Designlab
Average Rating4.78
789 Reviews
9 Courses
Designlab is an online training provider that teaches in-demand UX/UI design skills through their UX Academy and short courses. Designlab’s top-tier online programs connect students with expert design mentors, empowering them to launch and advance their career in digital design. Whether students are transitioning into UX design with Designlab’s flagship UX Academy or refining their skills through advanced courses designed for seasoned designers and design teams, Designlab offers meticulously crafted programs to help learners achieve their goals.
With mentorship and community at the core of every course, students benefit from weekly 1:1 video calls in UX Academy and UX Academy Foundations, as well as small peer group sessions in advanced and short courses. Through personalized feedback and guidance, Designlab’s network of experienced mentors helps students navigate the design industry, offering career advice and insights into market trends from a professional’s perspective.
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.
789 Designlab Reviews
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Calista FerreiraGraduate • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 31, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/AUX Academy Foundations
I loved this course so much, it was super informative and keeps your attention all the way through. I loved how interactive it was the whole way through, they made sure you knew what you were learning.- Katie MarieStudent • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 20, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Foundations Review 4/5 Stars
I took Foundations as a precursor to the full UX Academy bootcamp. Overall I give the experience 4 out of 5 stars. After it ended, I actually backtracked on my decision to move forward with Design Lab and started looking at the more expensive bootcamps. However, cost is a major factor for me so I am going ahead with their UX Academy program.
Pros
- Modules: The online modules are extremely motivating because you can see yourself complete each section in real ti...I took Foundations as a precursor to the full UX Academy bootcamp. Overall I give the experience 4 out of 5 stars. After it ended, I actually backtracked on my decision to move forward with Design Lab and started looking at the more expensive bootcamps. However, cost is a major factor for me so I am going ahead with their UX Academy program.
Pros
- Modules: The online modules are extremely motivating because you can see yourself complete each section in real time, as it you are checking something off a list. This style makes you want to keep going and it feels like you are accomplishing something even when you only have an hour to work on the class. The modules also have a time estimate of how long it might take you to complete each section which is helpful.
- Mentor: My mentor was very nice and helpful. I don't believe she held back any feedback and she gave me some great tips as I moved through the course. I felt fortunate to have been matched up with someone with so much experience to offer.
- Flexibility: The #1 benefit of this course, besides the price, is flexibility. Other bootcamps have you chained up to a zoom all day, M-F, whereas this course is at your own pace. This means you can walk your dogs, go to a doctor's appointment, etc., and not have to worry about missing class. This is the #1 reason I ended up sticking with Designlab for the upcoming full bootcamp.
- Cost: The $500 cost of Foundations can be rolled into the full UX bootcamp afterwards so it won't be a waste of money if you decide to keep going. I also feel that you should definitely take this course if you are on the fence about UX/UI in general because it gives you a great introduction, so that you have a taste for it and it will help you decide if this is something you want to do. The full bootcamp is also about half as much as some of the other bootcamps out there (BrainStation, General Assembly, Flatiron, Columbia) however it's about the same as a few others (Thinkful, Career Foundry).
Cons
- Discord: They communicate with the group via Discord and to be honest it's not easy to use. Discord is messy, with so many channels that you can't hide and replies that come into the main room when sent to a comment. I would 100% much rather they had used Slack. You have to add friends and be accepted before you can start group chats with them and it creates a headache. If you have "unread messages" clicking on the alert doesn't take you to the actual channel, you have to go hunt and find it. It was also a huge hassle getting it set up, as Discord said I already had an account but could not claim the account and we went in circles for days until I ended up just making a totally new gmail to use for it which was a pain. For this reason I didn't spend much time communicating with my peers or trying to keep track of what was going on in there. I am not sure why they switched from Slack to Discord but it is a big downgrade.
- Downtime: There are a few points in the program where you have to wait on your mentor to progress. I had some issues with this and I don't think it was my mentor's fault, I think there was just a disconnect between the mentor's expectations about turnaround time and the expectation of someone who was going through the course very quickly (one month instead of two). But it did cause me to get stuck at a few points and that wasted some time for me during the downtime.
