You cannot pay for the Professional Membership or the Student Membership in monthly installments,
as much as we’d like to help you. Please bear in mind that just one of our courses would cost you over 1,000 USD if you were to buy it online elsewhere. So, right there, you are literally saving thousands and
thousands of dollars.
You can, however, pay for IxDF Design League membership in monthly
installments. The reason for this is that the Design League membership is more costly than the Professional and Student membership.
That's also the reason we list all our membership fees in monthly rates: So that you can compare
the cost between membership types – even though two of the membership types are paid yearly.
Do you offer a trial membership?
We don't offer trial memberships, but we do have a 14-day money-back guarantee. This way you can explore our entire platform for the first two weeks. If during this time you change your mind, you can cancel your membership and get refunded — no strings attached.
I missed the enrollment, and now the course is closed. What can I do?
Don't worry if you missed the course. We will re-run it shortly. One of the reasons we continually open and close courses is in order to control the classroom size.
Networking is a large part of our value proposition, so we want just the right number of people inside the courses. That is also why we display the "XX % percent booked" on our course icons.
Do I have to be online at an exact time to study?
No. You can set your own study schedule. There are no "live sessions" since we have members from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community.
Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time to complete a given course. Every "classroom" in each course will never close, so you’ll have permanent access to your classmates and your course material (as well as your own answers).
What is the difference between a Professional and a Student membership?
The Professional membership doesn't have requirements, and any person interested in becoming a member can purchase it. The Student membership is available for only full-time students at a school, college, or university.
As a student member, you'll receive the very same benefits as you would with a Professional membership - except for 2 things:
You will appear as a "student" to the other members. If you want to use your membership to network and get a job, we suggest you go for the Professional membership.
You can take a maximum of two coursesat the same time. You can still take all courses you want during your membership period, with no extra charges – as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than three courses going on at the same time.
Can I take all of your courses at no extra costs?
Yes! Once you have paid for your membership, you can take as many courses as you would like with no additional cost. No hidden fees—just pure learning and networking.
We’re a community and not a money machine. And, yeah, we hate hidden fees just as much as you do!
Yes. You will get a digital industry-recognized course certificate every time you complete a course. Certificates never expire and can be saved as a .jpg file, so it's easy to be shared. Also, there is no limit to how many certificates you can earn during your membership.
With a Professional membership you can take as many courses as you would like, with no further charges. For example, if there are 30 active courses, you can enroll in all 30 courses at the same time and move from one to another as you prefer.
With a Student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. You can still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses.
Which Credit or Debit card can I use to pay my membership?
We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards — bothdebit cards and credit cards. Depending on which country you live, you should be able to use your debit or credit card using PayPal checkout (even without having a PayPal account).
Is your card getting declined?
Possible reasons
The IxDF is registered in Denmark, and that could make the transaction appear as an "overseas charge". This could cause your bank's security system to block the transaction.
Your account is lacking sufficient funds.
There is a temporary technical problem between your bank and the payment gateway.
Possible ways of fixing it
Try using another credit card
Simply go through the process again but choose PayPal as the payment method. You do NOT have to have or create a Paypal account — you can simply let Paypal process your credit card and that will likely solve the problem.
Call your bank to check if the "overseas charge" has triggered the security system and blocked the transaction. You can request the bank to approve the transaction before making another attempt.
Can you send me an invoice and may I pay by wire transfer?
Yes! Please contact our member support at hello@interaction-design.org and they will provide all the information you need to do a wire transfer to our account in Denmark.
My company wants to buy me a membership; should I choose a company membership?
If you want to take courses just for yourself, then you’ll need an individual/professional membership, not a company membership. Company memberships are only for groups of people within the same company.
Are your courses only offered online?
Yes, our course material is 100% online and self-paced. However, there are many ways in which the IxDF's UX design training can be applied on-ground too. For example, we offer group exercises inside each of our courses to learn from and with your peers.
Besides, through our discussion forums, members can connect with a global community of design practitioners who will help you understand our content and tackle your own business problems. You will also be invited to join regular local meet-ups in more than 450 cities, and you can choose to host one too!
Do you provide mostly beginners' or more advanced courses?
We provide courses for all levels of mastery and across the full spectrum. If you’re new to design, you can start from our beginner courses and progress all the way up to our advanced ones. If you’re an established designer, on the other hand, you will find some of our lower-level courses provide a good refresher—and the advanced ones, a bit of a challenge.
Who are the intended users for your courses?
Our courses are designed with many different users in mind—from a UX Designer who is starting in their first job to a more senior designer who wants to specialize in a specific path. Additionally, design education can be applied and become beneficial to all roles within a company, so our courses offer value for practically anyone—from a Sales Rep to a Marketing Manager.
How long does it take to complete a course?
You will need approximately 5-8 hours to complete one lesson. Each course has between 3 and 16 lessons.
Once enrolled in a course, you will gain access to a new lesson each week, which you are free to complete without any deadlines and no end date, either.
How will I connect with other members?
You can find thousands of helpful designers in our global community. Get valuable input from other designers in our forums, or head to an IxDF meet-up to have an in-depth conversation with designers nearby. With our Local Groups in every city, you and your team can connect with UX professionals near you and gain fresh perspectives on your problems.
IxDF Bootcamps
What's the difference between taking an IxDF course and taking an IxDF bootcamp?
The IxDF courses are self-paced and designed for independent study without the assistance of a mentor or instructor.
Whereas, with an IxDF bootcamp, you’ll have:
An in-depth curriculum + recommended schedule of daily and weekly activities
Live class discussions with an instructor
Personalized feedback on projects and peer critiques from your mentor
Discussions and forums with your fellow students
A virtual classroom and common room environment
Will I be able to take the bootcamp if English is not my first language?
You can take the bootcamp as long as you are comfortable with reading, writing and speaking English—even if it isn't your first language
We welcome students from around the world, and in recognition of the fact that English will not be everyone’s first language, we’ve maintained a simple level of English in all our materials. And if you occasionally do get stuck, don’t worry—your mentor will be able to help you!
What makes an IxDF bootcamp different from the others?
Over the 19 years that we've been helping people start their careers in UX and related fields, we've constantly worked to understand what employers expect from aspiring designers, and where conventional bootcamps fail to deliver. Time and time again, employers have reported the same concern to us—that many popular bootcamps fail to produce students with the adequate depth and breadth to work effectively in a real UX or product team.
Many bootcamps pack introductions to UI, User Research and Design Thinking into a single bootcamp, often leaving students without enough time or opportunity to really master each area. Since these bootcamps do not offer enough depth and breadth in these areas, their students are often unable to showcase the expected variety and mastery of concepts to employers.
At IxDF, each bootcamp will give you exactly the kind of breadth and depth employers expect in each area. You'll devote an entire 12-week bootcamp to learning about a specific domain, and you'll create a Capstone Project with tons of real deliverables for your portfolio. At the same time, because each specialisation gets its own bootcamp, you still have the freedom to pick only those that are relevant to your goals.
Even better—once you complete 3 of these specialized bootcamps, you are eligible to join the elite IxDF UX Certification Program where you'll be certified by an expert panel as a professional UX designer, and you'll get a 6-month job guarantee along with comprehensive help with job applications, interviews and presentations.
In a nutshell:
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
Can the bootcamp fit around my current job or studies?
Absolutely! We believe no one should have to put their life on hold to learn and improve their careers, so you can rest assured that with IxDF bootcamps, you'll never have to.
The bootcamp is fully online and part-time, where you'll have the flexibility to learn across 12 weeks. While you will need to be available at specific times for live lectures and meetings, these will be during weekdays at specific times that you will know well in advance.
To make it even easier for you to plan your schedule, we've maintained these activities on the same day most weeks. For example, live class discussions may always fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time, allowing you to plan other meetings and errands around it easily.
You can also work on lessons and project work flexibly based on your schedule. Deadlines, while strict, are spaced well enough to give you time for your job, studies or busy home life.
Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied?
If you're unhappy with your bootcamp experience, you can inform us at any time and we'll do our best to find a resolution for you. If despite our best efforts, you still wish to quit the bootcamp, you can request a refund. To be eligible for the refund, you should request it within the first 14 days of the bootcamp.
Beyond the 14 days, we don't process refunds. However, if there's anything we can improve or fix for you, you will have our dedicated support right through the bootcamp.
What’s the difference between the Design League Membership and doing a Bootcamp?
The Design League membership is a monthly membership that gives you 2 hours of non-structured discussion time with a mentor each month. However, the Design League does not include mentor participation outside of the 2 hours of calls.
If you’d like more hands-on guidance than what the Design League offers, the bootcamp could be right for you. In contrast to a Design League membership type, the bootcamp is a full-fledged program packed with guidance from a mentor and instructor.
As you learn fundamental theory and concepts, you'll be guided by experienced instructors.
When you work on practical projects, your mentor will help you every step of the way.
Moreover, if you enjoy learning with your peers, the bootcamp also includes peer reviews and discussion forums.
In short, as compared to the Design League, the bootcamp offers a more structured approach to learning, and more opportunities to interact with mentors, instructors and fellow students.
Will I get a certificate once I complete an IxDF bootcamp?
Yes, you’ll get a digital certificate that’s displayed on your IxDF profile, and you can also share it on LinkedIn like all our course certificates. You'll also receive a downloadable copy that you can print and share if any employers or recruiters need you to.
What is the quality of IxDF bootcamps compared to other UX bootcamps?
The content in IxDF courses and bootcamps are developed by and with industry-recognized leaders in UX Design. Just like in our self-paced courses, the content in the bootcamp is created by people who have both worked in the industry and taught UX academically. This means that you’ll learn from people who are experts at teaching UX concepts and are also extremely well-versed with the nuances, demands and responsibilities of a real UX job.
Our selection process for mentors and instructors is extremely rigorous and selective. We go the extra mile to ensure that all our bootcamp teaching staff are equally skilled as educators and practitioners, with a proven track-record and 5-15 years of experience. In this aspect, IxDF bootcamps are ahead of the industry—many other bootcamps hire their own recent graduates as instructors. At IxDF, we insist that our instructors have worked on varied projects and held leadership roles in the industry.
If I purchase one bootcamp, will I get access to all other bootcamps?
When you sign up for a bootcamp, you get access just to the specific bootcamp that you signed up for. If you'd like to join other bootcamps, you will have to sign up for them individually.
If you work or study full-time, we recommend taking only 1 bootcamp at a time so that you can manage the workload and time commitments without getting burnt out. We have rolling enrolments for all bootcamps, so you can always start with one bootcamp and make your way through the others without waiting too long.
Design Thinking Bootcamp
What's the difference between taking an IxDF course and taking an IxDF bootcamp?
The IxDF courses are self-paced and designed for independent study without the assistance of a mentor or instructor.
Whereas, with an IxDF bootcamp, you’ll have:
An in-depth curriculum + recommended schedule of daily and weekly activities
Live class discussions with an instructor
Personalized feedback on projects and peer critiques from your mentor
Discussions and forums with your fellow students
A virtual classroom and common room environment
Will I be able to take the bootcamp if English is not my first language?
You can take the bootcamp as long as you are comfortable with reading, writing and speaking English—even if it isn't your first language
We welcome students from around the world, and in recognition of the fact that English will not be everyone’s first language, we’ve maintained a simple level of English in all our materials. And if you occasionally do get stuck, don’t worry—your mentor will be able to help you!
How many hours per week do I need to spend on the bootcamp?
You’ll spend 8-10 hours per week on the bootcamp, which includes project work, lessons, class discussions with the instructor and meetings with your mentor.
What makes an IxDF bootcamp different from the others?
Over the 19 years that we've been helping people start their careers in UX and related fields, we've constantly worked to understand what employers expect from aspiring designers, and where conventional bootcamps fail to deliver. Time and time again, employers have reported the same concern to us—that many popular bootcamps fail to produce students with the adequate depth and breadth to work effectively in a real UX or product team.
Many bootcamps pack introductions to UI, User Research and Design Thinking into a single bootcamp, often leaving students without enough time or opportunity to really master each area. Since these bootcamps do not offer enough depth and breadth in these areas, their students are often unable to showcase the expected variety and mastery of concepts to employers.
At IxDF, each bootcamp will give you exactly the kind of breadth and depth employers expect in each area. You'll devote an entire 12-week bootcamp to learning about a specific domain, and you'll create a Capstone Project with tons of real deliverables for your portfolio. At the same time, because each specialisation gets its own bootcamp, you still have the freedom to pick only those that are relevant to your goals.
Even better—once you complete 3 of these specialized bootcamps, you are eligible to join the elite IxDF UX Certification Program where you'll be certified by an expert panel as a professional UX designer, and you'll get a 6-month job guarantee along with comprehensive help with job applications, interviews and presentations.
In a nutshell:
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
What kind of projects will I work on?
Practical project work accounts for about 60% of what you'll do in the bootcamp. This will be a combination of standalone practice activities, as well as Capstone Project Work, which refers to a series of individual assignments connected to the Capstone Project Brief you choose at the start, ultimately forming your Capstone Presentation at the end of the bootcamp.
Whatever the type of practical work, you’ll create real deliverables that you’ll encounter when you work in a real design or product team. Each of these deliverables will make perfect additions to your portfolio.
Can the bootcamp fit around my current job or studies?
Absolutely! We believe no one should have to put their life on hold to learn and improve their careers, so you can rest assured that with IxDF bootcamps, you'll never have to.
The bootcamp is fully online and part-time, where you'll have the flexibility to learn across 12 weeks. While you will need to be available at specific times for live lectures and meetings, these will be during weekdays at specific times that you will know well in advance.
