Big Improvements Coming to UX Academy

Big Improvements Coming to UX Academy Starting March 2025

We’re thrilled to announce two major updates to UX Academy, launching with the March 2025 cohort. These are the most significant improvements we’ve made to the program in years, and they’re designed to improve upon our award-winning program and further prepare students for the evolving demands of the UX and product design industry.

What’s Changing?

Starting in March 2025, UX Academy will include two exciting additions:

1. UI Accelerator – An all-new module in UX Academy focused on improving students' UI design skills through regular, hands-on projects and expert feedback.
2. Client Capstones – As a standard part of the updated curriculum, students will be matched to industry projects with real companies, giving them valuable experience and a real-world project for their portfolio.

These updates ensure that every UX Academy student gains deeper UI expertise and valuable real-world experience, setting them up for even greater success transitioning into a career in design.

Introducing UI Accelerator: Elevate Your UI Design Skills

What is UI Accelerator?

UI Accelerator is a project-based learning unit designed to help students strengthen their UI design skills through deliberate practice. This new section of UX Academy includes:

• 20+ UI exercises and projects – From copy work to more advanced challenges like designing micro-interactions and creative loading animations.
• Personalized mentor feedback – Every submission receives direct feedback from a Designlab mentor.
• Peer group sessions – Weekly for part-time students and twice a week for full-time students.
• Strategic placement in the program – UI Accelerator occurs between Phase I (UX fundamentals) and Phase II (portfolio building), ensuring that students can immediately apply their refined UI skills in their portfolios.
• Added time to hone your skills – Part-time students complete UI Accelerator in four weeks, while full-time students finish in two.

Why UI Accelerator?

The job market for entry-level UX and product designers has evolved, with stronger UI skills increasingly in demand. UI Accelerator provides a structured, feedback-driven environment for students to sharpen their UI abilities before they create their portfolios and enter the job market.

What Students Are Saying

Designlab piloted UI Accelerator with several students and alumni, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Read a few of the many positive comments we received:

“My perspective on UI design has definitely changed. I’ve become more attentive to small details and can now think about how they connect to UX.”

“The mentor feedback is what I truly appreciated.”

“I liked the structured projects. The copy work helped me understand real-world layouts… Overall, it was a great way to build skills.”

Client Capstones: Hands-On Experience with Industry Clients

What are Client Capstones?

Through our new partnership with Riipen, UX Academy students will have the opportunity to work on real client projects, adding valuable industry experience to their portfolios. These projects will be:

• Collaborative – Students will work in groups of 2–3, simulating real-world team environments.
• Portfolio-worthy – The final capstone project will be a real-world assignment, replacing one of the existing capstones.
• Industry-connected – Students will work directly with real clients, gaining experience in managing client expectations and designing within real-world constraints.

Why Client Capstones?

Real-world experience makes portfolios stand out and helps students build the confidence to transition into professional roles. While UX Academy has always encouraged student-sourced real-world projects, some students found this process challenging. By partnering with Riipen, we’re making it easier for students to focus on design work rather than project sourcing.

How These Changes Impact Program Length and Tuition

These updates will enhance the UX Academy experience, but they also come with adjustments to the program timeline and pricing:

Program Length Adjustments

• Part-time students – The program will be extended by 6 weeks (4 weeks for UI Accelerator and 2 additional weeks for the Client Capstone due to client and team collaboration), making the full program length 36 weeks.
• Full-time students – The program will be extended by 6 weeks (2 weeks for UI Accelerator and 4 additional weeks for the Client Capstone, which accounts both for the additional work and the fact that full-time students may work with part-time peers, requiring a slower pace). The new full program length will be 21 weeks.

Tuition Updates

To reflect the increased value and costs of the program, the new tuition for UX Academy will be $8,499 (or $7,999 for students who previously completed UX Academy Foundations). This is our first tuition update in several years, despite rising costs, and only comes when we deliver substantial additional value to the program, including personalized mentor feedback across 20 UI projects, peer group sessions, and Client Capstone sourcing via Riipen.

Enrollment Options: Choose What Works for You

Want to Enroll at the Current Price?

Students who wish to enroll in UX Academy at the current price and without these updates can still do so through the May 2025 cohort. If you’d prefer the pre-update version of UX Academy, please contact our admissions team.

Already Enrolled? Add These Program Updates for a Discounted Price

Current UX Academy students can add UI Accelerator and Real-World Projects to their program for a one-time payment of $750.  If you’d like to add only one of these two program updates, they are priced separately at $500 each.

The additional cost covers mentor feedback, peer group sessions, and the organization of real-world projects through Riipen. Please be advised that due to limitations on the number of projects we’re able to source, we’re currently only able to offer these updates to students who have not yet graduated. 