- Reading: I experience reading fatigue at quite a few points during the course. There weren't a lot of videos and it was a lot of written content to read through over the computer.
- Uploads: There were lots of issues with trying to upload projects. I believe the cap was 5 MB. A lot of my projects couldn't be uploaded and it was a big headache, having to split things out and take screenshots and upload multiple things as V2, V3, V4, even though they weren't different versions but just pieces of one project I was splitting into a smaller size. This needs to be increased. I spoke to another bootcamp and their upload cap was substantially larger.
- Silo: There is a bit of a silo effect in Foundations because you would look at what others have uploaded for a project and be like, wow, mine looks nothing like that. Am I on track? Are they off track? What is going on? Why are they so different? Did I missi something? Are they ahead of me? You get the idea. But this is inevitable when you are working alone in self paced course without a live cohort that you are working with. - SamanthaGraphic Designer • Student • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 19, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
UX Academy Foundations
I recently finished the foundation course and it was a refreshing experience. I came in with a some design background so it wasn’t difficult to pick up on the sessions. It was great learning Figma and Sketch before moving on to the academy. My mentor match up was alright but it took a couple sessions to warm up to them. I did end up switching mentors and the DesignLab admissions team was very quick to help me get another. The only con I can think of is the application deadline. It’s very...I recently finished the foundation course and it was a refreshing experience. I came in with a some design background so it wasn’t difficult to pick up on the sessions. It was great learning Figma and Sketch before moving on to the academy. My mentor match up was alright but it took a couple sessions to warm up to them. I did end up switching mentors and the DesignLab admissions team was very quick to help me get another. The only con I can think of is the application deadline. It’s very tight for part timers to finish on time and most have to wait for the fallowing cohort to start the academy. Overall, foundations is worth it and it offers an extra flushed out project for your portfolio. - Erika AriasStudent • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 10, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Great Intro to UX
I recently completed the foundations course from Designlab. It was one of the best things I’ve done for myself in a long time. I got to challenge myself and immerse myself into something new and something that links my creativity and passions together. I’m very excited to move forward with their academy and UX/UI design as a whole. Thanks to this course, I have no doubts now whether or not UX is right for me. - Vicky NguyenStudent • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 10, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
100% will not regret!
I have always wanted to pursue UX Design but was either too scared of starting over or always thought it was too late. Eventually, I finally built the courage to go for it and after doing lots of research on the different bootcamps, Designlab stood out based on the 1:1 mentoring and it surely did not disappoint.
My mentor was the best I could have ever asked for. He was extremely passionate about the field as he was always happy to share his knowledge and additional resources. H...I have always wanted to pursue UX Design but was either too scared of starting over or always thought it was too late. Eventually, I finally built the courage to go for it and after doing lots of research on the different bootcamps, Designlab stood out based on the 1:1 mentoring and it surely did not disappoint.
My mentor was the best I could have ever asked for. He was extremely passionate about the field as he was always happy to share his knowledge and additional resources. He also took the time to answer all the questions I had and when he had feedback on my projects, he would ask me my thought process and ask me additional questions instead of giving me the straight answer to come up with a solution on my own. What I appreciated the most was how much my mentor cared about my growth and I couldn't be more thankful!
Overall, the course was a great preview of UX Design. They broke it down into chewable units and within those units, they give you lessons to read along with optional resource links, hands-on practice to get better at the design tools of your choice and provide unit projects to apply what you learned. I completed the course within 4 weeks as I left my previous job to focus on becoming a UX Designer. I chose this route because I wanted to invest in myself :) - Wes SiegristGraduate • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 04, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Great intro course to UI Design
As someone who has had self-taught graphic design experience in the past, this was a great course to see what skills transfer, as well as a primer for what the full UX Academy includes. My mentor was great.