To make it even easier for you to plan your schedule, we've maintained these activities on the same day most weeks. For example, live class discussions may always fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time, allowing you to plan other meetings and errands around it easily.
You can also work on lessons and project work flexibly based on your schedule. Deadlines, while strict, are spaced well enough to give you time for your job, studies or busy home life.
Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied?
If you're unhappy with your bootcamp experience, you can inform us at any time and we'll do our best to find a resolution for you. If despite our best efforts, you still wish to quit the bootcamp, you can request a refund. To be eligible for the refund, you should request it within the first 14 days of the bootcamp.
Beyond the 14 days, we don't process refunds. However, if there's anything we can improve or fix for you, you will have our dedicated support right through the bootcamp.
What’s the difference between the Design League Membership and doing a Bootcamp?
The Design League membership is a monthly membership that gives you 2 hours of non-structured discussion time with a mentor each month. However, the Design League does not include mentor participation outside of the 2 hours of calls.
If you’d like more hands-on guidance than what the Design League offers, the bootcamp could be right for you. In contrast to a Design League membership type, the bootcamp is a full-fledged program packed with guidance from a mentor and instructor.
As you learn fundamental theory and concepts, you'll be guided by experienced instructors.
When you work on practical projects, your mentor will help you every step of the way.
Moreover, if you enjoy learning with your peers, the bootcamp also includes peer reviews and discussion forums.
In short, as compared to the Design League, the bootcamp offers a more structured approach to learning, and more opportunities to interact with mentors, instructors and fellow students.
Can I take the bootcamp even if I'm not based in the US?
Absolutely, the bootcamp is open to students from around the world! After you sign up, you'll also get to choose from at least 2 options of timings for live class discussions, and you'll be paired with a mentor in a time zone that's suitable for you.
You'll learn alongside students from all over the world, and our team of mentors and instructors is similarly global and diverse.
Can I specialize in a specific area of UX, UI or research in the bootcamp?
Every IxDF bootcamp is inherently specialized in nature. IxDF offers bootcamps specializing in UX Design, Design Thinking, User Research and UI Design (releasing in October 2021). In each of these bootcamps, you will dive very deep into conceptual and practical work and emerge with a solid foundation and the skills to put that foundation to use in the real world.
Within each bootcamp, you can customize many aspects of your project briefs and choose to work in a domain that interests you.
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
I have absolutely no prior experience related to UX. Will I be able to take the bootcamp?
Definitely! The bootcamp is designed with complete beginners in mind. You don’t need any prior conceptual or practical knowledge in the field to take this bootcamp. You will learn by doing and your work will be continuously evaluated by your expert mentor to keep you on the right track. You will also learn the most essential theory aspects through lessons and through class discussions with your instructor.
Is there any placement or career support with the bootcamp?
This bootcamp by itself does not come with placement or career support. That said, the bootcamp will train you in many areas that will make it much easier for you to find and land your dream job. You'll learn to:
Create and present real deliverables in a compelling way
Work with peers in a group to give and receive feedback in a team-like environment
Think like a designer and solve real-world problems
Manage and meet deadlines
Present your process like real professionals do
Will I get a certificate once I complete an IxDF bootcamp?
Yes, you’ll get a digital certificate that’s displayed on your IxDF profile, and you can also share it on LinkedIn like all our course certificates. You'll also receive a downloadable copy that you can print and share if any employers or recruiters need you to.
What is the quality of IxDF bootcamps compared to other UX bootcamps?
The content in IxDF courses and bootcamps are developed by and with industry-recognized leaders in UX Design. Just like in our self-paced courses, the content in the bootcamp is created by people who have both worked in the industry and taught UX academically. This means that you’ll learn from people who are experts at teaching UX concepts and are also extremely well-versed with the nuances, demands and responsibilities of a real UX job.
Our selection process for mentors and instructors is extremely rigorous and selective. We go the extra mile to ensure that all our bootcamp teaching staff are equally skilled as educators and practitioners, with a proven track-record and 5-15 years of experience. In this aspect, IxDF bootcamps are ahead of the industry—many other bootcamps hire their own recent graduates as instructors. At IxDF, we insist that our instructors have worked on varied projects and held leadership roles in the industry.
If I purchase one bootcamp, will I get access to all other bootcamps?
When you sign up for a bootcamp, you get access just to the specific bootcamp that you signed up for. If you'd like to join other bootcamps, you will have to sign up for them individually.
If you work or study full-time, we recommend taking only 1 bootcamp at a time so that you can manage the workload and time commitments without getting burnt out. We have rolling enrolments for all bootcamps, so you can always start with one bootcamp and make your way through the others without waiting too long.
What live classes and meetings are in the Design Thinking bootcamp, and at what time?
The bootcamp includes mandatory live interactions such as:
Online classes with your instructor (1-2/week for 1 hour each)
Mentor workshops or Group critiques (1/week for 1 hour)
1:1 meetings with your mentor (1/week for 30 minutes)
Additionally, you can book OPTIONAL office hours with your instructor for 20 minutes. This is not mandatory, and is available once per week on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Available time slots
For the Design Thinking bootcamp, these are the time slots you can choose from:
9 AM Central European Time (CET)
8 PM Eastern Time (EDT)
To help you visualise this, here's how a typical week in the Design Thinking bootcamp would look if you choose the 9 AM CET time slot.
Monday: No mandatory live classes or meetings (Optional office hours with the instructor—20 min slots available from 9:00-11:30 AM CET)
Tuesday: Live Class (Mandatory)—9-10 AM CET
Wednesday: Live Class (Mandatory)—9-10 AM CET
Thursday: Mentor Workshop (Mandatory)—9-10 AM CET
Friday: Mentor 1:1 (Mandatory)—30 min slots available from 9:00-11:30 AM CET
Attendance and Re-watching sessions
Live classes with the instructor and mentor workshops will be recorded and available to watch again. However, you still need to maintain minimum attendance requirements for these sessions.
Live Classes: 65% minimum attendance
Mentor Workshops and 1:1s: 75% minimum attendance
How to fit the bootcamp into a busy schedule
Most weeks, these events will occur on the same day at or around the same time slot you have chosen, giving you consistency, flexibility and visibility to plan ahead.
For instance, if these time slots occur in the middle of your work day, you can block out 9-10 AM CET or 8-9 PM EDT and request your manager and colleagues not to book meetings with you during this hour.
The bootcamp also includes project work and theory lessons—you can do them whenever your schedule permits (before work, after work, on weekends, etc.). These components do have deadlines, but they're very well-spaced and generous so as to take the pressure off you.
What is the attendance criteria in the bootcamp?
Live classes with the instructor and mentor workshops will be recorded and available to watch again. However, you still need to maintain minimum attendance requirements for these sessions.
Live Classes: 65% minimum attendance
Mentor Workshops and 1:1s: 75% minimum attendance
What do you mean by "part-time" bootcamp? Can I study at my own pace or only when I'm free?
Part-time in the context of the bootcamp means that you only need 8-10 hours per week to do the bootcamp; this means you don't need to study full-time (usually equal to 40 hours/week), and you can do the bootcamp even if you work full-time or have demanding commitments like being the primary caretaker to children and family.
That said, because the bootcamp is a more immersive and intensive learning experience than a regular online course, there are certain events you have to be present for at a specific time. And there are deadlines for your coursework.
You can do the project work and theory lessons whenever your schedule permits (before work, after work, on weekends, etc.). These components do have deadlines, but they're very well-spaced and generous so as to take the pressure off you.
When it comes to live classes, live workshops and mentor 1:1s, you have some flexibility when it comes to choosing from the available time slots—but once you have chosen a time slot, you are required to be present for these sessions and meet minimum attendance requirements.
These sessions usually happen at the time slot you have chosen. They occur 3-4 times a week, for a maximum of 1 hour. Because of this, you can easily plan around them and fit them into your schedule by simply blocking your chosen hour out for the bootcamp during the week.
My working hours conflict with the available time slots for classes in the bootcamp. What can I do?
Sometimes, the 1-hour time slots available for class discussions and mentor workshops can fall within your work timings. In this case, you could benefit from speaking to your manager and colleagues and requesting them to excuse you for just this 1 hour period. In such cases, you could work an extra hour of the day to compensate, and schedule your meetings around the bootcamp. And since one bootcamp takes only 12 weeks, so it is a minor, short-term adjustment for you and your colleagues.
Many of our students have used this approach and found that they not only got the space they needed to accommodate the bootcamp, but they were also appreciated for taking the time to up-skill themselves.
User Research Bootcamp
What's the difference between taking an IxDF course and taking an IxDF bootcamp?
The IxDF courses are self-paced and designed for independent study without the assistance of a mentor or instructor.
Whereas, with an IxDF bootcamp, you’ll have:
An in-depth curriculum + recommended schedule of daily and weekly activities
Live class discussions with an instructor
Personalized feedback on projects and peer critiques from your mentor
Discussions and forums with your fellow students
A virtual classroom and common room environment
Will I be able to take the bootcamp if English is not my first language?
You can take the bootcamp as long as you are comfortable with reading, writing and speaking English—even if it isn't your first language
We welcome students from around the world, and in recognition of the fact that English will not be everyone’s first language, we’ve maintained a simple level of English in all our materials. And if you occasionally do get stuck, don’t worry—your mentor will be able to help you!
How many hours per week do I need to spend on the bootcamp?
You’ll spend 8-10 hours per week on the bootcamp, which includes project work, lessons, class discussions with the instructor and meetings with your mentor.
What makes an IxDF bootcamp different from the others?
Over the 19 years that we've been helping people start their careers in UX and related fields, we've constantly worked to understand what employers expect from aspiring designers, and where conventional bootcamps fail to deliver. Time and time again, employers have reported the same concern to us—that many popular bootcamps fail to produce students with the adequate depth and breadth to work effectively in a real UX or product team.
Many bootcamps pack introductions to UI, User Research and Design Thinking into a single bootcamp, often leaving students without enough time or opportunity to really master each area. Since these bootcamps do not offer enough depth and breadth in these areas, their students are often unable to showcase the expected variety and mastery of concepts to employers.
At IxDF, each bootcamp will give you exactly the kind of breadth and depth employers expect in each area. You'll devote an entire 12-week bootcamp to learning about a specific domain, and you'll create a Capstone Project with tons of real deliverables for your portfolio. At the same time, because each specialisation gets its own bootcamp, you still have the freedom to pick only those that are relevant to your goals.
Even better—once you complete 3 of these specialized bootcamps, you are eligible to join the elite IxDF UX Certification Program where you'll be certified by an expert panel as a professional UX designer, and you'll get a 6-month job guarantee along with comprehensive help with job applications, interviews and presentations.
In a nutshell:
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
What kind of projects will I work on?
Practical project work accounts for about 60% of what you'll do in the bootcamp. This will be a combination of standalone practice activities, as well as Capstone Project Work, which refers to a series of individual assignments connected to the Capstone Project Brief you choose at the start, ultimately forming your Capstone Presentation at the end of the bootcamp.
Whatever the type of practical work, you’ll create real deliverables that you’ll encounter when you work in a real design or product team. Each of these deliverables will make perfect additions to your portfolio.
Can the bootcamp fit around my current job or studies?
Absolutely! We believe no one should have to put their life on hold to learn and improve their careers, so you can rest assured that with IxDF bootcamps, you'll never have to.
The bootcamp is fully online and part-time, where you'll have the flexibility to learn across 12 weeks. While you will need to be available at specific times for live lectures and meetings, these will be during weekdays at specific times that you will know well in advance.
To make it even easier for you to plan your schedule, we've maintained these activities on the same day most weeks. For example, live class discussions may always fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time, allowing you to plan other meetings and errands around it easily.
You can also work on lessons and project work flexibly based on your schedule. Deadlines, while strict, are spaced well enough to give you time for your job, studies or busy home life.
Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied?
If you're unhappy with your bootcamp experience, you can inform us at any time and we'll do our best to find a resolution for you. If despite our best efforts, you still wish to quit the bootcamp, you can request a refund. To be eligible for the refund, you should request it within the first 14 days of the bootcamp.
Beyond the 14 days, we don't process refunds. However, if there's anything we can improve or fix for you, you will have our dedicated support right through the bootcamp.
What’s the difference between the Design League Membership and doing a Bootcamp?
The Design League membership is a monthly membership that gives you 2 hours of non-structured discussion time with a mentor each month. However, the Design League does not include mentor participation outside of the 2 hours of calls.
If you’d like more hands-on guidance than what the Design League offers, the bootcamp could be right for you. In contrast to a Design League membership type, the bootcamp is a full-fledged program packed with guidance from a mentor and instructor.
As you learn fundamental theory and concepts, you'll be guided by experienced instructors.
When you work on practical projects, your mentor will help you every step of the way.
Moreover, if you enjoy learning with your peers, the bootcamp also includes peer reviews and discussion forums.
In short, as compared to the Design League, the bootcamp offers a more structured approach to learning, and more opportunities to interact with mentors, instructors and fellow students.
Can I take the bootcamp even if I'm not based in the US?
Absolutely, the bootcamp is open to students from around the world! After you sign up, you'll also get to choose from at least 2 options of timings for live class discussions, and you'll be paired with a mentor in a time zone that's suitable for you.
You'll learn alongside students from all over the world, and our team of mentors and instructors is similarly global and diverse.
Can I specialize in a specific area of UX, UI or research in the bootcamp?
