When it comes to starting UX Academy, most of our students first take our beginner-friendly starter course: UX Academy Foundations.
UX Academy provides a holistic UX/UI education, meaning students who come through the program will learn both user experience and user interface design, to ensure a well-rounded skill set upon graduation. However, we’ve found that students who are totally new to design tend to find the UI component challenging: therefore, we developed Foundations to give new designers the opportunity to practice these skills ahead of the full UX Academy program. Foundations provides introductory skill sets critical for those new to UX/UI, allowing for an introduction to visual and UI design while also setting new learners up for success in industry tools like Figma.
It’s also a great opportunity to get your feet wet with our learning structure. UX Academy Foundations mirrors UX Academy in terms of curriculum presentation, mentorship support, and access to a community of peers.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into how Foundations fits into the UX Academy journey as a whole.
What Will You Learn?
UX Academy Foundations focuses on two main facets of the UX/UI learning process: gaining a fundamental understanding of visual and UI design, and getting comfortable working within Figma.
![Image showcasing a UI design lesson about combining imagery and type.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65130e79c72ae8812db3412e/66b9f76ccb72c02d4d21f0c8_66b9f6e95a35eca4e69e3784_examplevisuals.jpeg)
In UX Academy Foundations, students will learn how to start integrating important concepts into their design work, such as color and typography, imagery and photography, layout and information hierarchy, and iconography. Learners will also go through the process of designing responsively, meaning creating screens that are adaptable to both desktop and mobile devices.
![Image of a UI design lesson about visual hierarchy.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65130e79c72ae8812db3412e/66b9f76ccb72c02d4d21f0c1_66b9f5cb09748d8e5f37fc08_example2lessons.jpeg)
Another core goal of UX Academy Foundations is to get those who are new to UX/UI comfortable and confident working with industry-standard tool Figma.
Throughout the course, students will work through hands-on projects where they’ll gain firsthand knowledge of how to work through different design processes within Figma. Each exercise or project presented will also come with information and demonstrations on how to correctly utilize the tool. Students will find how-to guides with clips and videos, as well as full walkthrough tutorials on how to build UI features, such as navigation bars, buttons, and more.
![Image of Figma lesson centered around adjusting images.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/65130e79c72ae8812db3412e/66b9f8d8952a3e4184a03531_66b9f80a952a3e41849efb09_figmaexample1.jpeg)
The curriculum builds in complexity as students work through the course, helping ensure that students who are new or inexperienced in design tools will be successful in their learning.
A Preview of the UX Academy Experience
For students interested in moving on to UX Academy, Foundations is a great way to gain familiarity with our unique program format.
Like UX Academy, UX Academy Foundations combines asynchronous lessons, projects, and feedback with weekly, synchronous mentor sessions. While we feel this structure maximizes both learning and flexibility, it’s different from what many incoming students are accustomed to and Foundations provides an excellent opportunity for students to test whether the learning format is for them.
In addition to the Designlab learning format, UX Academy Foundations will also allow students to experience our vibrant community, which offers students an opportunity to stay connected and build their design network throughout their entire learning journey. This includes access to our lively Discord server as well as a full calendar of industry events hosted by our community.
If you’re considering joining UX Academy, but aren’t quite sure if you’re ready for the full commitment, UX Academy Foundations is a great way to gain a greater understanding of our learning structure, support system, and community. And if you’re just looking to try out UX/UI, it’s a fantastic option for that too.
Learn more about UX Academy Foundations here, and if you’re ready to get started, enroll today.