If you have previous design experience in graphic, web, or digital design, you can apply directly to UX Academy. All students who enter into UX Academy must pass a skills assessment, which determines whether or not they have the foundational skills necessary to begin the program.
- Complete our Design Challenge. The design challenge project brief will ask you to create high-fidelity wireframes for 1x desktop and 3x mobile screens for a digital product. You should use a UX design tool such as Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to complete the challenge. If you aren't familiar with one of these tools, you can learn the basics via one of our free email courses or tutorial resources on YouTube.
- Apply to UX Academy. On the application, select the option indicating you have previous design experience. Then copy and paste the link to your design challenge project file in the appropriate application field.
- Receive your admission decision within a week. Our team will evaluate your application and you'll hear back within 4 business days. If you're accepted, you can enroll to save your spot in an upcoming cohort of UX Academy. If you're not accepted, you should enroll in our UX Academy Foundations prerequisite course to build the foundational design skills needed. After completing Foundations, you can re-apply.
Notes about the design work
Please note that projects created in platforms such as Squarespace or Wix do not meet the eligibility criteria for entry.
We kindly ask that you ensure the link you provide in the application is has viewing permissions adjusted so that our team can access it. We'll also ask you to indicate which parts of the project work were directly created by you and if any assets involved are not your work.
If you have some existing project work that contains high-fidelity designs for 1x desktop screen and 3x mobile screens for a single product, you can use this work in lieu of our design challenge—as long as the work was created within the last two years.
Notes about the application
All applicants with previous design experience must submit a short statement of 200 words or fewer, outlining their motivations for applying to UX Academy and what they hope to achieve through the program.
We recommend scheduling a call with Admissions or reaching out to admissions@designlab.com to connect with an Admissions Rep if you'd like to learn a bit more about the program first-hand.
Please keep in mind that portfolios which do not demonstrate an understanding of responsive UI design skills will not be considered. We cannot assess any other type of design work, such as graphic design, fine arts, or architecture portfolios for entry into UX Academy.