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There are a lot of factors that go into choosing the right program when you’re making a career switch. You want to make sure the coursework is comprehensive, there’s going to be strong support structures, and that it makes sense for your budget. It’s also important to select a program that suits your goals, and has a solid reputation for helping students succeed.
Both Designlab’s UX Academy and Avocademy offer bootcamps with the goal of helping students transition into a UX/UI career. But how do their courses compare?
Let’s take a closer look at how these two UX/UI design programs in key areas of their offerings.
Coursework & Structure
Designlab’s UX Academy and Avocademy offer flexible learning models when it comes to UX/UI education. Both programs are largely asynchronous, meaning that students can access the materials according to their schedules each week.
Both programs tout a holistic design education, as well as the creation of a portfolio. However, how the content is broken down, as well as the end portfolio result, are quite different. Let’s look into some key differences between the two:
- Both Designlab and Avocademy mention a holistic approach to UX learning; however, the curriculum at Designlab offers much more in terms of comprehension and rigor. Designlab’s UX Academy has students work through 480 hours of core curriculum over a variety of flexible tracks. Avocademy states you can complete their Design Foundations program over 16 weeks at 10 hours per week, meaning they offer approximately 160 hours of core curriculum.
- Designlab’s UX Academy is broken into two phases, with the first focused on learning the UX/UI design process, and the second dedicated to portfolio development. Avocademy offers a different approach: students learn the entire UX/UI process and complete one portfolio project during their Foundations program. Students can then opt into a second phase, called Career Jumpstart, where they will learn more advanced skills for an additional fee.
- All Designlab students graduate with at least three portfolio projects upon completing UX Academy. Students in Avocademy’s Design Foundations complete one large-scale project, meaning that a portfolio may not be as comprehensive. Students who move on to Avocademy’s Career Jumpstart program may graduate with an additional project to showcase.
Mentorship & Feedback
Designlab and Avocadeny both offer support from industry professionals where students can receive feedback on their work and communicate with experts in the field. However, Designlab and Avocademy have very different approaches when it comes to mentorship.
- Students in Designlab’s UX Academy work 1:1 with a mentor who is assigned based on submitted preferences at the start of the bootcamp. This mentor provides feedback on project work, and also meets with students for weekly video call sessions. Alternatively, students in Avocademy are not assigned a specific mentor. Rather, they communicate with a pool of mentors and request video calls based on both student and mentor availability through Slack.
- In Designlab’s UX Academy, all feedback is provided through Designlab’s proprietary platform. Each student receives a personal dashboard, where they can easily review prior work and commentary from their mentor within the Designlab interface. While students receive written feedback on coursework from a mentor, this is all done in Slack: students submit work to the platform, and an available mentor will leave feedback there.
- Another key differentiator between the two is that Designlab offering Group Crits. Group Crits are live sessions where students receive feedback from their peers. Guided by an industry expert, this is a great opportunity to build soft skills in design and learn how to actively collaborate with others. Avocademy does not offer Group Crits for their students.
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Pricing & Financing
Finances are generally a large factor in selecting the bootcamp program that’s right for you. Designlab’s UX Academy and Avocademy offer very different cost and payment structures, meaning it’s important to understand how they’re broken down so you can choose which makes the most sense for your budget.
Designlab’s UX Academy program costs $7,749 in total from start to finish. This includes UX Academy Foundations, a prerequisite course for individuals who are totally new to design, as well as their Career Services program which comes after graduation from UX Academy.
Alternatively, Avocademy has two different point of payment for their UX offerings. Avocademy’s Design Foundations is offered for a total cost of $2,997: compared to other programs on the market, this is on the lower end of the spectrum. However, this number does not include the Career Jumpstart portion.
Students who wish to move on to Career Jumpstart can either pay an additional $3,500 at the start of the program, or an additional $6,000 at the end of the program. This means the total cost of Avocademy’s bootcamp comes to anywhere between $6,497 to $8,997.
For students who are just looking to take the first portion of Avocademy, their bootcamp offers one of the lowest prices on the market. However, it’s important to mention that comprehensive portfolio development, advanced UX skills, and career support are not included with that original payment.
Community Offerings
Designlab and Avocademy both have community offerings so that students can find ways to connect with each other. This allows for learners to network, build connections, and not feel as though they are learning in silos.
In terms of community, this is one way in which Designlab’s UX Academy and Avocademy are more comparable. Designlab offers a Discord space, where students can connect with one another, leave feedback on project work, and network with both current and past students. While Avocademy’s community is housed in Slack, they offer similar benefits for their learners.
There is one notable difference: Designlab’s UX Academy offers weekly Study Halls through Discord for students to connect and ask questions of a more experienced designer, as well as Community Advocates who routinely monitor Discord to assist students with design-based questions or provide feedback on coursework.
Both programs also offer live sessions presented by guest speakers, who discuss their UX experience or UX design topics. However, Designlab has a slightly more robust calendar, with talks 1-2 times per week; Avocademy offers these types of sessions 1-2 times per month.
Graduate Support
Both Designlab and Avocademy offer structures for their graduates to provide support during the job search process. However, that support looks quite different across both programs, with a further breakdown of key differences below:
- All graduates of UX Academy have access to Career Services. This may be the largest difference between the two programs. While Avocademy offers career support, students must pay an additional fee to join their Career Jumpstart program and have access to career prep and coaching services.
- Designlab provides students with a 1:1 career coach who will get to know them, have knowledge of their market, and work with them through the process of finding a job. Avocademy graduates instead have access to a pool of career coaches that they can access through Avocademy’s Slack community.
- Both programs provide students with important assets such as job tracking tools, interview prep, and job application guidance. However, graduates of UX Academy also have access to live sessions hosted by industry experts around continued portfolio development and important skills like networking.
Conclusion
Both Designlab’s UX Academy and Avocademy offer aspiring UX/UI designers a pathway into a new creative career. The two programs vary greatly, however, in time commitment, mentorship approach, content structure, and payment options. Therefore, it’s important to take the time to fully understand what specifically each bootcamp offers, and which course might best align with your priorities and goals.
If you’re considering enrolling in a bootcamp, we highly recommend checking out Designlab’s UX Academy webinar or scheduling a call with our of our Admissions reps as a great way to learn more about what we offer our students.
We also encourage you to check out the articles below to learn more about us, our graduates, and our community.
How Designlab Mentorship Supports Your Success
How Taking a Leap After a Layoff Inspired a Career in UX
How the Designlab Community Supports Your Learning
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