In general current students who have not yet completed Phase I, will integrate these updates in the same points of the program as new students (i.e. UI Accelerator will be completed between Phase I and II, and the Client Capstone will take place in lieu of the final capstone project). If you’re currently already in Phase II of the program and would like to add these updates, please talk with admissions for more details on how to integrate them into your existing UX Academy enrollment. 

A More Robust UX Academy Experience

With these updates, UX Academy is evolving to better serve the needs of aspiring UX designers. The combination of enhanced UI training and real-world project experience will give our students a stronger foundation, better portfolios, and greater confidence in their careers.

We can’t wait to see how these new features impact our students’ journeys! If you have any questions, reach out to our admissions team at admissions@designlab.com—we’re happy to help.

Ready to Get Started?

Apply to UX Academy or enroll in UX Academy Foundations to start your UX journey and take advantage of these exciting new updates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I opt out of these new features if I enroll after May 2025?

No, all students enrolling in UX Academy from the June 2025 cohort onward will participate in the updated program.

2. Will these changes affect the job placement support (Career Services) UX Academy offers?

The core job placement support remains unchanged. However, the real-world project experience should improve students' job readiness and portfolio quality.

3. Will these updates be available for international students?

Yes! UX Academy remains accessible to international students, and these updates apply globally. Students will be able to collaborate with clients and their peers across time zones. 

4. How do I sign up for the add-on if I’m an existing UX Academy student?

You can contact our admissions team at admissions@designlab.com  or go here to directly purchase the add-on. 

5. Will financial aid or payment plans be available for the new tuition?

Designlab will continue to offer flexible financing options, including payment plans and loans through Climb Credit for updated tuition amount. If you have any questions about cost or payment options for the new tuition, reach out to the admissions team at admissions@designlab.com and we’ll be happy to help. If you’re a currently enrolled student who wants to pay the upgrade fee via a payment plan, please contact the customer experience team.

7. How does the partnership with Riipen work?

For the Client Capstone, students will be matched with real-world projects through Riipen’s platform. They will be matched with one to two additional students to work on the project based on a number of criteria, including time zone and timing/progress in UX Academy.

8. How will students be assigned to real-world projects through Riipen? Will they have a say in which project they work on?

Designlab thoroughly vets clients through the Riipen platform to ensure that they have well-scoped problems that would be a good fit for the skillset and experience of Designlab students. Unfortunately due to sourcing constraints, students will not be able to select specific projects. 

9. Will real-world projects be with actual companies, startups, or nonprofits? Can students showcase these projects publicly in their portfolios?

Yes, these real-world projects will be with real companies, though many of them are smaller businesses with limited product, dev, and research resources. 

Also, yes, you can include these in your portfolio! 

10. How will feedback work for Client Capstones? Will students get feedback from their mentors, peers, or the client?

Students will be able to get feedback from their mentors during the Client Capstone. Clients will also share feedback and commentary on the work. 

11. Will students be able to select who they work on their Client Capstones with?

Partnering with specific UX Academy students may be difficult due to those students not being at the same point in the program. However, if multiple students are ready for the real-world project at the same time and want to work together, we will attempt to accommodate.

12. Will there be additional support for UI Accelerator and Client Capstones?

Yes! 

In UI Accelerator, students will be paired with a new mentor who will give dedicated online feedback on all project work that students upload. Students can also opt in to attend weekly peer group sessions where mentors will answer questions and share feedback about UI work.

During the Client Capstone, students will continue working with their mentor and can ask questions and get feedback on their project work from their mentor. 

13. Will current UX Academy students have an option to only purchase UI Accelerator or only the Client Capstone add-on, instead of both together?

Yes. Currently enrolled UX Academy students have the option to purchase either add-on, or can combine both of them into a bundle. Due to operational constraints, both of these are available only to students who are currently enrolled in the program. See below for more details on which students are eligible to purchase these add-ons.

14. Which currently enrolled UX Academy students will have the option to purchase UI Accelerator and Real-World Projects?

Students who have yet to start their third Capstone in Phase 2 and are fewer than 80 hours behind.

15. Can UX Academy students still source their own real-world projects, or are all students required to participate in the provided Client Capstone?

If students wish to source their own project rather than participate in a provided Client Capstone, they will continue to be allowed to do so. Please note that group projects are only available through the Client Capstone.

16. Will the new structure affect the UX Academy Tuition Reimbursement Policy?

Designlab will continue to have a Tuition Reimbursement Policy; however, some of the specifics of the policy related to timing will change due to the longer program length. To learn more, read the updated Tuition Reimbursement Policy.

17. Are Client Capstones compensated?

No. Clients are aware that they are working with student designers, and will approach each project with these expectations in mind to provide a beneficial learning experience for the student teams.