Designlab

I took the UX Academy Foundations course this summer and am very satisfied. I came from a background with no design experience and now have a grasp of basic design principles and feel comfortable using my design tool of choice, Figma. I really enjoyed having a mentor who I could meet with after each unit to discuss any questions I had along with my project work.  Read less

I really enjoyed my experience taking the Foundations course. I found the curriculum and projects manageable yet challenging (in a good way). The best part of the program was working one-on-one with a mentor that is a successful designer. Designlab also has a really active Slack community, and I found that to be a great way to connect with other students and stay in the loop on any updates regarding Designlab, including frequent webinars that they hosted about various topics (they were all really well done and valuable). 

Overall, I think this class is a great introduction to UI design and serves as a great pulse check before you commit to a full bootcamp. It helped me understand if I would like to learn on an online platform and assess how much time commitment it would be. I'd definitely recommend this course.  Read less

I decided to take UX Foundations first to see if I actually liked UX design (coming from a background in project management). After taking the short 8 week course, I fell in-love with UX and took the plunge to enroll in UX Academy. The course was very thorough and all of the staff and students were extremely helpful. I learned so much about UX and how it’s all around us. I was able to design 4 responsive projects which were super helpful. I’m order to get an interview or a job, it is typical to have at least 3-4 projects in your portfolio. The only not so great thing I can say about DesignLab is that the part-time course, really isn’t part time. It required me to put in an additional 10+ hours a week, while I was working full time. I also wished that at least 2 of the projects were team based and collaborative. It would have made the course much more enjoyable and I’d also be able to discuss how I worked in a team while in an interview. Instead, you’re working on your projects solo dolo. Other than that, I would honesty recommend to take the course. It is so we worth it if you desire a career in UX. Read less

I had a amazing experience with Designlab's UI short course. The tasks and assignments were very interesting and inspiring and I really liked the self-schedule time management. I think the mentor aspect was particularly important. Talking to a real experienced designer and getting feedback has helped me a lot. I would highly recommend the Designlab to anyone who wants to improve their UI design skills. Read less

I'm reviewing the UX Academy Foundations (4-8) introductory course.

This was a really solid course. I learned a ton about visual design, UI design, color, and typography. I also found the mentor sessions really valuable. My mentor was great: supportive, insightful, and helped me many times along the way. The course is broken into eight units, with multiple readings and projects in each. One thing I really liked about the course was the teaching style. Most units involve a few readings to learn about basic ideas and concepts, then a project where you copy as closely as you can a successful website doing that concept, then you get a prompt where you are making the creative decisions yourself. I really liked the copywork where you're learning both the mental skills and the technical Figma/Sketch skills to make various things happen before you then start making the creative choices yourself.
There were one or two projects that were a little frustrating, but my mentor and the Slack community helped me out a lot.

I was able to complete the course in 4-weeks, putting in about 25-30ish hours each week. Read less

This program was honestly a great experience. I'm an extremely honest person and I wouldn't write a review unless it was really good, or really bad... haha. I really did learn quite a bit when it comes to UI design standards. I also learned my chosen design software (figma) to a good extent as well. The projects seem to heavily focus on getting comfortable with the software which is what I needed. I found that the reading was a bit dense at times but there were some great resources and concepts that I learned from them. The projects were a bit vague at times but I liked that because it leaves room for creativity and interpretation. It was a great start into my career switch and really is designed for students like me with no prior design experience at all. 

On a personal note I want to share that I experienced the greatest loss of my life by losing my mother and grandmother while I was taking this course. The staff was exceptionally understanding and flexible to my needs.

My critique would have to be being paired with a mentor who is on a completely different page then you. Having strong design skills and a passion for design doesn't necessarily make you a great mentor.  I'm sure there are provisions and accommodations if you really don't mesh well with your mentor, but since it's a short course I would recommend just buckling down and bearing through if you're not a fan of your mentor. But that was the only part of the course that didn't sit entirely well with me.  Read less

I attended this course to help me get to understand what UX/UI design is and to affirm that it was a good idea to shift my career to this field.
I have a biochemistry background and have always loved tech. I wanted to shift to tech and specifically to UX Research and design so as I can be able to use my skills and love for tech to solve daily problems affecting our society.

I got this from the UXA Foundations course. It opened up my view on solving problems and how to approach a challenge.
I learned UI Skills, including color & Typography.
The last 10-hour design challenge was so wonderful and I enjoyed administering my learning skills to execute the project.

