Designlab

I previously had zero design experience. My goal was to become familiar with the tools and concepts used by designers so that I would have a primitive foundation for creating attractive designs for my projects. What I found was that this course was much more than I bargained for. This course, as it turns out, covers almost nothing about using the tools themselves (although, they do provide tutorial resources for you to review independently). Designlab wanted to provide an experience and knowledge-base that couldn't be attained by merely scouring Youtube for a few hours. Their goal in this course is to walk you through true design theory and convey the principles that compose good design. Don't be discouraged if you don't have any technical experience because they structure the projects in a gradual way that's attainable for a design beginner. What ties the Designlab experience together, though, is the mentor system. Being paired with a design professional that has proven track record gives you the confidence to head in the right direction with your design ideas. In the true nature of Designlab philosophy, my mentor, Joe Callahan (VP of Design at Classy), wanted to ensure that I was grasping the higher-level concepts that would help me become a successful designer in the future. He was encouraging of my technical inability, emphasizing that those skills would develop with time, but understanding the principles that make good design would set me apart. Designlab was well worth all time and resources invested. Will be pursuing more of their courses in the near future. 

I am halfway throught the Design101 DesignLab course and I love it.  The framework is practical, the support is fantastic, and I love the way which I can check out what other students are doing along the way.  I am doing this course as a ramp up to a uni degree I am beginning in November.  I feel like this has given me a great head start.

I had issues with billing on my end, and the guys at DesignLab were fantastic and understanding.  I would highly recommend Designlab to anyone looking to get a crash course or a touch up on their existing skills.

I took DesignLab just to get more learning experience in designing and this course did just that! They give you so many resources and different articles to read from real life designers and you get a peak into their world. I loved that this course was totally self-paced and it was great that your mentor works with your schedule. My mentor experience was awesome, she was so knowledgeable in designing and she truly helped me on all of my projects. I plan on taking more courses from DesignLab in the future! Highly recommend!!

I would like to begin by saying that the cost of this course is phenomenal vis a vis to what I've learned and covered in just four weeks. Designlab takes you by the hand from the early definition of UX strategy and research, how to do proper UX research, methodologies, concepts, all up to the landing page of your potential project. I couldn't thank the team that put this together enough. The course was really well thought out, very organized, and systematic with never a dull moment! My mentor was excellent. Karin Schmidlin taught me in such a short span of time how to ask the proper questions and seek the proper research method. She also helped me in creating my UX portfolio, which I am very grateful for that. If I were to suggest something, it would be that Designlab students get the opportunity to collaborate on projects and maybe work together on assignments, surveys, or general questions and opinions. I really have no negative comments for this course, I should say that maybe I was a bit skeptical at first given the great price vs other courses out there. But Designlab, you outdid yourself! Now I am ready to soar in the UX industry in NYC. Thank you, DL :-)   

I took this course because I was curious about a closer look at UX design. After having completed the course I can honestly say that it was a great introduction to the research methods that are employed in the beginning processes of UX. The course workflow is set up in a way that is easy to follow and easy to track–its very clear where you're at regarding course progress.

The lectures are intuitive and set up in a way that lets you take on little bits of information at a time, often times with additional resources and sites included at the end of each so you can study more on each subject in your own time. I really enjoyed the projects that were provided as well. It was nice to be able to put the lectures to use through hands-on assignments that gave you a good idea of what kind of work is involved.

One of the most helpful parts of the course were the 1-on-1 mentor sessions that were held each week. I learned so much through being able to talk directly to my mentor about what I learned, and in turn he was able to give me real world examples of how the things I was learning were applied on the job, showed me examples of his work, and also gave me additional resources to study more on subjects. Because of my mentor I was also able to learn more and push farther into the assignments due to his detailed feedback and critiques on the key areas of each assignment.

I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to gain a good understanding of what is involved in the initial stages of UX design.

Pros:

• The best part of this course was the mentor. He was very supportive and encouraging.
• Reading books and going to conferences is great, but actually doing the work, and creating UX artifacts is a far better way to learn. 
• The course is very inexpensive, especially when you consider the four hours of one-on-one time you get with your mentor. 

Cons:

• Don't fall behind in your coursework. Do a little each day (or follow the suggested time line they provide), and you'll do fine!

This program is great for people who are looking to switch careers and may not be able to afford going back to get another degree in design, or even students just starting out who want to see if they'd be interested in a career in design.    I haven't found any other program like DesignLab that offers courses in visual design - and they do an excellent job!   The course contained great articles and videos to help us learn typography, layout, color theory, etc.   My favorite parts of the course are that you work on several projects, receive feedback from your mentor and peers, and you receive a certificate that displays all of your projects to keep with you as a portfolio.  The DesignLab team is very friendly and helpful!  Excellent course - I highly recommend it!  I hope to take more courses through DesignLab soon!