolutely no regrets. I know other students who held their job through Virtual until Immersion phase. Know that you need to figure out what you want to get out of it, when you want to get it, and your financial situation. I'm the kind of person who'll fully invest time to understand and learn something thoroughly, and that meant a lot of social and financial sacrifices to make sure I read and understood and designed as much as I possibly could. I still am learning a ton, but I'm pretty sure that I'd be way behind in my job if I didn't fully commit to this program at every phase. This tends to show in your work, how you generate ideas, and how you present it.

As someone said in another review, this program is NOT EASY. It's a big time commitment, but you learn a lot about time management and being an efficient designer more than a detail-obsessed one.

Is Designation worth the experience? For me, yes. I'm doing something I absolutely love every day, which is miles away from what I was doing before. In the end, it really does depend on who you ask and what they took from the program. I tend to see that the most successful grads tend to be the more appreciative ones who were willing to learn something from everyone and realize the overall experience is just the start; you shouldn't expect to know everything once you graduate. You should keep learning more in your job and from people outside of the program.

THANK YOU DESIGNATION.

I came to Designation after working for 6 years in the advertising agency as a video editor and animator. After a few clients told me that I “think too much for this job”, I started looking for a job that encourages me to ask questions and really think about all aspects of the work. In less than 3 months after finishing Designation, I had several exciting job offers from very reputable companies (all of which paid significantly more than what I was making in advertising.) I recently took a job at a well-known consumer electronics company trying to revamp its entire approach to software/apps and I couldn’t be more excited to tackle this challenge.

 

Why Designation over General Assembly?

The genius of this program is that you work on REAL WORLD PROJECTS. At the end of the program, Mike Joose (our mentor during the career phase) told us to put Designation in the work experience section of our resume and not in education. During my interviews, I never used the word boot camp once. When asked about Designation, I pitched it as a “start-up that gave aspiring UX designers like myself a chance to cut their teeth on real-world projects and gave small cash-strapped start-ups the quality design help they needed but couldn’t pay for.” I can say hands down that pitching Designation in this way is what got me a senior level job that I have never heard of anyone getting right out of a boot camp like General Assembly. My piece of advice for Designation who be to lose the word “boot camp” entirely from their branding materials and instead use words like “apprenticeship” or “UX incubator” because that’s really what this program is (and calling it a boot camp actually makes it confusing for some recruiters).

If you want to have well-made presentations and more “academic” course materials, GA is definitely the way to go (or do a masters program). To be honest, a lot of the learning at designation is “click this link, read this article, watch this keynote, then do this exercise.” But if you want to get a non-entry level job, having the ability to say “this was a real project and you can go to the site right now” is crucial. For that reason alone, I think Designation is worth the investment.

Designation is a good fit for…

Individuals who have worked in a high-pressure work environment for at least a few years (especially if that’s in a project-based or creative field). There were a number of us who had worked in marketing, advertising, media, or just project management in general. As a whole, I found that this group really got the most out of Designation mainly because they were used to working very long hours and holding themselves accountable to hitting extremely tight deadlines.

Designation is not a good fit for…

For those people who hate their jobs and are just looking for a way out. In order to succeed in this program, you should already love UX/UI. As a rule, those who did well after this program were the ones who had been “studying” really good examples of product design just for fun way before they even started Designation. If you aren’t sure what you want to do and are just looking for possible careers, I would say start by chatting with some designers currently working in the field and make some practice products for fun just to see if this is really something you want. This program goes by incredibly fast, so the best thing you can do is come into it with an idea of what you want so you can take advantage of every second. 

UX vs. UI track

If you’re unsure whether or not you want to go into the UX or UI track, I would suggest you choose the UX track for two reasons. First off, I would argue that graphic design skills and the various visual design tools like illustrator are relatively easy to pick up just by watching some videos on online and doing some practice challenges. Second, I think the demand for UX designers (with basic visual design skills) is greater than UI designers (at least in Boston in 2017). When I was looking for a job, pretty much every job post was for a “senior UX designer” because what a lot of companies need right now is for someone to teach their design department about user-centered design and really restructure their product design process. These UX design positions, at least in my experience, pay at least 20%-30% more than the straight-up UI positions. And if you’re like me and are looking to have a more strategic role in making major decisions that shape the product beyond just what it looks like, UX is for you.