Every IxDF bootcamp is inherently specialized in nature. IxDF offers bootcamps specializing in UX Design, Design Thinking, User Research and UI Design (releasing in October 2021). In each of these bootcamps, you will dive very deep into conceptual and practical work and emerge with a solid foundation and the skills to put that foundation to use in the real world.
Within each bootcamp, you can customize many aspects of your project briefs and choose to work in a domain that interests you.
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
I have absolutely no prior experience related to UX. Will I be able to take the bootcamp?
Definitely! The bootcamp is designed with complete beginners in mind. You don’t need any prior conceptual or practical knowledge in the field to take this bootcamp. You will learn by doing and your work will be continuously evaluated by your expert mentor to keep you on the right track. You will also learn the most essential theory aspects through lessons and through class discussions with your instructor.
Is there any placement or career support with the bootcamp?
This bootcamp by itself does not come with placement or career support. That said, the bootcamp will train you in many areas that will make it much easier for you to find and land your dream job. You'll learn to:
Create and present real deliverables in a compelling way
Work with peers in a group to give and receive feedback in a team-like environment
Think like a designer and solve real-world problems
Manage and meet deadlines
Present your process like real professionals do
Will I get a certificate once I complete an IxDF bootcamp?
Yes, you’ll get a digital certificate that’s displayed on your IxDF profile, and you can also share it on LinkedIn like all our course certificates. You'll also receive a downloadable copy that you can print and share if any employers or recruiters need you to.
What is the quality of IxDF bootcamps compared to other UX bootcamps?
The content in IxDF courses and bootcamps are developed by and with industry-recognized leaders in UX Design. Just like in our self-paced courses, the content in the bootcamp is created by people who have both worked in the industry and taught UX academically. This means that you’ll learn from people who are experts at teaching UX concepts and are also extremely well-versed with the nuances, demands and responsibilities of a real UX job.
Our selection process for mentors and instructors is extremely rigorous and selective. We go the extra mile to ensure that all our bootcamp teaching staff are equally skilled as educators and practitioners, with a proven track-record and 5-15 years of experience. In this aspect, IxDF bootcamps are ahead of the industry—many other bootcamps hire their own recent graduates as instructors. At IxDF, we insist that our instructors have worked on varied projects and held leadership roles in the industry.
If I purchase one bootcamp, will I get access to all other bootcamps?
When you sign up for a bootcamp, you get access just to the specific bootcamp that you signed up for. If you'd like to join other bootcamps, you will have to sign up for them individually.
If you work or study full-time, we recommend taking only 1 bootcamp at a time so that you can manage the workload and time commitments without getting burnt out. We have rolling enrolments for all bootcamps, so you can always start with one bootcamp and make your way through the others without waiting too long.
What live classes and meetings are in the User Research bootcamp, and at what time?
The bootcamp includes mandatory live interactions such as:
Online classes with your instructor (1-2/week for 1 hour each | 65% live attendance required)
Mentor workshops or Group critiques (1/week for 1 hour | 75% live attendance required)
1:1 meetings with your mentor (1/week for 30 minutes | 75% live attendance required)
Additionally, you can book OPTIONAL office hours with your instructor for 20 minutes. This is not mandatory, and is available once per week on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Available time slots
For the User Research bootcamp, these are the time slots you can choose from:
9 AM Pacific Time (PT)
8 PM Eastern Time (EDT)
To help you visualise this, here's how a typical week in the User Research bootcamp would look if you choose the 9 AM PT time slot.
Monday: No mandatory live classes or meetings (Optional office hours with the instructor—20 min slots available from 9:00-11:30 AM PT)
Tuesday: Live Class (Mandatory)—9-10 AM PT
Wednesday: Live Class (Mandatory)—9-10 AM PT
Thursday: Mentor Workshop (Mandatory)—9-10 AM PT
Friday: Mentor 1:1 (Mandatory)—30 min slots available from 9:00-11:30 AM PT
Attendance and Re-watching sessions
Live classes with the instructor and mentor workshops will be recorded and available to watch again. However, you still need to maintain minimum attendance requirements for these sessions.
Live Classes: 65% minimum attendance
Mentor Workshops and 1:1s: 75% minimum attendance
How to fit the bootcamp into a busy schedule
Most weeks, these events will occur on the same day at or around the same time slot you have chosen, giving you consistency, flexibility and visibility to plan ahead.
For instance, if these time slots occur in the middle of your work day, you can block out 9-10 AM PT or 8-9 PM EDT and request your manager and colleagues not to book meetings with you during this hour.
The bootcamp also includes project work and theory lessons—you can do them whenever your schedule permits (before work, after work, on weekends, etc.). These components do have deadlines, but they're very well-spaced and generous so as to take the pressure off you.
What is the attendance criteria in the bootcamp?
Live classes with the instructor and mentor workshops will be recorded and available to watch again. However, you still need to maintain minimum attendance requirements for these sessions.
Live Classes: 65% minimum attendance
Mentor Workshops and 1:1s: 75% minimum attendance
What do you mean by "part-time" bootcamp? Can I study at my own pace or only when I'm free?
Part-time in the context of the bootcamp means that you only need 8-10 hours per week to do the bootcamp; this means you don't need to study full-time (usually equal to 40 hours/week), and you can do the bootcamp even if you work full-time or have demanding commitments like being the primary caretaker to children and family.
That said, because the bootcamp is a more immersive and intensive learning experience than a regular online course, there are certain events you have to be present for at a specific time. And there are deadlines for your coursework.
You can do the project work and theory lessons whenever your schedule permits (before work, after work, on weekends, etc.). These components do have deadlines, but they're very well-spaced and generous so as to take the pressure off you.
When it comes to live classes, live workshops and mentor 1:1s, you have some flexibility when it comes to choosing from the available time slots—but once you have chosen a time slot, you are required to be present for these sessions and meet minimum attendance requirements.
These sessions usually happen at the time slot you have chosen. They occur 3-4 times a week, for a maximum of 1 hour. Because of this, you can easily plan around them and fit them into your schedule by simply blocking your chosen hour out for the bootcamp during the week.
My working hours conflict with the available time slots for classes in the bootcamp. What can I do?
Sometimes, the 1-hour time slots available for class discussions and mentor workshops can fall within your work timings. In this case, you could benefit from speaking to your manager and colleagues and requesting them to excuse you for just this 1 hour period. In such cases, you could work an extra hour of the day to compensate, and schedule your meetings around the bootcamp. And since one bootcamp takes only 12 weeks, so it is a minor, short-term adjustment for you and your colleagues.
Many of our students have used this approach and found that they not only got the space they needed to accommodate the bootcamp, but they were also appreciated for taking the time to up-skill themselves.
Member questions
How do I change my password?
You can change your password by going to Profile > Edit Profile, and scroll to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find a link to change your password. Alternatively, you may simply change your password here.
Where is my invoice?
You can find your invoice(s) on the Billing tab on your personal account page.
My certificate has my account’s username or nickname on it, instead of my real name.
Certificates for membership and courses are generated using whatever name you entered when you created your IxDF account. If you need to change the certificate’s name, navigate to your private profile and click on Edit profile. Once you change your name, the certificate will update immediately.
I am no longer a student and wish to renew my membership as a full professional member.
Congratulations—you graduated! To upgrade to professional membership, click the button "Change membership type" in the tab "Personal billing" of your profile page.
I just signed up but did not receive an email.
We send you an email with the login link about 3 seconds after you have successfully paid. Can’t find the email in your Inbox?
Did you sign up with another email address?
Did you check your Spam folder?
Use Gmail? Then also check the 'Promotions' tab.
If you still cannot find it, you can always get your account info resent to you by contacting hello@interaction-design.org.
How do I add the Interaction Design Foundation Membership Certificate to my LinkedIn Profile?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Bellow your profile description,in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then
select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.
3. In the following fields add:
Name – Membership Certificate
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date when you joined our community (e.g., May 2019)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your profile page
4. Click the Save button.
It is as simple as that. Now, anyone who visits your profile can see your certificate!
Company Membership
What kind of payment options do you provide?
You can pay via Credit Card, PayPal, or — upon request, Wire Transfer. Google Pay and Apple Pay are also available in certain locations.
And self-evidently:
Once you have paid the annual membership, there are no hidden charges/fees, no up-selling, cross-selling, or the like.
You do not have a limited cancellation period and can thus walk away at any point.
If your company is interested in a large account, we offer the option to email you an invoice (e.g., referencing a Purchase Order ID), which your finance teams can pay using a regular bank/wire transfer. If you need one, mail us at hello@interaction-design.org.
Can the members of our account take more than one course at a time?
Yes, employees enrolled in Company Memberships can take as many courses as they want during their membership period. There are no further charges. The members of your account will also have access to our local meetings in over 200 cities worldwide, eBook versions of books, among many other benefits.
Are there any hidden fees?
You can rest assured that... :
Once you have paid the annual membership, there are no hidden charges/fees, no up-selling, cross-selling, or the like.
You do not have a limited cancellation period and can thus walk away at any point.
Can we modify our Company Membership Plan later?
No problem at all. Even after setting up your Company Membership, you can assign a new account administrator(s), and add new members whenever you want — If you send an email to hello@interaction-design.org we will walk you through it all.
Can a Company Membership Administrator check employee compliance—i.e., can he/she see how active other company members are?
For Company Memberships, the unique dashboard provides the assigned administrators with an overview of the progress
of all enrolled employees, including:
total number of seats used
total accumulated learning hours
total course enrollments and completions
total of how many members have enrolled in local groups
Additionally, the built-in leaderboard shows the rankings within your team or enterprise on:
total learning hours
total course points
total course completions
For a more in-depth view of a member’s progress, a detailed dashboard allows administrators to see per-member
learning hours on a weekly basis and in total. The advanced dashboard also details course enrollments &
completions.
The account administrators can additionally check the compliance of members and their activity level through
course certificates & distinctions.
For each course that a member of your account completes, we list the relevant course certificates on their public
profile page. Courses they are in the process of completing are displayed under a section titled "Courses this
member is taking".
Furthermore, If a member of your account has achieved a particularly good result on a course, the course
certificate will include a distinction—e.g. "Top 10% course taker." Distinctions are also awarded
for being highly active – eg. “Top discussion contributor” is awarded to those who use forums to seek advice &
stimulate conversations.
Account Administrators cannot read the individual course answers submitted by an employee, or see their day-to-day
progress in a given course, but the result of their activities, i.e. course certificates & distinctions, is
always visible on the dashboards.
Conclusion:
The features above make it possible for administrators of Company Memberships to see:
how many courses an employee is taking
how many hours an employee has spent learning
how many courses an employee has finished
which courses an employee is taking
if an employee has finished a course in the top of his/her class (i.e. a distinction on the course
certificate)
if an employee has earned other distinctions, e.g., when being proactive in the discussions on the Interaction
Design Foundation platform
How many members do we need to create a Company Membership?
To get the best benefit from a Company Membership, you should sign up at least 5 colleagues. However, the minimum number of people for a Company Membership is 2.
If multiple colleagues have existing individual memberships within our community, we can easily merge these accounts into a Company Membership – just reach out to us at hello@interaction-design.org to set this up for you.
How can we manage our company membership?
As soon as your Company Membership is set up, you can assign Account Administrators, who can use the comprehensive dashboard to:
Add more colleagues to the Membership
Promote any enrolled colleagues to Administrator level
Remove colleagues from the Membership if they leave your enterprise or switch roles within teams
Manage all billing activities — e.g., add or delete a payment method
Furthermore, you can send us an email at hello@interaction-design.org and we will help you with any aspect of your account.
Are your courses only offered online?
Yes, our course material is 100% online and self-paced. However, there are many ways in which the IxDF's UX design training can be applied on-ground too. For example, we offer group exercises inside each of our courses to learn from and with your peers.
Besides, through our discussion forums, members can connect with a global community of design practitioners who will help you understand our content and tackle your own business problems. You will also be invited to join regular local meet-ups in more than 450 cities, and you can choose to host one too!
How can my colleagues & I apply the training we receive from our Interaction Design Foundation Company Membership?
During training at the Interaction Design Foundation, we design courses that encourage you & your colleagues to complete exercises within the context of your current work, rather than relying on ‘textbook examples’. This way, our training material constantly pushes members to apply new-found knowledge to daily business challenges.
Does my Company Membership come with any support?
Every Company Account is entitled to priority support where you can ask for help with any aspect of your account. You may contact support to get help in developing training plans for everyone in your membership, assist you with billing and membership inquiries and offer helpful suggestions to maximize the benefit from your membership.
Is there a way to keep everyone enrolled in my Company's Membership engaged in the coursework?
Sure, we will provide you with many resources to keep all enrolled members motivated and on track with their respective agendas. Your Account Administrator will also be able to see the progress made by every employee enrolled, so you'll never be left wondering how much your account is being used.
How can I decide which courses are right for my team/colleagues?
Depending on your organization's goals, we will be able to suggest a learning path that caters to your training objectives. We focus on learning paths that accommodate all your colleagues, even if your team has the most diverse cross-functional roles.
Throughout your membership, you will also be advised if any new courses suit your objectives.
Furthermore, every enrolled member has unlimited access to all Interaction Design Foundation courses, so you can rest assured that learning can be limitless.
In a Company Membership, can users be rotated? For example, can different employees use 3 months each of one user’s yearly membership?
Unfortunately, no.
User profiles and progress are not transferable within Company Memberships, meaning that when a single user is signed up within such a membership, they are enrolled for a year. You will also not be able to remove a member in order to “free up” a space for another colleague. In other words, one user’s yearly access to courses cannot be used by multiple people.