Thank you the DesignLAB team for your help and My Mentor for guiding me through the course.
I am definitely going to join the UX Academy Bootcamp with DesignLAB so as to continue my journey in UX/UI design.

This course will definitely help you decide if you wanna continue in UX/UI design. Read less

The pros are an excellent curriculum, support from the staff, lots of extra webinars, and a weekly meeting with a mentor. I did not know what to expect when I registered and was anxiously excited. The program far exceeded my expectations and I could not be happier. I'm enrolling in another course immediately.  Read less

DesignLab UX Academy Foundations is a really good online/mentor-based, that will give a UI base skills to get into a UX world. Expect to expend some extra time on the course than the one stated in the description by DesignLab, and note that 8 out 9 units are UI focus. Read less

I took the Design 101 course and followed it with the full UX Academy course (from Dec. 2019 to Aug. 2020).
I can say from personal experience, that the overall experience was great. The coursework, group critiques, mentor sessions and many more really helped me become a better designer. I enrolled in the UX Academy as a part time student because I really wanted to take my time to understand and practice the things I've learned. But if you have more time and really want to get through the courses quicker, full time is definitely do-able as well. I would say the most important part of the entire course was finding the right mentor for you, because if you can communicate and connect with your mentor well, it will totally help you improve as a designer. Definitely recommend DesignLab's courses to anyone looking to transition to this field.

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Overall, great course for someone with no design background. The content was interesting and up-to-date, most of the course was devoted to hands-on projects that were then discussed and iterated on with feedback from your mentor (best and most helpful part), and course structure was switched up just at the right times to keep up motivation. Great student community and great support from Designlab team. Read less

I thoroughly enjoyed Designlab. The curriculum was engaging and my mentor was amazing. I felt encouraged and supported the entire time. Just from taking Foundations, I have learned so much and now have a solid base knowledge to go off of. I highly recommend Designlab! Read less

Nothing but positive things to say about Designlab's Foundations course! I started four weeks ago with 0 experience in design, feeling unsure about whether or not I had what it took to become a designer. Fast-forward to today and having just finished the course, I can say that I have so much more confidence in my design abilities and have learned valuable skills that I feel will help me on my career journey to becoming a UX designer. The staff at Designlab has clearly put a lot of time and effort into creating a curriculum that helps even a design newbie like me confidently learn and build skills. If you're concerned about whether you can do this course part-time, don't be: the course is structured so that you can choose to finish on a full-time or part-time track. One of the best part's of the course, in addition to the Slack community of fellow students, is having one-on-one time with a mentor. Designlab clearly puts a lot of thought into who they choose for their mentorship program and I feel that this was a major key to my success in the course. The mentor assigned to me for the duration of the course has over ten year of experience in UX/UI design and I learned so much through working with him throughout the course. Being able to ask questions, hear about industry trends and real-life design projects and experiences was invaluable to me. If you're on the fence about taking a course, I highly encourage you to sign up for an informative webinar and/or chat with someone from Designlab! In addition to having a friend who graduated the course prior to me, speaking with Designlab staff and getting my questions answered during the webinar is what helped me make the decision to invest my time and money in the course and I'm so glad I did!! I now feel confident and excited to continue on this path and I plan on continuing to the full UX Academy.  Read less

I've been really impressed with Designlab and the whole experience overall. From the very start you're able to "stick your toes in the water" through a series of live video sessions (or "open houses") that they encourage anyone that is interested in learning more about their program / courses and what sets them apart from the other opportunities out there. For me, I was able to help grow my knowledge while experiencing hands-on environments, incredible software (some free and others at discounted rates), group crits, and a weekly one-on-one meeting with an expert in the field known as a mentor (she was a rockstar encourager and challenged my creative process and thinking so well) - this is a big area that sets Designlab apart from others. That and the killer site they've developed for those enrolled. Seriously, if you want to have a good UX/UI experience, look for the places that actually have a good UX/UI experience.  Designlab stands out lightyears above the other places I researched before committing.

I really enjoyed being able to grow my portfolio while walking through the learning process and to see the differences from the start to where I am now. There's still a lot to learn and move forward in, but I'm excited to continue moving towards whatever might be next in my creative journey with Designlab helping me get there! Read less

Coming from a qualitative research background, the course helped me to get a practical grip of the design process in the digital space. The assignments were practical and I enjoyed the hands-on approach to learning. My mentor was great in giving me design industry insights and sharing constructive feedback on my work. I highly recommend this course! Read less