PROs

In addition to what I’ve already discussed, here are some real highlights of the program:

Pretty solid alumni network

There are a lot of very successful designers out there who’ve graduated from Designation. You can’t just email them and say “can you get me a job.” But if you take the time to get to know some of them and really connect with someone, then I think you’ll find it’s a pretty supportive community. 

Active slack network

The Designation slack community is a great resource for professional development, with channels for design trends, community events, and more.

 

The staff at Designation actually care about you and your success

No one is perfect. And it can get a little crazy at times. But at least the staff at Designation really does put their heart and soul into what they do. Unlike bigger boot camps or online programs, Designation is personal. And if you put in the effort to talk with Mike and your creative directors, they will reciprocate.

CONs

While I was ultimately happy with what I got out of Designation, there were some issues that you should be aware of:

You might get stuck with someone who has no business being there

Let me start by saying that I was by no means the world’s best teammate - I think was too intense and strong headed at times. I didn’t always give my teammates the respect they deserved. But at least I listened and I made an effort to right my wrongs and improve myself as a teammate.

But with every cohort, there is always at least one person who no one wants to work with. The kind of person who doesn't listen to anyone, who doesn’t contribute, and who is a liability when working with clients. The kind of person who negatively affected the outcome of the project they were a part of. And I wasn’t the only one who felt this way - the entire cohort trembled in fear just at the thought of working with them. And when everyone feels that way, my belief is that this person should be kicked out. But Designation is ultimately a business and the potential lost tuition is more important to their bottom line than the general morale and group dynamics of the cohort. That’s why when someone would ask me if I recommend this program, I always tell them “It’s a great program, but it ultimately comes down to luck of the draw. You could potentially get stuck with someone who will derail your project and it’s totally on you to deal with that.”

Poor project management

When it comes to user research, it’s really important to have the ability to talk to the right kinds of users. This is something that your creative directors and your clients are responsible for setting up before each project. Unfortunately, this didn’t always happen. When all of your interview subjects are coached friends of the client who don’t fit the demographic, it makes it nearly impossible to get the insights you need to make a really compelling case study.

They forgot to teach us about “best practices”

There is no universal “right” or “wrong” way of doing things when it comes to design. The process depends on the project and Designation does a really good job of teaching you the kinds of questions you should be asking. However, there are some things that designers in general just don’t do or that you really don’t see anymore. There were several moments during our client phase in which a developer or client said, “you’ve clearly never made an app before. No one does that anymore” and they were right. So I would have really liked a few weeks of just studying some common practices in modern-day sites and apps to avoid any rookie mistakes.

 

Takeaway

Is this program perfect? No. Is it worth it? That depends on who you are and what you want. But for someone like me who was looking for a way to build on the skills he already had and transition into a more strategic role, it was totally worth it.

I did a lot of research into many schools before I  chose Designation, and I know now that I made the best choice in choosing Designation. The hands on experience that I received in working with actual clients was extremely valuable, because I could describe real life scenarios at the work place when I went on interviews. The mentors at Designation really care about each individual student and their personality. The mentors, spend a lot of one on one time with each student to help them reach their highest potential. Once the education process is complete, Designation puts a high priority on job placement and resume writing. Also, you get paired with someone who currently works in the field to get guidance and network connections in the design industry. When I was looking for jobs, Designation supported me, beyond my expectations. I highly recommend Designation to anyone who is serious about a career in the UX/UI Design industry.

 

Changing careers wasn’t easy. But with DESIGNATION on my side I made it happen. I’m now a Product Designer for a startup. I write research plans, conduct interviews and user tests, design new flows, iterate on the UI of the product, and collaborate with every team in our company. In everything I do I advocate for the experience of our users. I love my work. And I look forward to a long career in a creative industry with expanding opportunities.

My take on selecting a bootcamp is that there are two very important questions to answer for yourself first:

1. Why do I want to become a UX/UI designer? If you've got a clear and compelling why it makes it easier to focus on the challenges of actually becoming a designer.