With the incredible savings you obtain from the Interaction Design Foundation’s flat-fee pricing, it still remains highly cost-effective to add new users individually to your membership. Get in touch with us to find out how.
What types of job roles are Interaction Design Foundation Company Memberships intended for?
The core belief behind our Company Memberships is that a great design philosophy should be practiced across the organization. From sales and marketing teams to product managers, to developers and engineers – we have drawn customized training paths for every job role.
Even within your UX team, we have courses to help even your senior-most designers to stay up-to-date with advancements in the field.
How much time do my colleagues & I have to set aside to finish a course?
As much time as you need. After you & your colleagues
enrol in a course, a new chapter is released every week, but there are no deadlines
or course end dates, so you can complete any course at your own pace. Your
courses won’t get in the way of your busy schedule, and vice versa.
Local Groups - QA's for members
I just joined a Local group — what happens now?
Congratulations! You have taken the first step to meet up with other local designers who are just as passionate about design as you are. Get ready to become inspired, discuss, learn, and meet your next employer, employee, client or friend.
If there is already a meet-up scheduled, you will be able to find it in your Local Group's calendar. If not, do not feel discouraged. You can create your very own meet-up and invite people from your Local Group to attend! Simply go to your Local Group's page, scroll down and click the blue "Create a meet-up to meet other designers" button. You'll then be able to set up an "Online hangout", a small "Cozy meet-up" or a "Large meet-up" — whichever suits you best. When any new events are scheduled in your Local Group, you will always receive an email.
When will the next meeting be?
If there is already a meet-up scheduled, you will be able to find it in your Local Group's calendar. If not, do not feel discouraged. You can create your very own meet-up and invite people from your Local Group to attend!
Simply go to your Local Group's page, scroll down and click the blue "Create a meet-up to meet other designers" button. You'll then be able to set up an "Online hangout", a small "Cozy meet-up" or a "Large meet-up" — whichever suits you best. When any new events are scheduled in your Local Group, you will always receive an email.
This Local Group is a bit slow – what can I do to help?
You can write directly to the Local Leader(s) and ask if he/she/they would like some help. If they are interested in getting help from you, they can simply promote you to Local Leader and then you can go right ahead and arrange and promote the next Local Group meeting.
You can also create your very own meet-up and invite people from your Local Group to attend! Simply go to your Local Group's page, scroll down and click the blue "Create a meet-up to meet other designers" button. You'll then be able to set up an "Online hangout", a small "Cozy meet-up" or a "Large meet-up" — whichever suits you best. When any new events are scheduled in your Local Group, you will always receive an email.
Can I make a new group in my city if there is already another group?
Sorry, we actually only have one Local Group per city.
You will therefore not be able to make a Local Group in your city if another one already exists. Instead, we encourage you to make contact with the Local Leader(s) of the existing one to see how you can help out! If they are interested in getting help from you they can simply promote you to Local Leader and then you can go right ahead and arrange, and promote, the next Local Group meeting.
Once you have been promoted to Local Leader, you will get access to guidelines and resources and the Interaction Design Foundation team will help you promote your event locally to make sure that all of your meet-ups are a big success.
You can also create your very own meet-up and invite people from your Local Group to attend even if you are not Local Leader! Simply go to your Local Group's page, scroll down and click the blue "Create a meet-up to meet other designers" button. You'll then be able to set up an "Online hangout", a small "Cozy meet-up" or a "Large meet-up" — whichever suits you best.
When any new events are scheduled in your Local Group, you will always receive an email.
I do not feel that I am a very experienced designer, so I am a bit worried about joining a Local Group.
That is exactly the reason you should join a Local Group. We are a great mix of seasoned professionals and complete newcomers. We all have something to contribute with and learn from.
What are the responsibilities of a Continent Manager?
The estimated work burden of a Continent Manager is 3-4 effective hours per week
A Continent Manager should appoint Country Managers for each country in their continent. It is up to the Continent Manager to select the most appropriate person to be a Country Manager.
A Continent Manager must continually make sure that each Country Manager in his/her continent is doing their best to keep the activity level of each country as high as possible. In the event that a country's activity level is dropping, the Continent Manager should make sure that the Country Manager is doing a reasonable effort to restore a high activity level through the motivation of each Local Leader in that country. If the Continent Manager feels this isn’t being done, he/she should appoint a new Country Manager.
The Continent Manager should collate and filter feedback from Country Managers. That way, the Continent Managers can work closely with Interaction Design Foundation developers on improving everything from the local group management system and email notifications to the step-by-step-guides (and anything else that comes up!). Our goal is to continually minimize the amount of work needed from both Continent Managers, Country Managers and Local Leaders — i.e. we want you to "work smarter, not harder".
Update and refine the 'Local Leader FAQ' (listed at the very bottom of this page) to make sure that the most frequently asked questions are answered. This is in addition to providing time-saving step-by-step guides for Local Leaders to support them in their work.
A Skype call with Mads whenever there is a need for it
Overall, a Continent's key performance indicators are:
Activity level (benchmarked against the other continents)
Member satisfaction with events and online interaction with other local group members (this measure is yet to be defined)
What are the responsibilities of being an Interaction Design Foundation Country Manager?
The IxDF Local Group Initiative is run in line with our Mission Statement — educating, stimulating, and inspiring the global design community. The goal is to create vibrant local groups all over the world where people frequently meet up with great interactions.
The IxDF Local Group Continent and Country Managers play a vital role in ensuring the growth of our local group initiative.
The estimated work burden of a Country Manager is 1-2 effective hours per week.
A Country Manager must continually make sure that each Local Leader in his/her country is doing their best to keep the activity level of each Local Group as high as possible. In the event that a Local Group’s activity level is dropping, the Country Manager should make sure that the given Local Leader is doing a reasonable effort to restore a high activity level. If not, the Country Manager should help the current Local Leader select a co-Local Leader — or replace the current Local Leader.
A Country Manager should support Local Leaders by answering their questions, concerns, and doubts. The Country Manager should also collate and filter this feedback and report it to the Continent Manager.
At certain intervals — for example, every 3 to 6 months — the Country Manager should send out an email (perhaps a type of newsletter) to all local group members in that country and tell them about success stories of various local groups.
The Country Manager should suggest to the Continent Manager ways to minimize the work burden on himself/herself, while maximizing the impact of his/her work — e.g., smart work processes, better document templates, better email notifications, improvements of the Local Group Management Interface, more automatization, etc…
A Continent's key performance indicators are
Activity level (benchmarked against the other countries)
Member satisfaction with events and online interaction with other local group members (this measure is yet to be defined)
Where can I ask questions about Local Groups?
We have made it easy for you to do this through a Discussion Forum called "Interaction Design Foundation Community". You can ask any type of question in that forum — and get replies from either Interaction Design Foundation Local Leaders, Country Managers, or regular members.
Don't be afraid to ask us about anything in the Interaction Design Foundation Community Forum! We are here to help.
What are the responsibilities of an Interaction Design Foundation Local Leader?
As a Local Leader, you will be involved in facilitating meet-ups in your city — where designers can network and learn from one another.
Your roles are to:
Schedule meet-ups for your Local Group. Local Group meet-ups are free, and can be attended by both Interaction Design Foundation members and non-members.
If a Local Group member decides to create a Local Group meet-up, you can provide assistance to the member so that the meet-up runs as smoothly as possible.
Set up and maintain a Facebook and LinkedIn group for your Local Group. This allows Local Group members to stay in touch and also facilitates the creation of meet-ups.
Once a month, link up with your Country Manager(s), who are your first point of contact. You can do so by simply dropping them an email with brief updates on what the Local Group has been up to.
I'm interested in creating a Local Group, but I'm a very busy person. How much time will it take?
First of all: Don’t worry — creating a Local Group is easy and rewarding. When you create a new Group, you become its Local Leader, and this will give you great energy and help your career immensely.
To create a Local Group, write to mads.soegaard@interaction-design.org with the name of the city you want to create Group in—it might be good to check our Community section first to make sure your city doesn't already have a Local Group.
If you come on board as the Local Leader of your new Group, we will tell you how to invite a few of the other Interaction Design Foundation members from your area to join your Local Group.
As soon as you have just a few members in your Local Group, you can spread the responsibility of the Local Group by promoting one or two of the other members to Local Leaders. That way, there will be a few other Local Leaders to take over for you when you are experiencing a busy period.
You will also have help from the Country and Continent Manager in your region.
In conclusion: You simply have to start a Local Group today! :-)
Local Groups - QA's for non-members
What is a Local Group and why should I join one?
An Interaction Design Foundation Local Group is a group of local, design-minded individuals who are interested in being part of a wider design community — be that through discussion boards or face-to-face meet-ups. For one thing, joining an Interaction Design Foundation Local Group will expand your local career network — whether you are interested in learning new skills, looking for new job opportunities, new clients for your company, or a great new dedicated employee.
I'm interested in joining a Local Group — how much of my time will it take?
That is entirely up to you. There are various possibilities depending on your schedule and your needs.
Online: Join the online community in your city and network via online discussion boards.
Local meetings: We recommend that you participate in the Local Group meetings in your area. They are usually very fun and highly inspirational, and they will help you create an even stronger local career network — whether you are looking for new job opportunities, new clients for your company, or a great new dedicated employee.
Will joining a Local Group help my career?
Absolutely, yes! That is the whole mission statement behind the Interaction Design Foundation Local Groups initiative.
What actually goes on in a Local Group?
It depends on the individual group and the energy level of the Local Leaders. Some examples are:
Fun and relaxed professional networking over coffee: Meet professionals in other industries, be inspired by the various ways interaction design is being used and implemented in your local area, get to know your next boss/employee/client/friend, and meet up with people who are just as passionate about design as you are.
Professional talks by local designers sharing their experiences.
Discussing the local need for, and adoption of, interaction design and user experience in your city/country.
Discussing a specific topic or design issue which is relevant in your city/country.
A study group where you all follow and discuss a specific online course/topic.
A book club where you read and discuss books.
I am not a very experienced designer, so I am a bit worried about joining a Local Group.
That is exactly the reason you should join a Local Group. We are a great mix of seasoned professionals and complete new-comers. We all have something to contribute with and learn from.
Calendar import
I have a website — can I display your calendar (or its data)?
Absolutely! The IxDF is founded on principles of open content, and you are more than welcome to use our data. For us, it's a matter of making research accessible.
Just remember to place a link to our site — that's our only condition.
Course introduction
How much will I have to pay for the courses?
After you pay for your membership, you can take as many courses as you want with no additional costs. There are no further charges on top of the membership fee.
With a Professional membership you can take as many courses as you would like, with no further charges. For example, if there are 30 active courses, you can enroll in all 30 courses at the same time and move from one to another as you prefer.
With a Student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. You can still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses.
Your invoice will be readyinstantly — and we can modify it to meet your manager's requirements.
Our 14-day money-back guarantee protects you and your manager.
Example email for your manager
Dear manager,
I would like to get reimbursement for my Interaction Design Foundation membership. This membership can benefit our team and company in the following ways:
I can enroll in all the IxDF’s self-paced, online courses (in my spare time), which will help me complete current projects with better results.
I can network with peers from all over the world and find out how others have addressed issues we are currently facing.
I will be able to continuously educate myself on UX topics through the IxDF's courses and eBooks.
Because of the breadth of educational materials, I will learn how to solve specific design problems.
I want to offer to share the key takeaways from the courses with my team.
PS: To give you some background, the Interaction Design Foundation is an educational foundation comprising the world’s design and UX elite, and you can read more about the foundation at https://www.interaction-design.org/about
I missed the enrollment, and now the course is closed. What can I do?
Don't worry if you missed the course. We will re-run it shortly. One of the reasons we continually open and close courses is in order to control the classroom size.
Networking is a large part of our value proposition, so we want just the right number of people inside the courses. That is also why we display the "XX % percent booked" on our course icons.
Courses
When I finish a course, do I have to pay extra to get my certificate?
No. When you pay for a membership you get access to all of the courses, with no extra charges or limits. That also means that you will get a certificate for every successfully finished course, at no extra cost.
Can I take more than one course at a time?
With a Professional membership you can take as many courses as you would like, with no further charges. For example, if there are 30 active courses, you can enroll in all 30 courses at the same time and move from one to another as you prefer.
With a Student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. You can still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses.
I missed the enrollment, and now the course is closed. What can I do?
Don't worry if you missed the course. We will re-run it shortly. One of the reasons we continually open and close courses is in order to control the classroom size.
Networking is a large part of our value proposition, so we want just the right number of people inside the courses. That is also why we display the "XX % percent booked" on our course icons.
Do I have to be online at an exact time to study?
No. You can set your own study schedule. There are no "live sessions" since we have members from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community.
Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time to complete a given course. Every "classroom" in each course will never close, so you’ll have permanent access to your classmates and your course material (as well as your own answers).
Will I receive a Course Certificate?
Yes. You will get a digital industry-recognized course certificate every time you complete a course. Certificates never expire and can be saved as a .jpg file, so it's easy to be shared. Also, there is no limit to how many certificates you can earn during your membership.
I have answered questions in a lesson; when will they be marked/graded?
We do the marking/grading in so-called "sprints" – where we sit down and do all the marking/grading in one go. Your answers will be graded approximately two weeks after you submit your work.
We do this because it is much more efficient than doing one little step every day. It's part of our lean/agile work philosophy, and that approach to efficiency is one of the factors that keeps our membership prices so low.
I have updated my name, but my course certificate is not updated — how can I change it?
Don't worry, once you change your name, your certificate will be updated automatically in the next hour.
I have started my course later than the specified date, are my answers still going to be marked?
