DESIGN YOUR WAY TO UI EXCELLENCE
A new, studio-style program led by design leaders at the top of their game — where critique and hands-on practice help you build the clarity, polish, and judgment behind great UI.
Great Design Still Takes a Trained, Human Eye.
In an AI-powered world, "good enough" design will be easier than ever. But "great" — design that earns trust, feels effortless to use, and moves business metrics — will still require a designer with judgment, taste, and precision.
Whether you're aiming for a promotion, a new role, or just want your work to finally reflect your potential — this program is built to get you there.
.webp)
A Studio Model Built for Growth.
Great designers are made through practice, feedback, and iteration. In this program, you’ll be designing and refining every week, with expert guidance and peer critique to sharpen your eye.
From Pixels to Polish, System to Strategy.
What makes UIs great? We’ve carefully scaffolded the course to walk through the elements that make products look and feel special — helping you sharpen your judgment, clarity, and visual precision.
"Lit from above" vs. "lit from within" metaphors
Design choices inspired by physical materials and depth
Tangibility that feels modern, not ornamental
Foreground vs. background clarity
Stroke & surface contrast
Managing contrast across themes
Optical sizing, spacing, and line rhythm
Choosing & pairing typefaces for UI
Tabular alignment and number format
From individual components to systems thinking
Pattern recognition and purposeful deviation
Crafting consistency with room for exploration
Modals, sidebars, off-canvas containers
Visual weight of chrome vs. content
Primary vs. secondary axes in layout
Proximity and grouping
Content-first organization
Connecting layout to impact
Web, app, mobile web, desktop, tablet
Platform-specific patterns and constraints
Adaptive systems that retain structure
Reducing load
Digestible segments
Step-by-step flows
Content in context
Sequential vs. non-linear flows
Input and feedback patterns
Designing intuitive system status and transitions
Friction as a tool to prevent errors
Supporting better decisions through pacing
Clarity vs. convenience tradeoffs
Grids, spacing, and edge alignment
Removing dissonance through rhythm and balance
Unity across typography, layout, and interaction
Choosing the right prototyping fidelity
Early, low-stakes async testing
Making your work tangible for stakeholders
Take Your Career Up a Level.
The UI Mastery Certification isn't just about building better interfaces, it’s about making a stronger case for your next career move.
In an increasingly AI-powered world, designers who bring judgment, precision, and polish stand out. This course helps you build that edge — and show it.
Leverage
Design Better.
Get Paid.
Designers who consistently deliver polished, scalable designs are the ones who get promoted.
This course helps you break through the mid-level plateau by building the craft and system thinking companies expect from Senior and Staff designers — with compensation to match.
Role
Avg u.s. based salary
Meet the Experts Behind the Program.
Nevan Scott is founder and Head of Education at Button School. A seasoned educator and product designer, Nevan has taught thousands of designers through his courses at General Assembly, Ironhack, and now Designlab — including the popular Advanced Figma and Prototyping in Figma programs.
Praise for Nevan’s Programs
“I wish I could've known everything I'm learning now 2 to 3 years ago. This is fantastic. No more YouTube videos that confuse me more than helping.”
“I definitely recommend taking Advanced Figma. Being part of weekly live sessions made learning enjoyable and kept me motivated. I'm really excited to bring what I've learned back to my team to help supercharge our workflow!”
“I prefer to learn in a structured environment that meets regularly to hold myself accountable and is available for support. I probably wouldn't have learned all this on my own so efficiently just through trial and error.”
"Nicely broken down lessons made difficult concepts super easy and quick to grasp. i feel so much more confident as a designer."
“LOVED this course! SO helpful! This was a great training for me. Really helped me level up my work.”
“All units were very engaging, and what I really enjoyed was learning with hands on exercises.”
“I liked the course's structure, the videos, the step by step explanation, the "progress" view, the live peer session. And I liked that the course was not overwhelming either, but we still learned essential parts of Figma."