2. Why do I want to attend a bootcamp? You could also do self-study or an accredited degree program. 

For me, a bootcamp was the only option. I learn by doing, especially with others and in a context where my work matters. Also, immersion learning is proven to accelerate knowledge integration and I had the privilege of time to go that route. If this sounds appealing to you, rest assured that DESIGNATION is designed to be both immersive and relevant.

Your cohort mates are counting on you to show up and do your best everyday. Your mentors and instructors are always pushing you to grow and expand beyond your comfort zone. Your clients need you to translate their hard work and business vision into a digital experience that will solve a problem for real people.

Career assistance

It goes without saying that the responsibility for finding and getting a job will fall on your shoulders. But DESIGNATION offers an outstanding career phase that prepares you for that intimidating reality. Hiring managers will take a chance on a career changer, but only if there's something solid to back up your enthusiasm. The client projects in your portfolio will open that door and then you just have to hustle to show that you've got the skills to contribute right away. And thanks to DESIGNATION you will.

Instruction

I loved my instructors and art director. They shared a ton of knowledge, but most importantly they asked me the hard questions and trusted me to come up with answers. That's how I learned to trust myself and the design process.

Being a designer is rad.

DESIGNATION zooms past and every instructor, guest speaker, company tour, and team project will soon be in the rear view. What you learned from the time you spent with them–about yourself, about design, about being a professional in this industry–those are the things that stay with you.

It’s not paradise. At times I felt frustrated, disillusioned, insecure, stressed, and exhausted. But I had many more moments of deep absorption, inspiration, amazement, pride, and gratitude.

I knew why I showed up each day. And I gave it my all.

If you can do that, DESIGNATION will provide the heat you need to forge a real skillset in UX/UI design. Thanks DESIGNATION!

DESIGNATION was one of the toughest experiences I've ever had, but it changed my life! My cohort graduated in April and I plan to start my new job as a UX Designer on Sept. 18. If you have the drive, patience, and a ton of learning enthusiasm, DESIGNATION will help you on the path of diving in the UX/UI realm and starting a new career.     The Plunge   Before this life-altering phase, I dabbled in side tech projects (web design, automation systems) at a non-profit for a couple of years. One day, I decided it was time to try learning something that would help me shift to working in tech full-time. At first, I searched for Master’s degree programs but gained interest in UX/UI boot camps due to their immersive nature and success rates. I leaned toward Boston’s Startup Institute first but chose DESIGNATION for its program length, solid graduate stats, being in a more affordable city, and opportunities to work with real clients.     Program Highlights

DESIGNATION’s location at 1871 is invaluable! While here, you get a feel for the pulse of Chicago’s tech community and have chances to interact with brilliant people of various companies and disciplines. There are plenty of workspaces and resources to use here while knocking out 70+ hour workweeks with your teams, so take advantage!

Canvas content for Design Essentials and Virtual Phase is good and curated for graduates to reference for future review. Instructors ensure content they deliver is as relevant to the times as they can, as the UX/UI world is ever-changing.   My favorite part of the entire program was the client phase! During this part of the program (two 3-week design sprints) I worked with different teams to help people achieve business goals by solving design challenges. This phase helped me gain more confidence for speaking to my design decisions, gave me a clearer sense of systems/processes I may experience on an actual job, and challenged me to be more creative in my approaches to problem solving.   The job career phase is swift and may make your fingers numb (you WILL type your case studies heart out!), but it will get your butt in gear for presenting yourself as a strong candidate for UX/UI jobs. Mike is an expert at helping kick start design careers, so roll up your sleeves, embrace his years of design industry knowledge, take honest feedback with grace, and pour through his career resources to set yourself up for better chances of finding what you want.   Friendships and alliances you build here are parts of your foundation for success. A wise person told me the design community is small, so be nice, open yourself to have new conversations, and learn new things from others. Embrace the practice of receiving actionable feedback and return it.     Areas for Improvement   If possible, it would be great if DESIGNATION was able to develop client phase projects placing UX and UI cohort members in mixed teams to simulate more of a real working experience. Although our entire cohort was in the same room for all in-person phases, at times it seemed as if we were stuck on our discipline islands until reaching Friday’s creative cool downs and design challenges. I know scheduling has lot to do with setting up such a collaboration, but it would be great to test it out if possible.     In the End   Think of DESIGNATION as mental and experiential armor for the war of finding UX/UI jobs. You have a group of exceptional people who go to great lengths to help you wield design tools, practice strategies, and develop your design thinking process to be the best candidate for a new career. Yet, there is no hand-holding. The grind rests on you during and after the program to get the job you want. Some days will be full of wins and some will cause you to question if you’re even cut out for this stuff. Stay on top of your tasks, balance your time, finish your portfolio early, reach out to your design community, and DON’T give up! You will grow as a designer and surprise yourself in more ways than one if you put in the work. Thank you, DESIGNATION!

