UX Academy Foundations: Onboarding & Getting Started
|
|
|
|
|
|
This article covers everything you need to know about onboarding and getting started with your UX Academy Foundations course—from just after enrollment to the course launch. For information about the course after it has started, check out this section. Questions covered in this article: |
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome to Designlab! We’re excited to have you join us and want to make sure you feel fully prepared for your journey. Here’s what you can expect and how to get started.
How can I prepare for launch day of UX Academy Foundations?
A new cohort of Foundations launches at the beginning of each month. Here's what to expect in the lead up to your course, and on launch day.
Onboarding steps after enrollment
After you enroll in UX Academy Foundations, you will be prompted to “Get Started” by setting up some important information for the start of your course. We’ll take you through the process of setting up your student profile, as well as ask some questions we’ll use to pair you with a mentor. Once you finish, you’ll be able to access the UX Academy Foundations learning platform.
The platform is where you’ll be able to find all of your UX Academy Foundations curriculum, as well as engage with your mentor, once your course has launched. In the lead up to your start date, we encourage you to access the platform and check out some resources we have provided. This includes a course handbook, perks for design tools, how to join our Discord community, prep for mentor sessions, and more.
Once your cohort goes live, your platform page will automatically give you access to the learning materials.
Course launch time
UX Academy Foundations typically launches before 5PM EST on the day your course begins. You’ll be able to see the countdown to launch time right within the platform when you log in to your student account. If you still don't have access past 5PM EST, please reach out to admissions@designlab.com and we'll help you out! Otherwise, rest assured that your course will be launching soon.
You don't need to be in front of your computer right when the course launches. As long as you’ve set up your Student Profile and logged into the platform, you’ll be good to go. Keep an eye out for course launch emails that will give you access to the platform, introduce you to your mentor, and invite you to our Discord community.
Help
If you need help with getting started in UX Academy Foundations, please reach out to admissions@designlab.com and we'll be happy to assist. Our team responds to emails within 24 hours on business days.
How can I get the most out of UX Academy Foundations?
Get the right tools for the course! We recommend either Sketch, Figma, or Adobe XD. UX Academy Foundations has tutorials for Figma built right into the coursework, to help further facilitate your familiarization with the tools.
Stay organized! UX Academy Foundations has a lot of tips and tricks built into the curriculum to help you manage your time and coursework, but we definitely recommend getting a digital or physical planner.
Make the most of your mentor. UX Academy Foundations has twice the mentorship of other short courses, meaning you’ll get 8 sessions with your mentor. The course is designed to have one mentor session per unit (not necessarily one per week), so make sure that you’re scheduling them accordingly.
Stay within the time constraints. This will be reinforced throughout the curriculum, but each assignment will come with a suggested amount of time to spend on each project. Try to spend only that amount of time on the first version of your work (or less)! Design is very iterative, and your mentor will provide you with lots of useful feedback if you need to make any necessary changes and what’s good to remember is it’s totally normal to have multiple versions of the same project piece.
Get involved! Designlab has a vibrant community on Discord, and once your UX Academy Foundations course launches, you’ll have access to that Discord server. Connect with your fellow students, as they’ll be a great source of support, inspiration, and networking for you as you work your way through your studies.
What tools will I need?
You’re free to use whatever design tool you wish, but each week we provide tutorials using Figma. Figma is free and is compatible with Macs, PCs, and Chromebooks. Another option you might consider is Sketch, which requires a license and is supported on Mac. You can get a free year of Figma’s professional plan or 50% off a year of Sketch with your Designlab Perks.
In order to redeem them, please follow these steps:
- Log into your Designlab account once your course begins
- Go to our Perks page
- Click "Redeem" on the perk of your choice
Important: Please note that per Sketch's policies, you are only able to redeem the perk during your official enrollment dates. Unfortunately, we cannot provide the enrollment letter after the course's official dates.
Does Designlab offer any courses for UX/UI tools?
If you're looking to gain some knowledge on industry-standard tools before jumping into the course, you can learn more about our free courses here:
Do I need to be online at a certain time?
No, you don’t need to be online at specific times! One of the great things about Designlab courses is their flexibility. You can access the course materials whenever it’s convenient for you. This means you can work at your own pace, as long as you stay within the general timeline of each module.
We’re here to support you every step of the way. If you have additional questions or run into any issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to our CX Team. We can’t wait to see what you create during the course!