Sure! We will be marking all your answers for as long as you are an active member.
How are courses graded?
Open-ended questions are graded by our experts and course instructors – not by machines.
That's one of the reasons that our Course Certificates are credible and recognized by industry leaders.
For how long will I have access to the course materials?
You will have access to the course materials for the entire duration of your membership. So, if you pay for a one-year membership, you will have access for one year. Renewing your membership for a second year means you will have access to one more year, and so on.
New lessons are starting before I have completed the previous lesson(s). Am I going to be locked out of these unfinished lessons?
No, you will not be locked out of any lesson or course. You will have access to all course materials throughout your membership, so there is no pressure to keep at the same pace as the specified lesson release dates.
All we recommend is that you try to stick to the same schedule as other participants. The reason is they may have moved on to other lessons, thereby meaning you could miss out on the social aspects of the course(s).
Do I have a specific date to award my certificates?
No, you can generate your certificate as soon as you score at least 70% of the total course points.
When will I receive my Course Certificate?
Course certificates will be given to participants when they have scored more than 70% or more of the total course points. For example, if a course contains ten lessons each with ten questions, you will receive a course certificate when the instructor has awarded you at least 70 points (70% of the total course points).
There is no specified time that certificates will be awarded — instead, they are given to participants as and when they have answered all questions, even if this is long after the official end date.
How do I add my Certificate to my LinkedIn profile?
Here is how to add your IxDF certificate(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
On the right, in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then
select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.
3. In the following fields add:
Name – Course name
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date written on your certificate (e.g., May 2021)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your course page
4. Click the Save button.
Congratulate yourself! Earning the
certificate is a great accomplishment and now you can share it with the world!
How do I add the Interaction Design Foundation Membership Certificate to my LinkedIn Profile?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Bellow your profile description,in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then
select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.
3. In the following fields add:
Name – Membership Certificate
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date when you joined our community (e.g., May 2019)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your profile page
4. Click the Save button.
It is as simple as that. Now, anyone who visits your profile can see your certificate!
How much will I have to pay for the courses?
After you pay for your membership, you can take as many courses as you want with no additional costs. There are no further charges on top of the membership fee.
Do you provide mostly beginners' or more advanced courses?
We provide courses for all levels of mastery and across the full spectrum. If you’re new to design, you can start from our beginner courses and progress all the way up to our advanced ones. If you’re an established designer, on the other hand, you will find some of our lower-level courses provide a good refresher—and the advanced ones, a bit of a challenge.
How long does it take to complete a course?
You will need approximately 5-8 hours to complete one lesson. Each course has between 3 and 16 lessons.
Once enrolled in a course, you will gain access to a new lesson each week, which you are free to complete without any deadlines and no end date, either.
Local Groups - QA's for Local Leaders
I just created a Local Group - what should I do now?
Think of starting your Local Group as starting a chain reaction: You add a small amount of work/energy in the beginning and very soon other people will add their work/energy, and then — suddenly — you have a thriving and self-sustaining Local Group.
You can use this step-by-step guide to get the 'chain reaction' started:
Connect with your Country Manager whose name you will find on your new Local Group page. If there is currently no country manager for your country, please connect with the Continent Manager so that he/she can appoint one.
Read the 'Local Leader FAQ' thoroughly.
Then spend 3 minutes setting up a Facebook group. We have a step-by-step guide on how to do this if you would like some help with the task.
Join the Interaction Design Foundation Community Discussion Group. There you can share ideas, experiences and knowledge with other Local Leaders and regular members, with the goal of better serving your local group members, and ensuring success for your Local Group. What worked? What didn't? What do you plan to try next time? Feel free to share, or ask for, as much information as you’d like.
After that, you are ready to schedule the first Local Group meet-up. Please schedule it one month ahead of time — even if there are zero members in your group. Your group will attract attention and gain members as soon as people can see that there is a meet-up to attend. Without a meet-up, things will go much slower… so it’s a good idea to get this in the calendar ASAP.
Don't be nervous about whether enough people will show up. If you aim for a very small crowd of 4 people, you can only get positively surprised. Simply choose your favorite cafe, restaurant, or a meeting room in your company office as the location for the first meeting. Plan to take along one of your own friends or a colleague for support — Local Group meet-ups aren’t only for Interaction Design Foundation members, after all; non-members are also welcome — the more, the better! :-)
After you have scheduled the first event you can start to invite people and reach out through your own network. When inviting people, you can remind them that it is free to attend and that they do not have to be members of the Interaction Design Foundation to show up — everyone is welcome! Remember to share the link to your Facebook Group amongst your friends. You will almost immediately see that there is a strong interest in your Local Group initiative.
Every time you schedule a meeting, Rikke, the Interaction Design Foundation Social Media Community Manager (rikke.friis.dam@interaction-design.org) will be automatically notified. Rikke can make geo-targeted posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., with news about your Local Group and your event.
How do I make the very first meeting a success?
The short answer is: If you have fun, enjoy yourself and really do your best — both before and during the meeting — your meeting will be a big success! Nothing can beat a great atmosphere and honest intentions.
It is important that you do not put too much pressure on yourself: You are not organizing a rock concert after all — it is better to have a small meeting at your favorite cafe with a small agenda than not have a meeting at all. If you start with a small meeting, the other participants will add their energy; then, all of a sudden you will have a highly active Local Group.
Should there be an agenda for the meeting?
Yes, you should decide on a rough agenda for the meeting but you do not have to be too formal about it.
Example agenda for the very first meeting
Meet and greet: Who are the other group members?
Why are you interested in interaction design/user experience?
What is your job and what are your current challenges?
How can we help each other out with these challenges?
What do you hope to get out of this Local Group?
How can we help each other in strengthening the local community of UX/IXD designers?
What are the next steps; what should our next meet-up be about?
Other example agendas
Make a fun and relaxed professional networking session over coffee: Meet other design professionals, be inspired by the various ways interaction design is being done in your local area, get to know your future boss/employee/client/friend, and meet up with people who are just as passionate about design as you are.
Invite professional talks by local designers where they can share their experiences. Lots of people have ready-made talks on different subjects: Just invite them to give their talk at your meeting and they will thank you. It will be great for their career.
Discuss the local need for Interaction Design and User Experience in your city/country.
Discuss how you can help each other — for example, if you all use your Local Group to make the local community of UX and Design Professionals more visible, more companies in your area will understand the value of UX and Design and thus invest in it.
Discuss a specific topic or design issue which you find interesting — for example, the Psychology of Online Shopping.
Make a study group where you follow and discuss a specific online course/topic.
Make a book club where you read and discuss one book at a time.
How do I decide on a place and a time for a Local Group meeting?
Remember not to put too much pressure on yourself. You are already a first-mover in your city, and we strongly recommend that you simply pick a date approximately one month from now at your favorite local café or at your workplace if your employer likes the idea. In our experience, employers almost always support and encourage these initiatives.
Should I make a social media group for my Local Group?
Yes, yes, and yes.
Before you start, you should get in touch with your Country Manager and ask about the Social Media strategy for your continent/country. In any case, you should create a Facebook group and enter the URL to your Facebook group on your Local Group's page here on the Interaction Design Foundation website.
Please use this title: Interaction Design Foundation — [your city]
For instance, you can check out Interaction Design Foundation — Bangalore
Make good use of social media. For example, ask people in your area to “like”/join your Facebook group, and make sure you monitor interest and maintain such interest.
Schedule and announce meetings on e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn (ask your Country Manager), Twitter, Blogs, etc., and ask people to further share the news on their own Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. pages further.
You should use the Interaction Design Foundation logo and artwork, which you can find below this FAQ.
You can even ask the venue to promote the event with Interaction Design Foundation posters and posts on their own social media channels. This will benefit them also by increasing, and widening, their content and engagement.
How do I set up a Facebook Group for my Local Group?
1. From the left-hand side of your Facebook newsfeed, select ‘Create Group’ as shown below:
2. Enter the group name ‘Interaction Design Foundation – [your city]’. 3. Add friends as members by typing their names in the field shown below.
4. Select the ‘Public Group’ option so anyone can see the group.
10. Choose any image you want (from our media kit package).
That’s it – now you are all set to start adding content, communicating with your members and promoting your group.
How can I best start inviting local designers in my city?
You can see a list of Interaction Design Foundation members within a 300-km radius of your new Local Group in the member list. Please go ahead and invite these people to join your Local Group.
How will new Interaction Design Foundation members find out about your Local Group?
Whenever someone becomes a member of the Interaction Design Foundation, if he or she lives within a 600-km radius of your local group, we will send that person an email with the link and invitation to join your group.
New members will also instantly be able to browse the Local Group World Map in order to find and join your Local Group.
Our Social Media Community Manager will schedule posts on the Interaction Design Foundation Facebook channel. These posts will be geo-targeted to show in followers’ newsfeeds if they live in and around your location.
You can promote your Local Group via word of mouth, your own website/blog and by reaching out to other local bloggers — they can write articles about your group and then share these on their own social media channels.
Can I also invite people who are not Interaction Design Foundation members?
Yes, absolutely! People do not have to be paying members of the Interaction Design Foundation to participate in your local group. We of course hope they will become paying members in the future, but it is not a requirement. Therefore, you can invite anyone you think would be interested in coming along!
How can the Interaction Design Foundation help me effectively promote and advertise my Local Group on social media?
The Interaction Design Foundation has a weekly reach of more than 350,000 designers on our Facebook channel alone, and this will certainly help draw attention to your Local Group (or an individual event).
Every time you schedule a meeting in your Local Group, the Interaction Design Foundation’s Social Media Community Manager, Rikke (rikke.friis.dam@interaction-design.org) will automatically be notified and she will then help advertise your Local Group or Event in your area via geo-targeted outreach through the Interaction Design Foundation’s social media channels.
Can I invite someone else to join me as Local Leader in my city?
Yes, absolutely! You can ask others to help you and possibly rotate the responsibility of organizing the meet-ups. By promoting other members to become Local Leaders, you'll find that they will add their energy and all of a sudden you will have an enormously active Local Group.
You can promote a regular member and make him/her a Local Leader simply by clicking this button in the member list of your Local Group:
What happens if someone else tries to make a new Local Group in my city where I am already the Local Leader?
Other members will not be able to make a Local Group in your city when you have already made a group there. Instead we encourage other members to make contact with you and we encourage you to promote such designers to Local Leaders if they are interested. That way, you can grow the Local Group together to the benefit of all members. However, the decision regarding leadership of the Local Group is completely yours.
How can I step down/resign as Local Leader?
We are so sorry to hear that you wish to step down as Local Leader. However, we all get too busy at times in our lives, so we perfectly understand your situation.
Here is what you do: First, if you are the only Local Leader of your group, you need to find someone who can take over the responsibility and privilege of being Local Leader. You should look through the profiles of the people in your Local Group and decide who would be the best choice for continuing your great work. Connect with that person and ask if he/she is up for the challenge and the privilege. Once he/she accepts, you can then find that person in the member list of your Local Group and simply press the 'Promote to Local Leader' button:
You are then ready to step down as Local Leader. Go to your Local Group page, find your member card in the member list, and click the "Demote to regular member" button on your card.
What are the responsibilities of being an Interaction Design Foundation Country Manager?
The IxDF Local Group Initiative is run in line with our Mission Statement — educating, stimulating, and inspiring the global design community. The goal is to create vibrant local groups all over the world where people frequently meet up with great interactions.
The IxDF Local Group Continent and Country Managers play a vital role in ensuring the growth of our local group initiative.
The estimated work burden of a Country Manager is 1-2 effective hours per week.
A Country Manager must continually make sure that each Local Leader in his/her country is doing their best to keep the activity level of each Local Group as high as possible. In the event that a Local Group’s activity level is dropping, the Country Manager should make sure that the given Local Leader is doing a reasonable effort to restore a high activity level. If not, the Country Manager should help the current Local Leader select a co-Local Leader — or replace the current Local Leader.
A Country Manager should support Local Leaders by answering their questions, concerns, and doubts. The Country Manager should also collate and filter this feedback and report it to the Continent Manager.
At certain intervals — for example, every 3 to 6 months — the Country Manager should send out an email (perhaps a type of newsletter) to all local group members in that country and tell them about success stories of various local groups.
The Country Manager should suggest to the Continent Manager ways to minimize the work burden on himself/herself, while maximizing the impact of his/her work — e.g., smart work processes, better document templates, better email notifications, improvements of the Local Group Management Interface, more automatization, etc…
A Continent's key performance indicators are
Activity level (benchmarked against the other countries)
Member satisfaction with events and online interaction with other local group members (this measure is yet to be defined)
Where can I ask questions about Local Groups?
We have made it easy for you to do this through a Discussion Forum called "Interaction Design Foundation Community". You can ask any type of question in that forum — and get replies from either Interaction Design Foundation Local Leaders, Country Managers, or regular members.
Don't be afraid to ask us about anything in the Interaction Design Foundation Community Forum! We are here to help.
What are the responsibilities of an Interaction Design Foundation Local Leader?
As a Local Leader, you will be involved in facilitating meet-ups in your city — where designers can network and learn from one another.
Your roles are to:
Schedule meet-ups for your Local Group. Local Group meet-ups are free, and can be attended by both Interaction Design Foundation members and non-members.
If a Local Group member decides to create a Local Group meet-up, you can provide assistance to the member so that the meet-up runs as smoothly as possible.
Set up and maintain a Facebook and LinkedIn group for your Local Group. This allows Local Group members to stay in touch and also facilitates the creation of meet-ups.