My Background:

Before I attended DESIGNATION, a lot of my design skills were self-taught. I signed up for numerous classes on design at Udemy and Coursera, and I even took a 6 month online UX immersive course at CareerFoundry. Although I was able to utilize those new skills at work, I felt that I was nowhere near prepared to apply it in a fast paced and demanding setting. I needed more experience collaborating, and I wanted to solve more complex problems, so that’s when I started to look into bootcamps. 

Why I Chose DESIGNATION:

I wanted to transition into a career in UX, so I spent about a month studying for the GRE to get a Master's in HCI. But I decided that I didn't want to spend another two years in school. I wanted to work in the field ASAP, so my brother suggested I try out bootcamps. That's how I stumbled upon General Assembly and DESIGNATION. I took my time comparing the two. I researched every course review sites, read blog posts by alumni, I attended a two day UX workshop at GA, and I also visited DESIGNATION’s space at 1871. It was that visit that sold me on the program. I was already leaning towards DESIGNATION because of the opportunity to get to work with two startups, but after seeing the space where I’d basically live in for 70+ hours a week (1871/Merchandise Mart), I knew that DESIGNATION was the program I wanted to enroll in. The energy in the place was intoxicating. It also felt like a space that would be more conducive to creativity. 

Instructors:

Overall, I think that the instructors were knowledgeable and passionate about design. For the first two phases you're treated like students, so the feedback is designed to help you grow. When you enter the in-person phase, you're treated like designers in an agency. So the instructors become creative directors who are their to guide you rather than teach you. I liked all my instructors, some more than others. I feel like they're able to push you to become better designers by allowing you to make your own decisions. They're always accessible whenever we needed help, though. In every phase of the program, I felt like that I, or my team, could schedule time to speak with them. Also, you can always reach out to them via slack, and they’ll get back to you in 20 minutes or less.

Curriculum:

For the most part, I think that their curriculum was successful in developing us as designers. We were given so much resources at every module that we had to go through in the first two phases. Also, our instructors provided additional articles, videos, etc. if you reach out to them about a specific topic that interests you. Although some of the resources they gave us were a little outdated, it’s to be expected since technology is so fast paced. 

Some things that I didn’t like about the curriculum were how most of our quizzes weren’t graded. I think that it would’ve been a great way to see who was actually learning and doing their part. It could’ve weeded out some people who would later on become a burden on their team because they didn’t even know some of the basics. The other aspect of their curriculum that I wasn’t a fan of was the “creative cool downs” we had every Friday. I would’ve rather done something more productive with my time. What’s great about DESIGNATION, though, is that their program goes through constant iterations. A lot of us expressed how we weren’t fond of the creative cool downs, so for later cohorts they changed it to “design challenges.” 

Career Assistance:

The Community Director, Mike, was an invaluable resource during the career phase and post graduation. The one constant that you’ll read about him is that he seems really unapproachable, but that’s so far from the truth. When I was in the program, and I had a question, I’d ask him and he’d always have time to answer it. Also, after graduation, I constantly messaged him on slack with questions regarding my portfolio/jobs, and he was always there. If you do decide to do the program, just remember that Mike is there to help you. He may be inaccessible at times due to prior commitments, but he’ll always get back to you. And no matter how tough he may look, he genuinely wants you to succeed.