“Great format – the videos were well done and informative, and appreciated having the material presented in text and screenshots on the unit pages as well. And the accompanying exercises are a huge help, allowing me to practice what I'm learning.”
“The video walkthroughs were amazing, loved how they built up concepts slowly and in pieces.”
"Our team is moving templates from XD to Figma and I am going to be the one creating them. Before the course I thought I would do it one way but during it I realized I could better prepare the files and design system. The team I am on will now be able to create content faster and more efficiently.”
"It feels so good knowing how to do things the right way and create a comprehensive system for all designers on my team. My boss has been very impressed with the changes and I've loved showing her all that I've learned to improve our designs.”
“The videos in the course materials were INCREDIBLY helpful!”
Meet Some of Our Design Fellows
Each small-group studio session is led by a Designlab Design Fellow — an experienced product designer selected for both their craft excellence and teaching ability.
Design Fellows work at top product companies and are deeply versed in system-aware, high-polish UI. You’ll meet weekly with one of our Design Fellows in live sessions and also receive one-on-one feedback during the program to keep you moving forward with clarity and confidence.
June Kang is a Product Design Manager at Meta with over 10 years of experience within cross-functional team environments. He is passionate about helping designers craft thoughtful, scalable solutions and elevate their work through a strategic, systems-driven approach.
With past experiences at Hinge, MileIQ and other growth-stage startups, Quinn helps teams focus on initiatives that drive business goals while building an experience that serves users. She enjoys helping designers find their authentic voice, and teaching them how to balance data-informed decisions with intuition and user empathy.
Al is Head of Design and Creative at Semafor, a leading tech and news publication. He has experience across major media companies including Axios and Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS), and has also worked with the United Nations and ran his own studio.
Recognition of Your Craft.
At the end of the program, you’ll receive the UI Mastery Certification — a visual symbol of what you’ve accomplished: weeks of focused practice, thoughtful critique, and meaningful growth.
The certificate is something you can display proudly, but its real value lies in what it represents — a deeper command of your craft, a stronger body of work, and the confidence to take your next step as a designer.
For Serious Designers Ready to Uplevel Craft and Career.
The UI Mastery Certification is intended for experienced designers who are ready to push their skills, sharpen their eye, and lead with craft. To maintain a high bar for discussion, feedback, and project quality, admission into the program is selective.
Transform Your Design Career in 8 weeks.
Payment plans available. Many designers are reimbursed by their employers — we can help you with the paperwork.
No payment due until accepted.
Frequently Asked Questions
The UI Mastery Certification is designed for working UI, UX, and product designers with at least 2 years of professional experience. While that’s the minimum requirement, we expect many participants will likely have 5+ years in the field. Admission is selective — we want to ensure every student is ready for the depth and pace of the program.
If you’re unsure whether you’re a good fit, please set up a time to speak to our admissions team.
This is an intensive, advanced-level program with weekly projects, live critique sessions, and in-depth feedback. We ask applicants to complete a short application (~5 minutes) so we can make sure that:
- The program is aligned with your experience and goals
- Cohort members are at a similar level
- Everyone gets the most out of the experience
It’s not about gatekeeping — it’s about setting you (and your peers) up for success.
This is a studio-style program that blends asynchronous coursework with live sessions and individual mentorship. Each week, you’ll complete hands-on project work and join a small-group session facilitated by one of our Designlab Design Fellows — experienced senior product designers.
You’ll also meet 1-on-1 with your designated Design Fellow twice over the course of the program to dive deeper into your goals, project work, or career development.
We recommend planning for 8–10 hours per week. That includes live sessions, async content, and project work. The time commitment will vary based on how quickly you work, but this is designed to be a meaningful investment — and like any real growth, it takes effort. The more you put in, the more you’ll gain.
The program is organized over eight weeks with a clear weekly cadence:
- Week 1: Opening cohort-wide session
- Weeks 1–8: Asynchronous content + hands-on project work
- Weeks 1–8: Weekly studio sessions with your peer group and Designlab Fellow
- Week 1–4: First 1-on-1 mentor session
- Week 5–8: Second 1-on-1 mentor session
- Week 8: Closing cohort session
Each element builds on the last, guiding you toward a polished capstone project in the final two weeks of the program.