Once a month, link up with your Country Manager(s), who are your first point of contact. You can do so by simply dropping them an email with brief updates on what the Local Group has been up to.
Coaching
What should I put on my public profile?
Some characteristics that will help our members understand your ideal target audience. These characteristics may include location, native language, areas of professional interest, level of expertise, current occupation, periods of availability, and career goals. It's also important to enter a description of yourself (remember that only the first approximately 230 characters will be shown) and make sure you have uploaded a photo.
Is essential to keep your public profile accurate and informative, so our Design League members are able to make their choice. Examine your public profile to make sure that it conveys sufficient information for our members to make the right decision when they choose you as a coach. Identify and amend any important information that might be missing or misleading.
How I can improve my coaching skills?
We are preparing a full-blown coaching course for Interaction Design Foundation Design League coaches. Until our course is ready, we suggest you to
Read literature on coaching – see our recommended reading list;
Learn from other Interaction Design Foundation coaches – e.g., through meetings or online discussions;
Learn from international professional communities – for example, groups on LinkedIn or Facebook
How much time I should spend with each of my Design League students?
By default, we grant each Design League member 2 (two) hours of coaching time per month. We recommend breaking this overall time into smaller chunks, such as 20 or 30 minutes. Together with your student, you should decide what is better – to spread these chunks evenly through the months or to cluster them at specific activity periods.
Some members of the Design League may purchase extra coaching hours or have some other special agreement (for example, within their company membership). You should be aware of such settlements and plan your work accordingly.
Please note, the coaching time does not include: the time you spend on keeping your records, conducting information research that may apply to other students, composing e-mails (such as welcome e-mail and e-mails requesting general information). To make efficient use of your time, we recommend that you assemble a collection of e-mail templates, which you can reuse for multiple students.
How many students can I have at the same time?
There are no limit for how many students you can handle at the same time. It may depend on multiple factors, such as
how much spare time you have every day?
how flexible is your schedule so that you can adapt to your students' needs (e.g., for Skype meetings)?
how many career stories do you think you can remember without mixing them up?
When the number of students approaches your limit, you can prevent new students from coming to you by switching off your visibility as an available coach on the Coaching Control Panel.
How does the actual coaching take place?
You can coach your students both synchronously and asynchronously – for example, over the private chat in your Design League Control panel or over a video meeting, such as Skype. We recommend using a video meeting one or two times per month and answering questions over private chat when smaller questions arise.
How should I schedule coaching sessions?
You can use Google Calendar or a similar service to schedule the meetings. We recommend you create a separate calendar dedicated to your IxDF Design League coaching.
When creating each event, you might want to specify
WHAT you are going to discuss with your student. Time is limited, so make sure you have a clear agenda
WHY it is important to discuss THIS subject rather than something else
HOW you are going to contact (Skype, chat, phone call)
While this is not mandatory, it will help both yourself and your student to prepare well for each session.
Make sure that your sessions do not go one immediately after another. You should have at least a 15-minutes gap between them.
How should I prepare to coaching sessions?
For each session,
Check the student's profile and other available information to understand their likely needs
Make sure you have a clear agenda and know exactly what and how you are going to discuss with the student
Check whether you might need any supporting materials or information
Make sure that those materials are available and will be easy to access and share during the session
Write down all recommendations you can think of, such as recommended reading or materials to explore
Think of any questions you may want to ask during the session and add them to the session agenda
Look for any questions that you want to ask your client before the session
Before the beginning of each session, spend 10 minutes to review its agenda and the supporting materials that you have prepared for it.
After completion of each session, spend 5 minutes to summarize its results and make a plan a follow up.
What else should I take into consideration when conducting a coaching session?
Remember that you represent the IxDF. It is important to us that you look informal, yet serious and professional.
Hence, we kindly ask you to dress appropriately for your coaching sessions. You do not need to wear a suit and tie. Casual wear is fine, as long as you appear serious and professional.
Be mindful of your surroundings. People walking behind your back and background sounds are very distracting and may be interpreted in different ways. It is best to hold your video meetings from your home or a small office. Bookshelves and neutrally colored walls make the best background. Avoid directing your front camera against darkness or bright light – and make sure your face is well lit. Please also make sure to prevent any room noise. We recommend using a headset with a directed, short-range, or otherwise noise-reducing microphone.
Best use of time
Start your meetings exactly as scheduled. Do not allow yourself longer than a one-minute delay.
Set a clear agenda for each session together with your client, keep coaching sessions short and focused.
Ensure a good internet connection speed. Breaking voice, stuck videos and loading pauses are very disappointing and time-consuming.
Keep your information organized in such a way that it never gets lost, and you can quickly find and access it. We recommend using the private chat on the Design League Control panel.
Keep track of your coaching activities and work hours as explained in the answer to “How I should document my coaching work?”. You may extend or format your tracking worksheet upon your convenience, but make sure that it at least captures all the data elements present in the template.
Record your coaching sessions upon permission of your client. This is not necessary, of course, but later you may benefit from these recordings in many ways. For recording Skype sessions, you can choose appropriate software from this list: https://support.skype.com/EN/faq/FA12395/how-can-i-record-my-skype-calls. If you want to record the session, you must always inform the person that the session will be recorded and have his/her agreement explicitly confirmed.
How will I be paid for my coaching service?
You will be paid for 2 hours of coaching (including the actual meetings, preparation and emailing with your coaching client). Your personal rate is a subject of negotiation based on your level of expertise and other factors. Payments will be made upon your billing report at the beginning of each month following the month of service.
How I should document my coaching work?
To simplify things, we suggest using the same format for both keeping record of your work and reporting it. Use a simple tabular format in Excel spreadsheet
Date
Student name
Start time
End time
Total time (minutes)
Billable time (hours)
Brief description of the activity or the subject(s) of discussion
While you report on your coaching work once a month, we highly recommend recording your activities every day. Usually, it takes no more than 15 minutes, but ensures that you do not forget what you did during the day. If you did not have time to record your activities at the end of the day, start the next day with it.
Should I record all of my coaching sessions?
The decision on whether to record or not each coaching session is totally up to you and the student. It is not a requirement. However, keeping and analyzing such recordings may have many benefits. For example, you can use them to improve your coaching practice, cite in your publications, or to prepare your conference talks. In addition, you will have to have a particular amount of recorded and transcribed coaching session time if will you decide to proceed with certification as a professional coach.
Which of my time related to coaching is billable?
Your billable time is, essentially, the one that is confirmed by your coaching student. Usually, it is a time you spend directly communicating – either on a video conference or in a message chat. If your coaching includes the substantial exchange of e-mails, you can also report the time that you spend composing and reading those e-mails.
The coaching time does not include the time that you spend on keeping your records and the time that you spend, for example, on conducting information research that may apply to other students. It also does not include the time that you spend composing some e-mails, such as the welcome e-mail and the e-mails requesting general information. To make efficient use of your time, we recommend you assemble a collection of e-mail templates, which you can reuse for multiple students.
When and how shall I report my work time?
You will have to report your work time at the end of each month of service. Please, submit the summary of your work in the following tabular format:
Starting date of the period of service – usually, the beginning of the month, unless you started later in that month
Ending date of the period of service – usually, the last day of the month, unless your service has ended earlier
Student name – exactly as specified on the student’s Interaction Design Foundation profile
Spent hours – total amount of time spent on this student, including introductory interviews, planning and preparation time
Billable hours – net billable time spent on coaching the student
Comment – brief description of activities and subjects of discussion, as well as any other important information about your service to this student
Upon your convenience, you can instead attach a more detailed report that you use for daily tracking your coaching activities.
Can you recommend something to read on coaching?
While this is not an exhaustive list, you might be interested in reading the following.
Coaching Questions: A Coach's Guide to Powerful Asking by Tony Stoltzfus; Coach 22 Bookstore LLC (December 8, 2013)
This book is great for coaches just starting out or for those that would like an abundance of questions. The questions are organized into specific areas of interest or niches. They are very thought provoking and we recommend that you answer the questions yourself. This way you will have a sense of what your clients will experience.
50 Top Tools for Coaching: A Complete Toolkit for Developing and Empowering People by Gillian Jones and Ro Gorell; Kogan Page, Second Edition (September 15, 2012)
This book serves as a great reference on professional coaching tools. It gives clarity on what processes to use when, how to use them and the types of questions to ask.
Coaching for Breakthrough Success: Proven Techniques for Making Impossible Dreams Possible by Jack Canfield and Peter Chee; McGraw-Hill Education, 1 edition (October 19, 2012)
Written by Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach and Best Selling Author with 500 million copies sold of his book series Chicken Soup for the Soul. The book is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 covers the heart of coaching in 30 principles that explain the role and benefits of coaching. Part 2 explains situational coaching model (SCM) that covers 6 paradigms for success: goals, exploration, analysis, releasing, decision, and action. Part 3 offers many techniques for achieving benefits and overcoming barriers. You can use these techniques with a client or as a self-coaching tool if you need ways to build self-esteem or to get yourself motivated towards making action plans and finally achieving goals.
The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching: A Developmental Approach by Pamela McLean (Author); Jossey-Bass, 2 edition (July 23, 2012)
This compendium gives a comprehensive overview of the coaching process. It acknowledges that coaching requires a methodology to allow the coach and client to stay oriented in what can be a complicated human interaction between coach and client. Pamela McLean captures the best current thinking on what makes coaching effective, how change occurs, and the necessary skillsto become a masterful coach.
Discussing Design: Improving Communication and Collaboration through Critique by Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry; O'Reilly Media, 1 edition (June 17, 2015)
Since you are coaching design professionals, it is important to understand how to use critique to help them strengthen their designs, products, and services. In this practical guide, authors Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry teach you techniques, tools, and a framework for helping designers to give and receive constructive critique. This book examines the good, the bad, and the ugly of feedback, and suggests strategies for dealing with difficult people and challenging situations.
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapyby David D. Burns M.D.; Harper Reprint edition (November 20, 2012)
This book has become a classic on cognitive therapy of depressions. Even though your coaching is not supposed to be a therapy, it will give you a rock-solid approach to overcoming limiting beliefs and emotional blocks of your coaching clients.
Design League
What’s the difference between the Design League Membership and doing a Bootcamp?
The Design League membership is a monthly membership that gives you 2 hours of non-structured discussion time with a mentor each month. However, the Design League does not include mentor participation outside of the 2 hours of calls.
If you’d like more hands-on guidance than what the Design League offers, the bootcamp could be right for you. In contrast to a Design League membership type, the bootcamp is a full-fledged program packed with guidance from a mentor and instructor.
As you learn fundamental theory and concepts, you'll be guided by experienced instructors.
When you work on practical projects, your mentor will help you every step of the way.
Moreover, if you enjoy learning with your peers, the bootcamp also includes peer reviews and discussion forums.
In short, as compared to the Design League, the bootcamp offers a more structured approach to learning, and more opportunities to interact with mentors, instructors and fellow students.
How is the Design League different from the Student or Professional membership?
The major difference is that with the Design League you will have a personal coach. Your coach will help you:
Set your learning objectives so that you would gain more value over a shorter period of time.
Boost your career by building a solid professional portfolio and reaching out to the right audience.
Like the Student and Professional memberships, the Design League also gives you unlimited access to all our courses and textbooks.
Why would I want to work with a coach?
Some of the reasons to work with a coach are:
Something urgent, compelling or exciting is at stake (a challenge, stretch goal or opportunity)
A gap exists in current knowledge, skills, confidence or resources
A desire to accelerate results
A lack of clarity with the choices that need to be made
Success has started to become problematic
Work is out of balance, creating unwanted consequences
Core strengths need to be identified, along with how best to leverage them
What can a coach do for me?
Coaching is a thought-provoking and creative collaboration that inspires you to maximize your professional potential. This is particularly important in today’s uncertain, complex, and highly competitive environment.
The coach's responsibility is to:
Discover, clarify, and align with what you want to achieve
Encourage your self-discovery
Elicit your own generation of solutions and strategies
Hold you responsible and accountable, for both your achievements and areas requiring improvement
This process will help you dramatically improve your outlook on work and life through improving your leadership skills and unlocking your potential.
Shouldn't I be able to reach my goals on my own?
Of course, you should. No one but yourself can reach your goals. However, consider the following: While it is the athlete, not the coach, who wins the Olympics, no athlete would ever think of going to the Olympics without the support of a coach. Note that the coach does not necessarily have to be a world champion himself – they are just someone who can provide a clear and unbiased view of your potential and the opportunities to deploy it. This is a special, and entirely different, skillset.
Who are the IxDF Design League coaches and how do I choose one?
All of our coaches are selected experts with over 10 years of experience in the design field.
You will be able to choose your coach immediately after signing up and their job is to assist you in achieving your professional goals.
For example, think of a strong partnership that you currently have in your work or life. Look at how you built that relationship and what is important to you about that partnership. You will want to create the same things through this coaching relationship.
Here are a few other tips for choosing your coach:
Study their profiles. Check their areas of specialization, native language, time zone, and availability. Choose those who seem to fit well with your preferences and life schedule.
Look for stylistic similarities and differences between yourself and the coach, and how these might support your growth as an individual or the growth of your team, for example.
Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach's specialism or the coach's preferred way of working with an individual or team.
Moreover, if you are not satisfied with your coach’s performance – or if you want to change your coach for any other reason – you can do so without any problems or bad feelings.
How can I pay for my Design League membership?
The payment method is the same as for the Professional membership, except that it is paid monthly rather than yearly.
How should I choose my activities in the Design League?
The Interaction Design Foundation Design League suggests a number of typical activities that will help you organize yourself when working towards achieving your professional goals, as well as how to make the best use of your Design League membership.
