designlab
About
About
Designlab teaches in-demand UX/UI design skills online through 4-week short courses and a 15 to 28-week UX Academy. Designlab courses consist primarily of hands-on projects and 1-on-1 mentorship from expert designers so that students can master the techniques needed to design stunning web and mobile products. The Designlab community of mentors gives students timely feedback on work and Skype with students regularly to help them improve. Mentors include top industry professionals from companies like Twitter, Airbnb, Dropbox, and more. Courses are self-paced, which means students can complete the readings/projects whenever their schedules permit. Designlab is ideal for a developer, product manager, entrepreneur, marketer, aspiring designer, or anyone working on web/mobile products.
To apply for the UX Academy, applicants need to fill out an online application, and schedule a call with a Designlab representative. Applicants should have a love of good design, a grounding in design fundamentals, and commitment and resilience.
Graduates of the UX Academy work with a career coach to get help with their portfolios, job applications, and interview technique. Top graduates also get access to Designlab's hiring partners and exclusive job opportunities. Designlab offers a 6-month tuition-reimbursement guarantee for graduates of the UX Academy who are job hunting.
Recent Designlab Reviews: Rating 4.77
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Courses
Courses
1. UX Academy Foundations
ApplyStart Date July 11, 2022 Cost $499 Class size N/A Location Online Looking to transition your career into the world of UX/UI design? Learning visual and UI design is a great place to start. Through our flexible, 4-8 week UX Academy Foundations course, you'll work 1-on-1 with an expert mentor to learn key visual design concepts and practical skills. Your mentor will give you written feedback on all your work and also meet with you for 8 personalized sessions to further discuss concepts, project work, and the UX/UI industry in general. By the end, you'll have completed a final design challenge which you can use in your application for UX Academy to showcase your newfound knowledge and skills. What's good to note is you'll receive a $500 credit on UX Academy tuition afterwards, so taking UX Academy Foundations is technically free!Financing
Deposit $0 — course fees are taken on the start date, regardless of when you sign up Tuition Plans 2-part payment plan — 50% on the start date, 50% on the end date: https://help.trydesignlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/216992247-Do-you-offer-payment-plans-on-short-courses- Refund / Guarantee $500 credit on UX Academy tuition after completion of UX Academy Foundations. Pro-rated refund given: https://help.trydesignlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058755134-What-is-your-refund-policy-for-UX-Academy-Foundations- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner UI/UX course, no previous experience is required. Prep Work If you'd like to get a head-start, you could take one of our free email courses on Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD: https://trydesignlab.com/resources/ Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
July 11, 2022 - OnlineAugust 08, 2022 - Online Apply by August 07, 2022September 12, 2022 - Online Apply by September 11, 2022
2. UX Academy (Part-time)
ApplyStart Date July 25, 2022 Cost $7,749 Class size N/A Location Online UX Academy is a rigorous online program that has helped thousands of people land a job in UI/UX/product design since 2015. You'll work with an experienced mentor 1-on-1 to complete over 480 hours of coursework (majority produced in-house and updated in 2022) in topics that cover the full breadth of UI/UX design, including UX research, information architecture, interaction design, UI design, prototyping, testing, and handoff. Upon completion, you'll not only have a certificate of completion but also, more importantly, a professional UI/UX portfolio containing 4 in-depth projects to showcase your skills and share with future employers. Along the way, you'll participate in weekly Group Critiques where you'll share, discuss, and analyze design work live with a group of students and an experienced facilitator. The support will continue into the Career Services phase of the program, where we'll pair you with a Career Coach who will guide you through interview practice, networking, salary negotiation, and other elements of the recruitment process until you find a job in the industry. If you'd like to learn more, you can chat to one of our friendly Admissions team (https://calendly.com/designlab-admissions/schedule-call) or attend a free Admissions Open House webinar (https://designlab.com/webinars/).Financing