The second reason why the career assistance was great was because of the wide network of alumni that they have. A lot of them are willing to take time out of their schedules to help you out or mentor you. I’ve had three mentors from the program who have helped me grow. One of them, I just reached out after she gave a talk. 

Overall:

It’s important to note that attending a bootcamp like DESIGNATION doesn’t guarantee that you’ll either get a job or become a skilled designer after 6 months. You still have to put in the work, and then some. It’s far from easy. In fact, it’s been one of the most challenging experiences in my life. There were multiple weeks where I stayed at 1871 until midnight, or later, working on my portfolio or a deliverable. When it ended, I was physically and mentally drained. Would I do it all over again? Absolutely. From the mind-numbingly difficult challenges that my team and I had to solve for the startups we worked with, to the amazing people I met and became fast friends with, to learning what my process, strengths, and values as a designer were, it was all worth it. 

Let me start by saying a little about my background.

I worked in PR agencies for 3 or so years then decided to switch into something more creative. I looked into GA and even went through their application process, but it ultimately wasn't for me. DESIGNATION sold me on the client-facing projects that they had to offer as well as the extended length of the program. The 94% job-success rate also was in the 'pro' column. 

Now that you know what led to my decision, here's how that decision panned out. 

INSTRUCTORS (4 stars): 
The staff help you recognize different approaches to a problem, not necessarily give you direction. I know some people have a hard time with not getting a direct answer. But the more you figure out your process, the less you need a definite answer. 

The first in-person phase (Immersion) felt light on instruction. After talking with other cohorts and with the staff, I've learned that this immersion phase is meant to be more exploratory so you define your own process. It also didn't help that our part-time UX instructor was mentally checked out even when she was there. They have since hired a full-time UX/UI creative director who I can attest has a vast amount of experience. 

The client portion - the reason that I chose DESIGNATION - definitely proved to be the most beneficial. We were given 2 client projects to do in 3-week sprints, solving real world problems. And each week, we sat down with our clients to talk about our process and our design decisions based on user research. I learn by doing and this gave me that context of working with clients as a UX design consultant. Additionally, my creative director pushed me to think in terms of different use cases, levels of knowledge, even accessibility. She helped me become more strategic with my curiosity. 

CURRICULUM (4 stars): 
I mentioned before that the program is structured to give you the tools and the projects encourage the reps. I do believe there could have been more opportunities to do workshops with Axure and Sketch during the in-person portion. In hindsight, I could have done more during the virtual phases, but I still would have liked more opportunities to practice the different dynamic panels and variables in Axure specifically.  

JOB ASSISTANCE (5 stars): 
Mike is one of the greatest assets DESIGNATION has to offer. He's thoroughly connected in the design industry in Chicago and across the globe. He's also been in the business for years, so he knows his shit. When he gives feedback, it's never fluff. It's direct and actionable.

His career phase decks are FILLED with invaluable resources and data. And you always have access to them!

I know some people think he's intimidating and unapproachable. I sort of see why. He's knowledgeable and very well connected and he does have this system of 5-then-me. But honestly, just because he's intimidating, doesn't mean he's unapproachable. If you don't approach him for feedback or help, that's on you. He helps those who want to be helped. And the 5-then-me rule is so he can be the most value to people instead of just giving you answers that you could have Googled. 

OVERALL EXPERIENCE (5 stars): 
As you can see from the variety of other reviews, you reap what you sow at DESIGNATION and my experience is no different. I wanted to soak up as much as possible and because of that, I got a lot in return. The program is about exposing you to design thinking and showing you the tools that help people become successful. It's YOUR job to put in the work, do the reps and become the designer that YOU want to be. 

One thing I got out of it that I didn't anticipate was such strong friendships. I knew I'd make connections in the field, but I didn't know I'd develop such strong relationships with my fellow designers. I'm amazed at the level of support I still get from my cohort/friends.

While this program does equip you with the knowledge and tools to become a UX or UI designer, you don't just get a job right afterward. You still have to make a portfolio, network and HUSTLE. But after going through the program, I definitely feel equiped and confident as I start my career as a UX/IxD Designer. DESIGNATION is a great start for those looking to transition into a new career within UX or UI.