These include taking training courses, participating in activities and discussions of the professional community, authoring professional articles or books, speaking at conferences, or playing a local leadership role. In addition to this, you can create your own custom activities according to your personal needs.
Your coach will be there to help you decide on which activities you are optimal for you. To choose your activities within the Interaction Design Foundation Design League:
Open your profile by clicking the “Profile” link on the Interaction Design Foundation navigation bar.
Click the “Interaction Design Foundation Design League Control Panel” link at the top of your profile page.
On the Interaction Design Foundation Design League Control Panel, scroll down to the “Choose Your Activities" section.
Explore available activities and courses to get an idea of what you could do. Take note of those that might be of interest to you.
Talk to your coach to discuss your goals and the upcoming actions that you are plan to take in order to achieve them.
Open each activity that you have decided to perform, and then click “Save to my activities” button.
How will coaching occur? How can I contact my coach?
Coaching occurs online via Skype or an alternative teleconferencing tool that allows transferring voice and video. A typical session is 30-60 minutes long and is focused on a specific topic or set of topics.
The coaching sessions are usually organized in advance – at least 24 hours before – to give both you and your coach enough time to prepare. It may include defining the questions to be answered, identifying viable alternatives, and assembling supporting materials.
During each session, you and your coach will discuss the topics according to the predefined agenda, and make a plan for the next session(s).
How much coaching time will I have within my Design League membership?
Your Design League membership gives you 120 minutes of coaching per month. This is a decent amount of time if used wisely. We recommend breaking it down into four 30-minutes sessions, one per week. We also encourage our coaches to be well prepared and super-focused during each session.
Can I get additional coaching time?
If you need it, you can request additional coaching time on top of what you have within your Design League membership. However, this shall be discussed on an individual basis. Please write us an e-mail explaining your personal needs, and we will get back to you with viable options.
What should I talk about with my coach?
During the initial discussions with your coach, you should briefly outline your experience and current situation, and explain both your career and life goals. Your subsequent coaching sessions will then focus on defining a path to achieving them. Further meetings should be dedicated to reviewing your progress and making corrections as necessary. Specific topics may include:
Training courses and self-study materials that you might benefit from
Certification targets and requirements
Preparation of articles and conference talks
Project and professional activities personally recommended for you
Targeting specific job positions or employers and meeting corresponding requirements
Positioning and pitching yourself as a professional within the industry
What should I do if I have any concerns with the quality of coaching?
If you are not satisfied with your coach partnership, you can easily switch to another coach. To do this, simply navigate to your IxDF Design League Control panel, scroll down to available coaches and choose the one you like to choose as your new coach.
You do not have to explain the rationale for your decision.
However, we are continuously working on improving our service, and we would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have. In addition, if you have already spent some hours with your previous coach, we may get back to you for understanding whether the previous coach should bill for that time.
How many times can I change my coach during a single month?
Technically, we do not limit the number of times you can change your coach. However, if you want to change to a second coach within a single month, we highly recommend contacting us before doing so. This may mean that you are having difficulty selecting a coach that meets your specific needs. In this case, you might benefit from our advice.
How can I cancel my Design League membership?
At any given time, you can downgrade your Interaction Design Foundation Design League membership to a professional membership via the Billings tab in your personal profile, or simply cancel your account altogether.
Can I join the Interaction Design Foundation Design League to get assistance with a short-term, special project?
Of course you can. You should not expect, however, that the Design League will magically do the project for you. You still will be fully accountable and responsible for it. What you can expect though is that your coach will help you streamline completion of the project by shifting or expanding your perspective, boosting your creativity, getting you unstuck with decision making, or suggesting alternative approaches.
You can also initiate a discussion of your project in one of our forums and get the advice of other members of the IxDF Design League.
Local Groups - QA's for Managers
What are the responsibilities of being an Interaction Design Foundation Country Manager?
The IxDF Local Group Initiative is run in line with our Mission Statement — educating, stimulating, and inspiring the global design community. The goal is to create vibrant local groups all over the world where people frequently meet up with great interactions.
The IxDF Local Group Continent and Country Managers play a vital role in ensuring the growth of our local group initiative.
The estimated work burden of a Country Manager is 1-2 effective hours per week.
A Country Manager must continually make sure that each Local Leader in his/her country is doing their best to keep the activity level of each Local Group as high as possible. In the event that a Local Group’s activity level is dropping, the Country Manager should make sure that the given Local Leader is doing a reasonable effort to restore a high activity level. If not, the Country Manager should help the current Local Leader select a co-Local Leader — or replace the current Local Leader.
A Country Manager should support Local Leaders by answering their questions, concerns, and doubts. The Country Manager should also collate and filter this feedback and report it to the Continent Manager.
At certain intervals — for example, every 3 to 6 months — the Country Manager should send out an email (perhaps a type of newsletter) to all local group members in that country and tell them about success stories of various local groups.
The Country Manager should suggest to the Continent Manager ways to minimize the work burden on himself/herself, while maximizing the impact of his/her work — e.g., smart work processes, better document templates, better email notifications, improvements of the Local Group Management Interface, more automatization, etc…
A Continent's key performance indicators are
Activity level (benchmarked against the other countries)
Member satisfaction with events and online interaction with other local group members (this measure is yet to be defined)
Company Membership Administration
What happens when I remove a member from a Company Account?
When you remove a member, he/she will receive a very polite email from our member support staff saying that his/her account has now been detached from your company account. In the email, we will also explain that the member will now continue as an individual member. This means that the given member will be able to continue his/her membership uninterrupted—if he/she wishes. At this point, the member can also choose not to renew his/her individual membership and thus leave the Interaction Design Foundation altogether.
What happens when I promote a member to Company Administrator?
If you are an Administrator of a Company Membership, you can promote (or demote, add or remove) other members of the account. Regular members of a Company Account cannot perform these tasks.
As an Administrator, that member will be able to perform the same administrative tasks as you—for example, promote, demote, add or remove other members of the Company Membership.
What happens when I demote an Administrator to Regular Member?
After you demote a member, they will become a regular member of your Company Membership. That member will no longer be able to perform administrative tasks.
We will send a polite email to inform the person about the change of status.
Can a Company Membership Administrator check employee compliance—i.e., can he/she see how active other company members are?
For Company Memberships, the unique dashboard provides the assigned administrators with an overview of the progress
of all enrolled employees, including:
total number of seats used
total accumulated learning hours
total course enrollments and completions
total of how many members have enrolled in local groups
Additionally, the built-in leaderboard shows the rankings within your team or enterprise on:
total learning hours
total course points
total course completions
For a more in-depth view of a member’s progress, a detailed dashboard allows administrators to see per-member
learning hours on a weekly basis and in total. The advanced dashboard also details course enrollments &
completions.
The account administrators can additionally check the compliance of members and their activity level through
course certificates & distinctions.
For each course that a member of your account completes, we list the relevant course certificates on their public
profile page. Courses they are in the process of completing are displayed under a section titled "Courses this
member is taking".
Furthermore, If a member of your account has achieved a particularly good result on a course, the course
certificate will include a distinction—e.g. "Top 10% course taker." Distinctions are also awarded
for being highly active – eg. “Top discussion contributor” is awarded to those who use forums to seek advice &
stimulate conversations.
Account Administrators cannot read the individual course answers submitted by an employee, or see their day-to-day
progress in a given course, but the result of their activities, i.e. course certificates & distinctions, is
always visible on the dashboards.
Conclusion:
The features above make it possible for administrators of Company Memberships to see:
how many courses an employee is taking
how many hours an employee has spent learning
how many courses an employee has finished
which courses an employee is taking
if an employee has finished a course in the top of his/her class (i.e. a distinction on the course
certificate)
if an employee has earned other distinctions, e.g., when being proactive in the discussions on the Interaction
Design Foundation platform
In a Company Membership, can users be rotated? For example, can different employees use 3 months each of one user’s yearly membership?
Unfortunately, no.
User profiles and progress are not transferable within Company Memberships, meaning that when a single user is signed up within such a membership, they are enrolled for a year. You will also not be able to remove a member in order to “free up” a space for another colleague. In other words, one user’s yearly access to courses cannot be used by multiple people.
With the incredible savings you obtain from the Interaction Design Foundation’s flat-fee pricing, it still remains highly cost-effective to add new users individually to your membership. Get in touch with us to find out how.
Refer a friend
Is there a limit to the number of months of free membership I can earn?
No, there's no limit! Feel free to invite as many friends/colleagues/acquaintances as you’d like via our Refer-a-friend scheme.
What if my friend who signed up cancels their membership?
If your friend cancels their membership within 14 days of signing up, your free months of membership will be forfeited. However, if your friend cancels their membership after 14 days since signing up, you'll get to keep your free months!
Educational Partner
Is there a limit to the referral commission I can earn?
No, there's no limit! As long as you keep sharing your unique referral URL, and people from your network keep using it to join our community, you'll earn a commission on each successful referral.
What if someone who signed up for a membership via my referral link cancels their membership?
Our free cancellation period is 14 days from the date a person signs up for a membership. Therefore, if someone cancels their membership within 14 days of signing up, you will forfeit the referral commission you earned from that person. However, if the person cancels their membership beyond 14 days since signing up, you'll still get to keep your referral commission!
Add Banner to Wordpress Sites
I would like to add my invite link to the sidebar of my Wordpress website.
1. Upload the image to your Wordpress media library. Upload your image by going to “Media > Add New” in your Wordpress admin site.
2. After uploading your image, copy the URL to the image by going to your media library and clicking on the photo. 3. Add an image widget to your sidebar. To add an image to your sidebar, go to “Appearance > Widgets” in your Wordpress admin site.
4. Select the Image widget, and add it to your sidebar by clicking “Add Widget”. 5. Customize your image widget. Customize your image by filling in the respective fields. We recommend the following settings, but feel free to change these and experiment!
If you’re using any of the Interaction Design Foundation logo designs:
Widget title: “Get two months of membership for free!”
Image URL: Insert the URL of your image here (see step 1 for more info).
Caption: “I am a member of the Interaction Design Foundation – get two free months of membership if you sign up via this image!”
Image alignment: Center
Link URL: Insert your invite link here.
If you’re using any of the graphical banner designs:
Widget title: “Get three free months of membership!”
Image URL: Insert the URL of your image here (see step 1 for more info).
Image alignment: Center
Link URL: Insert your invite link here.
Start getting free months of membership!
You’re done! For every one of your readers who sign up, you’ll get one month of free membership!
I would like to add my invite link to a post or page in my Wordpress website.
1. Add the image to your Wordpress post or page. Click the “Add Media” button to insert your image.
2. Add your personal link to the image. With the image selected, click the “Insert/edit link” button.
3. Enter your invite link to the URL field. If you’re using any of the Interaction Design Foundation logo designs, do add some text beneath the image, such as: “I am a member of the Interaction Design Foundation – get two free months of membership if you sign up via this link!” You can add your invite link to the words “this link” using the same method as above.
Publish your post / page Once you’re done with writing your post or page, publish it!
Start getting free months of membership! You’re done! For every one of your readers who sign up, you’ll get one month of free membership!
Group Discussions in a lesson
How do I take a screenshot — for easy uploading to a discussion?
Take a Screenshot — with a PC
Use the PRT SCR or PRT SC button to capture the screenshot.
Open Paint (or in early versions of Windows MS Paint).
Click CTRL + V to paste the screenshot into Paint.
Save the screenshot in Paint.
Note: You can use any art package on your PC instead of Paint if you wish. We have chosen Paint because it comes as a standard part of the operating system.
Take a Screenshot — with a Mac
Press Command + Shift + 3 to take a screenshot.
The screenshot is saved on the desktop as a .PNG file.
Use the Snipping Tool — on a PC
Search
for ‘Snipping Tool’ inside your computer.
Press ‘New’ (see screenshot below).
Your screen will freeze and you’ll be able to select
the area that you want to create an image from.
Once you've selected the image, select File > Save As to
save what you’ve captured as an image.
How do I upload a screenshot to a discussion?
Click the Insert Image button on the header row of the discussion comment box.
Either drag the file to the Insert Image box or click "Choose File" and select the file from your local drive.
Payment
Which Credit or Debit card can I use to pay my membership?
We accept Visa, MasterCard and American Express cards — bothdebit cards and credit cards. Depending on which country you live, you should be able to use your debit or credit card using PayPal checkout (even without having a PayPal account).
Is your card getting declined?
Possible reasons
The IxDF is registered in Denmark, and that could make the transaction appear as an "overseas charge". This could cause your bank's security system to block the transaction.
Your account is lacking sufficient funds.
There is a temporary technical problem between your bank and the payment gateway.
Possible ways of fixing it
Try using another credit card
Simply go through the process again but choose PayPal as the payment method. You do NOT have to have or create a Paypal account — you can simply let Paypal process your credit card and that will likely solve the problem.
Call your bank to check if the "overseas charge" has triggered the security system and blocked the transaction. You can request the bank to approve the transaction before making another attempt.
Can you send me an invoice and may I pay by wire transfer?
Yes! Please contact our member support at hello@interaction-design.org and they will provide all the information you need to do a wire transfer to our account in Denmark.
My card was declined. What do I do?
At the Interaction Design Foundation, we never decline your card. It's always your bank.
Possible reasons for getting declined:
We're registered in Denmark. Your bank might have blocked your transaction as an overseas charge.
Temporary technical problem between your bank and the payment gateway.
How to fix the problem:
Check your credit/debit card information is correctly entered, and try again with the same card.