Deposit $399 Financing Financing available via Climb CreditTuition Plans Upfront, 6-month internal payment plan, and extended plans financed by Climb Credit: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000101533-How-do-your-payment-plans-work-for-UX-Academy- Refund / Guarantee Pro-rated refund: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015817174-What-is-your-refund-policy-for-UX-Academy- Tuition reimbursement policy: https://designlab.com/ux-academy/policies/#tuition Scholarship Diversify Design scholarship where recipients receive either a $1000, 50%, or full scholarship on UX Academy tuition: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052837753-Do-you-offer-scholarships-for-UX-Academy- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Completion of UX Academy Foundations (included in overall tuition), or foundational skills in visual/UI design, demonstrated through samples of your work. Knowledge of 1 relevant tool (Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD) is also beneficial. Prep Work Application pre-requisites: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/218228487-How-do-I-apply-to-UX-Academy-Are-there-any-prerequisites-for-the-program- Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
July 25, 2022 - Online Apply by July 15, 2022August 22, 2022 - Online Apply by August 12, 2022September 19, 2022 - Online Apply by September 09, 2022
3. UX Academy (Full-time)
ApplyStart Date July 25, 2022 Cost $7,749 Class size N/A Location Online UX Academy is a rigorous online program that has helped hundreds of people land a job in UI/UX/product design since 2015. You'll work with an experienced mentor 1-on-1 to complete over 480 hours of coursework (majority produced in-house and updated in 2022) in topics that cover the full breadth of UI/UX design, including: UX research, information architecture, interaction design, UI design, prototyping, testing, and handoff. Upon completion, you'll not only have a certificate of completion but also, more importantly, a professional UI/UX portfolio containing 4 in-depth projects to showcase your skills and share with future employers. Along the way, you'll participate in weekly Group Critiques where you'll share, discuss, and analyze design work live with a group of students and experienced facilitator. The support will continue into the Career Services phase of the program, where we'll pair you with a Career Coach who will guide you through interview practice, networking, salary negotiation, and other elements of the recruitment process until you find a job in the industry. If you'd like to learn more, you can chat to one of our friendly Admissions team (https://calendly.com/designlab-admissions/schedule-call) or attend a free Admissions Open House webinar (https://designlab.com/webinars/).Financing
Deposit $399 Financing Financing available via Climb CreditTuition Plans Upfront, 6-month internal payment plan, and extended plans financed by Climb Credit: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000101533-How-do-your-payment-plans-work-for-UX-Academy- Refund / Guarantee Pro-rated refund: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015817174-What-is-your-refund-policy-for-UX-Academy- Tuition reimbursement policy: https://designlab.com/ux-academy/policies/#tuition Scholarship Diversify Design scholarship where recipients receive either a $1000, 50%, or full scholarship on UX Academy tuition: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052837753-Do-you-offer-scholarships-for-UX-Academy- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Completion of UX Academy Foundations (included in overall tuition), or foundational skills in visual/UI design, demonstrated through samples of your work. Knowledge of 1 relevant tool (Figma/Sketch/Adobe XD) is also beneficial. Prep Work Application pre-requisites: https://help.designlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/218228487-How-do-I-apply-to-UX-Academy-Are-there-any-prerequisites-for-the-program- Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
July 25, 2022 - Online Apply by July 15, 2022August 22, 2022 - Online Apply by August 12, 2022September 19, 2022 - Online Apply by September 09, 2022
4. Design 101
ApplyStart Date August 05, 2022 Cost $399 Class size N/A Location Online In this 4-week online course built for design beginners, you'll learn about the fundamentals of color theory, typography, and layout in web design. You'll have 4 weekly sessions with your mentor and receive additional written feedback from them on all your project pieces and assignments.Financing
Deposit $0 — course fees are taken on the start date, regardless of when you sign up Tuition Plans 2-part payment plan — 50% on the start date, 50% on the end date: https://help.trydesignlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/216992247-Do-you-offer-payment-plans-on-short-courses- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner design course, no previous experience is required. Prep Work If you'd like to get a head-start, you could take one of our free email courses on Figma, Sketch, Photoshop, or Adobe XD: https://trydesignlab.com/resources/ Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
August 05, 2022 - OnlineSeptember 02, 2022 - Online Apply by September 01, 2022
5. UX Research & Strategy
ApplyStart Date August 05, 2022 Cost $399 Class size N/A Location Online In this 4-week online course, you'll master the art of understanding your user through learning the ins and outs of user centered research and design. This course is perfect for design beginners and those new to UX — you'll learn the basics of user-centered design, explore the core research techniques professionals use to gain customer insight, and get experience by working on hands-on projects to create deliverables like personas, storyboards, customer journey maps, and empathy maps. You'll have 4 weekly sessions with your mentor and receive additional written feedback from them on all your project pieces and assignments.Financing