My only complaint was that some of the projects had unrealistic timeframes for skills that you are just learning. Other than that, I would recommend. - Lyla DavisUX UI designer • Graduate • 2. UX Academy (Part-time) • OnlineMay 03, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
UX Academy
I had a great experience at DesignLab, the breakdown of the lectures followed by the projects followed by putting together a portfolio was the perfect flow. GroupCrits and Mentors were also an additional bonus to the course, learning how to give and receive feedback as well as having a mentor to guide you through the course work and projects helped me understand that I was on the right track. I really enjoyed this course and I recently found a position as a UX UI designer. - Stacey TokudaStudent • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineMay 01, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
UX Academy Foundations
I was able to complete this 8 week course in 4 weeks. You can go at your own pace for each unit but you have 8 weeks max to complete the course. This course was definitely worth it before the UX Academy. The final project can be used as your submission when you apply for the academy. Foundations covers all the general groundwork you need to know about UI design. I highly recommend it! You get 8 1:1 meetings with your assigned mentor. A Discord server is also offerred so you can connect w...I was able to complete this 8 week course in 4 weeks. You can go at your own pace for each unit but you have 8 weeks max to complete the course. This course was definitely worth it before the UX Academy. The final project can be used as your submission when you apply for the academy. Foundations covers all the general groundwork you need to know about UI design. I highly recommend it! You get 8 1:1 meetings with your assigned mentor. A Discord server is also offerred so you can connect with other students! - PerryProduct manager • Graduate • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineApr 29, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Interesting but prepare to read
It was interesting. Learned the concepts and the know how with building apps and webites. - Carolina MartinsStudent • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineApr 08, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
UX Academy Foundations
My journey started on the wrong foot. I didn't have a great experience with my mentor. Designlab was incredibly understating and accommodating and assigned me a new one quickly. I had a wonderful experience with my new mentor, Anthony Faria. I learned so much these past 4 weeks. The entire design lab experience is easy to follow and fun. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in pursuing design. - GilbertGraduate • 1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineApr 06, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
UX Academy Foundations
The UX foundations course from Designlab was a great introduction to the UX/UI field. With the pairing of an experienced mentor, I was able to get comfortable and ask questions in order to really understand the material. - Nestor1. UX Academy Foundations • OnlineApr 04, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Designlab Foundations Review
My experience was great I learned a lot about UI where I can definitely say I learned more than just the foundations and I think I have a good base to progress into this as a career. The mentor system is a great idea but it can be a double edged sword so you have to work ahead and really listen to what your mentor wants in each iteration.
Designlab Alumni Outcomes
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Designlab Alumni Reviews Summary
Based on 700+ Designlab alumni reviews on Course Report, students consistently praise the hands-on projects, 1-on-1 mentorship from industry professionals, and the comprehensive UX/UI design curriculum. A student shared, "Designlab is a very solid introduction into the world of UX/UI design... Before you know it, you have the confidence to start making your own icons and building a brand." Some critiques, however, mention the reliance on Discord for community interaction, which some found less professional than alternatives like Slack.
Overall Experience
4.8
Instructors
4.7
Curriculum
4.7
Job Assistance
4.3
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
Awards
Recent Designlab News
By Jess Feldman
By Rachel Meltzer
By Jess Feldman
FAQs
How much does Designlab cost?
Designlab costs around $7,749. On the lower end, some Designlab courses like 1. UX Academy Foundations cost $499.
What courses does Designlab teach?
Designlab offers courses like 1. UX Academy Foundations, 2. UX Academy (Part-time), 3. UX Academy (Full-time), 4. Data-Driven Design and 5 more.
Where does Designlab have campuses?
Designlab teaches students Online in a remote classroom.
Is Designlab worth it?
Designlab hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 789 Designlab alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Designlab on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Designlab legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 789 Designlab alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Designlab and rate their overall experience a 4.78 out of 5.
Does Designlab offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Designlab offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Designlab reviews?
You can read 789 reviews of Designlab on Course Report! Designlab alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Designlab and rate their overall experience a 4.78 out of 5.
Is Designlab accredited?
While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Designlab doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.