Both. The program combines flexible asynchronous learning — to fit your schedule — with live engagement moments that bring structure, accountability, and community. These include weekly studio sessions, a kickoff, a closing session, and 1-on-1 mentorship.
Every program participant gets two 60-minute video sessions with one of our Designlab Design Fellows. These are scheduled directly between you and the Design Fellow facilitating your weekly group sessions — the first during the first half of the program, and the second during the second half.
You can use these sessions however is most helpful: to review project work, talk through design challenges, get feedback on your portfolio, or discuss your career goals.
Each week, you’ll meet for a 90-minute studio session with a small group of peers, facilitated by one of our senior Designlab Design Fellows. These sessions are where you’ll share in-progress work, give and receive critique, and build your design judgment.
When you enroll, you’ll select your peer group time — we offer multiple time slots during the week, including both 12pm ET and 6pm ET on various days. If none of those times work, contact admissions, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
In addition to weekly studio sessions, the program includes:
- A cohort-wide kickoff session on September 12th at 12pm ET.
- A closing session on November 7th at 12pm ET.
- Two 1-on-1 mentor sessions scheduled individually
While the opening and closing sessions will be recorded in case conflicts arise, students are strongly encouraged to attend these sessions in order to get the most out of the program.
The course includes four progressively challenging projects that simulate real-world UI design work:
- Flashcard App — A focused mobile project on hierarchy, spacing, and core interactions
- Scheduling App — A multi-pane desktop UI focused on navigation and data-heavy design
- Calculator App — A highly polished mobile UI with fine-tuned micro-interactions
- Shared Budgeting App — A complex, multi-user interface focused on feedback and transparency
Each project is paired with detailed lessons and critique opportunities to help you level up your skills.
In the final phase of the course, you’ll create a self-directed capstone project that pulls everything together. You can choose from a list of suggested prompts or propose your own idea.
You’ll submit a short proposal, get feedback, and use the final weeks to create a high-quality case study you can proudly share in your portfolio — with continued feedback and support from your Designlab Fellow and peers along the way.
Yes! We’re offering early bird pricing of $1,999 (regularly $2,499) for anyone who applies and enrolls before July 11th.
If you’re part of a team interested in enrolling together, reach out to our admissions team — we’re happy to discuss available options.
Yes. Enrollees will have the option to pay a $500 deposit to secure their seat in the program, with the remainder billed when the program starts.
Absolutely! Many of our students’ tuition is sponsored by their employer. If you have any questions about how to do this when you’re enrolling for the course, please reach out via our Help Center contact form.
Also, to help you with requesting reimbursement, feel free to copy / paste / edit the below email text:
***
Hi {Manager Name}
I’m writing to you about a course called UI Mastery Certification that I’d love to enroll in using my learning & development budget. The course is on Designlab, a platform that’s trained thousands of UX / UI / Product Designers who work at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google.
The course is designed to help me:
- Sharpen my visual design judgment and polish
- Build mastery in layout, spacing, and component design
- Learn best practices for cross-platform UI patterns
- Create a high-quality, portfolio-ready capstone project
- Collaborate in weekly critique sessions with other experienced designers
The course format was specifically set up with working designers in mind and is a mix of asynchronous lessons, hands-on project work, and weekly studio sessions facilitated by a senior product designer. The course costs $2,499 USD (or $1,999 with early bird pricing), and you can check out the course details here.
Thanks,
{Your Name}
We welcome small team enrollments and can often accommodate multiple participants from the same company. Please contact advanced.admissions@designlab.com to coordinate or set up a call with our team.
Due to the hands-on nature of the course and limited seats, larger group enrollments may be limited, and all participants must meet the experience requirements to ensure a consistent and valuable cohort experience.
The UI Mastery Certification is backed by The Designlab Happiness Promise. After you've fully participated in the course, if you're not satisfied, you can get your money back. Read more here.