Deposit $0 — course fees are taken on the start date, regardless of when you sign up Tuition Plans 2-part payment plan — 50% on the start date, 50% on the end date: https://help.trydesignlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/216992247-Do-you-offer-payment-plans-on-short-courses- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner UI/UX course, no previous experience is required. Prep Work If you'd like to get a head-start, you could take one of our free email courses on Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD: https://trydesignlab.com/resources/ Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
August 05, 2022 - OnlineSeptember 02, 2022 - Online Apply by September 01, 2022
6. UX: Interaction Design
ApplyStart Date August 05, 2022 Cost $399 Class size N/A Location Online In this 4-week online course you’ll develop an eye for seeing, and a language for talking about, interaction design. You'll become familiar with human interface guidelines, principles of usability and fundamental interaction design details. You'll also practice evaluating if and how interactions can be improved. As with all Designlab courses, you'll work 1-on-1 with an expert mentor, with feedback on all your work and weekly video sessions. By the end, you’ll have an interaction design toolkit for evaluating and improving the usability of your products. You’ll have examples of your process and work that you can speak to and draw on in related projects. This course is especially useful to anyone looking to develop better communication of and confidence in their interaction design work, and for folks looking to develop their ability to understand and work with product designers.Financing
Deposit $0 — course fees are taken on the start date, regardless of when you sign up Tuition Plans 2-part payment plan — 50% on the start date, 50% on the end date: https://help.trydesignlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/216992247-Do-you-offer-payment-plans-on-short-courses- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner UI/UX course, no previous experience is required. Prep Work If you'd like to get a head-start, you could take one of our free email courses on Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD: https://trydesignlab.com/resources/ Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
August 05, 2022 - OnlineSeptember 02, 2022 - Online Apply by September 01, 2022
7. UI Design
ApplyStart Date August 05, 2022 Cost $399 Class size N/A Location Online In this 4-week online course you will develop a detailed "eye" for visual design, learn to decide which typefaces to use, become equipped to choose and create color palettes, learn about best practices for UI patterns and reusable design components, and learn how to create retina-ready designs that scale across different devices. You'll have 4 weekly sessions with your mentor and receive additional written feedback from them on all your project pieces and assignments. By the end of the course, you'll have a certificate of completion, a portfolio of projects, and a strong skillset in UI design. This course is intended as a follow-up to our Design 101 course, or for anyone who has a basic understanding of visual design principles. Students are expected to be acquainted with a professional design tool (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD) before they begin this class.Financing
Deposit $0 — course fees are taken on the start date, regardless of when you sign up Tuition Plans 2-part payment plan — 50% on the start date, 50% on the end date: https://help.trydesignlab.com/hc/en-us/articles/216992247-Do-you-offer-payment-plans-on-short-courses- Getting in
Minimum Skill Level Beginner UI/UX course, no previous experience is required. Prep Work If you'd like to get a head-start, you could take one of our free email courses on Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD: https://trydesignlab.com/resources/ Placement Test No Interview No More Start Dates
August 05, 2022 - OnlineSeptember 02, 2022 - Online Apply by September 01, 2022
Reviews
Designlab Reviews
- Junior UX Designer- 8/23/2021Margaret • Junior UX Designer • Student • Course: 2. UX Academy (Part-time) • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInOverall Designlab is a great program that will get you hired. There is definitely some room for improvement on the education material- some things are a bit outdated, however their mentorship program is what is truly brilliant about the program. I worked with Minnie Kim and I cannot recommend a better mentor. I actually was hired as a UX designer after phase one of the academy because of her guidance and ability to prep me for the real world. She really prepared me for the interview process and how the industry is different from the educational world of UX. I actually got hired on my first UX job interview....I started interviewing early to gain experience and was offered a job! The coolest thing is that Minnie is also a grad of Designlab so she was the perfect person to help me navigate through the program.
