📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
Designlab's Black Friday Sale is Live!
- It’s that time of year, and we’ve put together some of our best deals, plus a completely new offer. Offers valid now through December 2nd at 11:59pm PT and subject to course availability. Don’t wait!
- The Designlab Learning Pass gives you 5 course credits you can use now until the end of 2026—for just $1999. Choose any course priced $999 or less—from AI for UX Design to Advanced Figma, Data-Driven Design, and many more (including some exciting new offerings coming next year).
- Prefer to enroll one course at a time? We’re also offering $200 off all 4-6 week courses and 50% off our beginner-friendly course, UX Academy Foundations, built for those considering transitioning to careers in UX or product design.
- Last but not least, we’re offering $500 off tuition for our UI Mastery Certification program. The 8-week studio program is designed to help experienced designers refine their craft and design judgment—and take their career to the next level. The second cohort launches January 9th and applications are now open.
Replit’s New Design Mode Brings Instant Build Power to Designers
- This week, Replit announced its launch of Design Mode, a new workflow powered by the Gemini 3 model that lets anyone go from idea to polished, interactive mockup in under two minutes. It’s built for designers, PMs, and founders who need fast iteration without engineering delays.
- With natural-language prompts, you can generate layouts, refine visuals, and export deployable static sites—making it a compelling alternative to tools like Figma Make, Magic Patterns, and Claude Artifacts. Even better, you can convert designs into full apps with one click.
- “Design Mode removes the friction between idea and first draft—helping teams iterate visually before writing a single line of code.”
Designing the Stories That Shape Society
- Designers Caio Braga, Fabricio Teixeira, and Luciano Infanti explore how the “fictions” that organize society—money, nations, religions, and even AI—are constructed and maintained through design.
- From the U.S. dollar bill to web3 landing pages, they trace how visual systems, symbols, and aesthetics make abstract things feel natural, trustworthy, and even inevitable. They argue that our visual choices either reinforce old structures or open space for new narratives.
- "From redefining the role that gender plays in our society and our designs, to understanding the unintended consequences of our actions in the world—every decision we make can have an impact."
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
Griffen Hance brings a unique blend of creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking to his UX work. His projects focus on reducing uncertainty, simplifying complexity, and designing experiences that help people move forward with confidence. In KnoGo, Griffen reimagines event-going for people who hesitate to attend alone. Venue transparency, interest-based matching, and pre-event chat all work together to transform hesitation into anticipation and meaningful connection. In his Discord Threads redesign, Griffen tackled a common platform pain point: how quickly conversations get lost. Griffen blends research, storytelling, and thoughtful interaction design to create experiences that feel supportive, clear, and emotionally intelligent.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- Lovable Expands Its Impact with New Updates
- Lego and Nike Team Up to Create a Modular Playground
- Canva's Affinity Is Now Free for Everyone
- Open AI Launches Group Chats
"We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us." — Marshall McLuhan, media theorist
🧪 FROM THE LAB
🧩 Learn More About AI Prototyping Camp
AI Prototyping Camp returns for its second cohort on January 27, giving designers, PMs, and builders hands-on training for turning prompts into polished multi-screen prototypes using Figma Make and Lovable. During four sessions across four weeks, you’ll learn practical workflows for generating, refining, and critiquing AI-generated screens, plus take part in a one-day design sprint to bring a mini-project to life.
You’ll leave with a clear sense of when to use each tool, a repeatable prototyping toolkit, and the confidence to move from idea to interactive flow in record time. We’re hosting a live info session today at 12pm ET where you can ask questions and learn more about the curriculum, format, and special pricing.
Can’t attend live? Sign up to get the recording after the session.
💬 Do You Know About the Designlab Affiliate Program?
Interested in becoming an ambassador for our award-winning courses? Our affiliate program makes it easy to spread the word about Designlab—and earn some cash while you do it. Whether your network includes beginners exploring UX for the first time or curious, seasoned designers, you can help them find the right next step.
Sign up today to get exclusive referral links and start earning up to $725 per enrollment you send our way. With new courses upcoming and a full 2026 lineup, it’s the perfect time to introduce others to Designlab.