- Katie • Junior Product Designer • Graduate • Course: 3. UX Academy (Full-time) • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInI chose this course for the mentorship and networking opportunities and I wasn't disappointed. I couldn't have asked for a better mentor for UX Academy - he had a wealth of industry knowledge and experience, was encouraging and supportive but also pushed me to produce the best work possible. The opportunities for networking are really valuable and Designlab has a large and very active community. Making the most of this by really engaging with your fellow course mates and Designlab Alumni will ensure a far richer leaning experience and also provide much needed support.
I was under no impression that just completing this course would guarantee me a job at the end - it's an intense way of learning and this format won't work for everyone. You need to be self motivated, take ownership of your learning experience and also understand from the start that transitioning your career is not going to be easy. What the course teaches is a solid starting point; it's important to develop your own interests within UX/UI, engage with the wider design community and compliment it with your own learning.
In my opinion the career services content needs improving (this may already be happening as the content for the whole program is regularly being updated and added to); however I found a lot of value in the support provided by my career services mentor who answered all my questions, boosted my confidence and helped me prepare for interviews. As I was lucky enough to find a job within the industry pretty quickly (I come from a background in Industrial design) my career services mentor has been able to continue to provide support as I navigate my first few weeks as a Junior Product Designer.
- Foundations course review- 8/9/2021Alyshia • Student • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInI enrolled into DesignLab's Foundations course as someone who had no prior knowledge about the industry at all. I wanted something foundational and something that'll start me off on the right foot and I completed the course feeling just that. The coursework was fairly simple and (in my opinion) definitely not too overwhelming at all for newbies. The coursework was laid out in an easy-to-follow format which encouraged me to keep going, whenever I had a slightly more complex question, my mentor whom I was paired up with would answer them for me allowing me to continue my work with more confidence. The readings provided also supplemented my overall knowledge and I was able to apply them for each final project we had for every unit.
Overall, I did realise that this course focused mainly on UI design work and basic design principles and not much user research or testing, which is understandable and I knew that before enrolling. If you were someone with prior design knowledge already and have experience with design tools such as sketch/figma etc. then I would recommend looking into their Academy course instead(which is what I'm doing right now!).
- Soma Raj laxmi • Business Analyst • Student • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInThe course module, content, and curriculum are really good and provides well-structured learning and understanding of the User Interface Visual Design. It is an 8-week self-paced curriculum that one can take before their enrollment in the UX Academy full-time career accelerator program. The exercises included in each unit of the curriculum are well thought in terms of both design and software skills for UI Design. I got a lot of learning and understanding of Visual design and in general about the design field from my Foundation's mentor Ryan Byrne. The admin department is extremely helpful as well. The UX Foundations course definitely differentiates Designlab from all other UX Design Bootcamps in the market as it is the best possible way to check whether one's actual interest and skillset lie in the field or not before jumping on to the entire course and career path. I even received a Diversify scholarship from Designlab's end for my upcoming UX Academy full-time career accelerator program. One can easily apply for the scholarship and check their eligibility even before enrolling for the UX Foundations. It is an absolutely recommended course on my end. The cherry on top is that the fees involved in the UX Foundations are refundable in case one enrolls for the UX Academy full-time career accelerator program. It is an absolutely recommended course from my end in case you are completely new to UX/UI.
- UX Academy- 7/22/2021Nina Oria-Loureiro • UX Designer • Graduate • Course: 3. UX Academy (Full-time) • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInI did Designlab's UX Foundations course and UX Academy. I started out with minimal visual design experience, and I found that the Foundations course really helped me to get a good baseline understanding of visual design. I definitely saw an improvement in my design work by the end of that course and it made it pretty easy to get into UX Academy.
UX Academy focuses more on getting you a foundation in UX research & design with the expectation you have some visual design knowledge already. You end up designing 4 capstone projects in total that become the case studies for your portfolio. They give you suggested project briefs, but you can adjust them a bit and find client work that fits the brief instead.
The best part about the experience is the mentorship and the group critiques. My mentors have been so valuable in helping me understand what steps I should be taking in my career as well as giving me constructive feedback on my projects. It's really nice actually having someone who is working in UX to bounce ideas off of. The group critiques are great because you actually have to defend your design choices, which is great practice for interviews and the actual job.
The main con of Designlab is that you aren't working on real client projects. Not sure if this has changed. They do encourage students to find client work for capstones, but that can be hard to manage depending on the track you are on. I think if they had a network of client opportunities for students to chose from who understand student schedules, that would make UX Academy even better!
In terms of career services, I managed to get a UX Designer position about 3 months after graduating UX Academy. A lot of that success comes from the mentorship I received from my career services mentors. They prepped me for interviews, helped me to tailor my resume, and were just great about keeping me positive and on track.
Overall, I'd highly recommend Designlab's UX Academy!
- Celine • Student • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInThe UXA Foundations program acts as a prep for the actual bootcamp itself (UX Academy), and was helpful in ensuring you're on the right track of mastering basic UI and visual design skills. While I feel the curriculum can be improved, the feedback on my assignments + mentorship calls were super helpful in validating my new found knowledge. It's important to realise that there are an abundance of online resources free for you which can make self-learning possible, but that can get overwhelming. Being in this course helped structure my learning, so that I know what 'chunks' to focus on and what else to bookmark for later. I also requested for a switch in mentor at the start of my program (mentors are great, just that I had some communication issues) and the team was very efficient in ensuring I get the support I needed.
- Amazing experience!- 7/5/2021Mackenzie Fitzpatrick • Graduate • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInDesignlab was an amazing experience! I really enjoyed the self-paced readings/projects. My mentor, chris, was really incredible and informative and guided me so well through the course! The projects were great experience!
- UX Academy Foundations- 6/7/2021Desi Dumalo • Student • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInI come from a small design background, which definitely helped me in this program. My mentor, Sarah, has been absolutely amazing in her critique and just being a genuine person. Throughout my experience at DesignLab, all of my questions were answered quickly and accurately. I rarely had any floating questions they didn't know the answer to. I'm currently going through a career change, and I have never felt more confident than choosing DesignLab.
- UX Academy Foundations- 6/7/2021Irina Adler • Student • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInI really enjoyed this well-structured course. It is a foundations of UI/UX design course recommended for anyone starting out in the field and wanting to move on to UX Academy bootcamp program.
- Needs Improvement- 6/7/2021Angela • Student • Course: 2. UX Academy (Part-time) • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInI was a student in DesignLab for a total of 3 months before I decided to withdraw. There were technical issues with Airtable (program they used to schedule group crits), unreliable mentors (mine would show up late or not at all and rescheduled multiple times), and TONS of materials I could get for free elsewhere (lots of the reading linked to external blogs). NOT worth the $7k they charge.
- Data Engineer- 6/6/2021Bryan • Student • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInAn amazing program with great mentors!
- Best Intro to UX Design Experience- 5/24/2021Clive Cadillo • Product Strategist • Student • Course: 1. UX Academy Foundations • Campus: Online • Verified via LinkedInUX foundations course lays out the basics of UI before diving into the bootcamp.
Overall, the units are nicely laid out and each build upon principles from the previous lesson. The foundations course is self-paced and you the support of their online slack community which is very helpful. The best value for me was the 1:1 mentoring that the course provides; I was fortune to be paired with a great mentor giving me proper guidance as I navigated the course and tips/anecdotes from his experience within the UX field.