Try again with another credit/debit card, or use your credit card through PayPal instead.
Call your bank to find out the reason for the decline.
UX Fundamentals Bootcamp
What's the difference between taking an IxDF course and taking an IxDF bootcamp?
The IxDF courses are self-paced and designed for independent study without the assistance of a mentor or instructor.
Whereas, with an IxDF bootcamp, you’ll have:
An in-depth curriculum + recommended schedule of daily and weekly activities
Live class discussions with an instructor
Personalized feedback on projects and peer critiques from your mentor
Discussions and forums with your fellow students
A virtual classroom and common room environment
Will I be able to take the bootcamp if English is not my first language?
You can take the bootcamp as long as you are comfortable with reading, writing and speaking English—even if it isn't your first language
We welcome students from around the world, and in recognition of the fact that English will not be everyone’s first language, we’ve maintained a simple level of English in all our materials. And if you occasionally do get stuck, don’t worry—your mentor will be able to help you!
How many hours per week do I need to spend on the bootcamp?
You’ll spend 8-10 hours per week on the bootcamp, which includes project work, lessons, class discussions with the instructor and meetings with your mentor.
What makes an IxDF bootcamp different from the others?
Over the 19 years that we've been helping people start their careers in UX and related fields, we've constantly worked to understand what employers expect from aspiring designers, and where conventional bootcamps fail to deliver. Time and time again, employers have reported the same concern to us—that many popular bootcamps fail to produce students with the adequate depth and breadth to work effectively in a real UX or product team.
Many bootcamps pack introductions to UI, User Research and Design Thinking into a single bootcamp, often leaving students without enough time or opportunity to really master each area. Since these bootcamps do not offer enough depth and breadth in these areas, their students are often unable to showcase the expected variety and mastery of concepts to employers.
At IxDF, each bootcamp will give you exactly the kind of breadth and depth employers expect in each area. You'll devote an entire 12-week bootcamp to learning about a specific domain, and you'll create a Capstone Project with tons of real deliverables for your portfolio. At the same time, because each specialisation gets its own bootcamp, you still have the freedom to pick only those that are relevant to your goals.
Even better—once you complete 3 of these specialized bootcamps, you are eligible to join the elite IxDF UX Certification Program where you'll be certified by an expert panel as a professional UX designer, and you'll get a 6-month job guarantee along with comprehensive help with job applications, interviews and presentations.
In a nutshell:
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
What design tools will I learn in the bootcamp?
You'll learn how to use Figma and Mural—both tools are used widely in real design teams and will prepare you to take on future learning and project work with greater ease.
What kind of projects will I work on?
Practical project work accounts for about 60% of what you'll do in the bootcamp. This will be a combination of standalone practice activities, as well as Capstone Project Work, which refers to a series of individual assignments connected to the Capstone Project Brief you choose at the start, ultimately forming your Capstone Presentation at the end of the bootcamp.
Whatever the type of practical work, you’ll create real deliverables that you’ll encounter when you work in a real design or product team. Each of these deliverables will make perfect additions to your portfolio.
Can the bootcamp fit around my current job or studies?
Absolutely! We believe no one should have to put their life on hold to learn and improve their careers, so you can rest assured that with IxDF bootcamps, you'll never have to.
The bootcamp is fully online and part-time, where you'll have the flexibility to learn across 12 weeks. While you will need to be available at specific times for live lectures and meetings, these will be during weekdays at specific times that you will know well in advance.
To make it even easier for you to plan your schedule, we've maintained these activities on the same day most weeks. For example, live class discussions may always fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time, allowing you to plan other meetings and errands around it easily.
You can also work on lessons and project work flexibly based on your schedule. Deadlines, while strict, are spaced well enough to give you time for your job, studies or busy home life.
Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied?
If you're unhappy with your bootcamp experience, you can inform us at any time and we'll do our best to find a resolution for you. If despite our best efforts, you still wish to quit the bootcamp, you can request a refund. To be eligible for the refund, you should request it within the first 14 days of the bootcamp.
Beyond the 14 days, we don't process refunds. However, if there's anything we can improve or fix for you, you will have our dedicated support right through the bootcamp.
What’s the difference between the Design League Membership and doing a Bootcamp?
The Design League membership is a monthly membership that gives you 2 hours of non-structured discussion time with a mentor each month. However, the Design League does not include mentor participation outside of the 2 hours of calls.
If you’d like more hands-on guidance than what the Design League offers, the bootcamp could be right for you. In contrast to a Design League membership type, the bootcamp is a full-fledged program packed with guidance from a mentor and instructor.
As you learn fundamental theory and concepts, you'll be guided by experienced instructors.
When you work on practical projects, your mentor will help you every step of the way.
Moreover, if you enjoy learning with your peers, the bootcamp also includes peer reviews and discussion forums.
In short, as compared to the Design League, the bootcamp offers a more structured approach to learning, and more opportunities to interact with mentors, instructors and fellow students.
Can I take the bootcamp even if I'm not based in the US?
Absolutely, the bootcamp is open to students from around the world! After you sign up, you'll also get to choose from at least 2 options of timings for live class discussions, and you'll be paired with a mentor in a time zone that's suitable for you.
You'll learn alongside students from all over the world, and our team of mentors and instructors is similarly global and diverse.
Can I specialize in a specific area of UX, UI or research in the bootcamp?
Every IxDF bootcamp is inherently specialized in nature. IxDF offers bootcamps specializing in UX Design, Design Thinking, User Research and UI Design (releasing in October 2021). In each of these bootcamps, you will dive very deep into conceptual and practical work and emerge with a solid foundation and the skills to put that foundation to use in the real world.
Within each bootcamp, you can customize many aspects of your project briefs and choose to work in a domain that interests you.
Employers want to see depth and variety in portfolios, which students struggle to achieve through conventional bootcamps that are also longer and more expensive. IxDF offers shorter, specialized bootcamps for a fraction of the price which help students to achieve mastery over UX and related fields, making them better prepared for the demands of a real job and giving them an advantage even in a competitive job market.
I have absolutely no prior experience related to UX. Will I be able to take the bootcamp?
Definitely! The bootcamp is designed with complete beginners in mind. You don’t need any prior conceptual or practical knowledge in the field to take this bootcamp. You will learn by doing and your work will be continuously evaluated by your expert mentor to keep you on the right track. You will also learn the most essential theory aspects through lessons and through class discussions with your instructor.
Is there any placement or career support with the bootcamp?
This bootcamp by itself does not come with placement or career support. That said, the bootcamp will train you in many areas that will make it much easier for you to find and land your dream job. You'll learn to:
Create and present real deliverables in a compelling way
Work with peers in a group to give and receive feedback in a team-like environment
Think like a designer and solve real-world problems
Manage and meet deadlines
Present your process like real professionals do
Will I get a certificate once I complete an IxDF bootcamp?
Yes, you’ll get a digital certificate that’s displayed on your IxDF profile, and you can also share it on LinkedIn like all our course certificates. You'll also receive a downloadable copy that you can print and share if any employers or recruiters need you to.
What is the quality of IxDF bootcamps compared to other UX bootcamps?
The content in IxDF courses and bootcamps are developed by and with industry-recognized leaders in UX Design. Just like in our self-paced courses, the content in the bootcamp is created by people who have both worked in the industry and taught UX academically. This means that you’ll learn from people who are experts at teaching UX concepts and are also extremely well-versed with the nuances, demands and responsibilities of a real UX job.
Our selection process for mentors and instructors is extremely rigorous and selective. We go the extra mile to ensure that all our bootcamp teaching staff are equally skilled as educators and practitioners, with a proven track-record and 5-15 years of experience. In this aspect, IxDF bootcamps are ahead of the industry—many other bootcamps hire their own recent graduates as instructors. At IxDF, we insist that our instructors have worked on varied projects and held leadership roles in the industry.
If I purchase one bootcamp, will I get access to all other bootcamps?
When you sign up for a bootcamp, you get access just to the specific bootcamp that you signed up for. If you'd like to join other bootcamps, you will have to sign up for them individually.
If you work or study full-time, we recommend taking only 1 bootcamp at a time so that you can manage the workload and time commitments without getting burnt out. We have rolling enrolments for all bootcamps, so you can always start with one bootcamp and make your way through the others without waiting too long.
What live classes and meetings are in the UX Fundamentals bootcamp, and at what time?
The bootcamp includes mandatory live interactions such as:
Online classes with your instructor (1-2/week for 1 hour each)
Mentor workshops or Group critiques (1/week for 1 hour)
1:1 meetings with your mentor (1/week for 30 minutes)
Additionally, you can book OPTIONAL office hours with your instructor for 20 minutes. This is not mandatory, and is available once per week on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Available time slots
For the UX Fundamentals bootcamp, these are the time slots you can choose from:
9 AM Central European Time (CET)
9 AM Pacific Time (PT)
To help you visualise this, here's how a typical week in the UX Fundamentals bootcamp would look:
Monday: No mandatory live classes or meetings (Optional office hours with the instructor—20 min slots available from 9:00-11:30 AM)
Tuesday: Live Class (Mandatory)—9-10 AM
Wednesday: Live Class (Mandatory)—9-10 AM
Thursday: Mentor Workshop (Mandatory)—9-10 AM
Friday: Mentor 1:1 (Mandatory)—30 min slots available from 9:00-11:30 AM
Attendance and Re-watching sessions
Live classes with the instructor and mentor workshops will be recorded and available to watch again. However, you still need to maintain minimum attendance requirements for these sessions.
Live Classes: 65% minimum attendance
Mentor Workshops and 1:1s: 75% minimum attendance
How to fit the bootcamp into a busy schedule
Most weeks, these events will occur on the same day at or around the same time slot you have chosen, giving you consistency, flexibility and visibility to plan ahead.
For instance, if these time slots occur in the middle of your work day, you can block out 9-10 AM and request your manager and colleagues not to book meetings with you during this hour.
The bootcamp also includes project work and theory lessons—you can do them whenever your schedule permits (before work, after work, on weekends, etc.). These components do have deadlines, but they're very well-spaced and generous so as to take the pressure off you.
What is the attendance criteria in the bootcamp?
Live classes with the instructor and mentor workshops will be recorded and available to watch again. However, you still need to maintain minimum attendance requirements for these sessions.
Live Classes: 65% minimum attendance
Mentor Workshops and 1:1s: 75% minimum attendance
What do you mean by "part-time" bootcamp? Can I study at my own pace or only when I'm free?
Part-time in the context of the bootcamp means that you only need 8-10 hours per week to do the bootcamp; this means you don't need to study full-time (usually equal to 40 hours/week), and you can do the bootcamp even if you work full-time or have demanding commitments like being the primary caretaker to children and family.
That said, because the bootcamp is a more immersive and intensive learning experience than a regular online course, there are certain events you have to be present for at a specific time. And there are deadlines for your coursework.
You can do the project work and theory lessons whenever your schedule permits (before work, after work, on weekends, etc.). These components do have deadlines, but they're very well-spaced and generous so as to take the pressure off you.
When it comes to live classes, live workshops and mentor 1:1s, you have some flexibility when it comes to choosing from the available time slots—but once you have chosen a time slot, you are required to be present for these sessions and meet minimum attendance requirements.
These sessions usually happen at the time slot you have chosen. They occur 3-4 times a week, for a maximum of 1 hour. Because of this, you can easily plan around them and fit them into your schedule by simply blocking your chosen hour out for the bootcamp during the week.
My working hours conflict with the available time slots for classes in the bootcamp. What can I do?
Sometimes, the 1-hour time slots available for class discussions and mentor workshops can fall within your work timings. In this case, you could benefit from speaking to your manager and colleagues and requesting them to excuse you for just this 1 hour period. In such cases, you could work an extra hour of the day to compensate, and schedule your meetings around the bootcamp. And since one bootcamp takes only 12 weeks, so it is a minor, short-term adjustment for you and your colleagues.
Many of our students have used this approach and found that they not only got the space they needed to accommodate the bootcamp, but they were also appreciated for taking the time to up-skill themselves.
Get a New Job in UX Design Bootcamp
Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied?
If you're unhappy with your bootcamp experience, you can inform us at any time and we'll do our best to find a resolution for you. If despite our best efforts, you still wish to quit the bootcamp, you can request a refund. To be eligible for the refund, you should request it within the first 14 days of the bootcamp.
Beyond the 14 days, we don't process refunds. However, if there's anything we can improve or fix for you, you will have our dedicated support right through the bootcamp.
Will I get a certificate once I complete an IxDF bootcamp?
Yes, you’ll get a digital certificate that’s displayed on your IxDF profile, and you can also share it on LinkedIn like all our course certificates. You'll also receive a downloadable copy that you can print and share if any employers or recruiters need you to.
If I purchase one bootcamp, will I get access to all other bootcamps?
When you sign up for a bootcamp, you get access just to the specific bootcamp that you signed up for. If you'd like to join other bootcamps, you will have to sign up for them individually.
If you work or study full-time, we recommend taking only 1 bootcamp at a time so that you can manage the workload and time commitments without getting burnt out. We have rolling enrolments for all bootcamps, so you can always start with one bootcamp and make your way through the others without waiting too long.
Do I need any prior design skills or education to enroll?
If you're a beginner in UX Design, then the UX Fundamentals bootcamp is the one for you. You don't need any prior experience to take this bootcamp, and you can enroll right away to get started.
If you're interested in the Get a New Job In UX Design bootcamp, you should note that it is best suited for those who have a working knowledge of UX design. To enroll in the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp, you don't need prior
experience working as a designer, and you don't need any particular educational qualifications. But to truly benefit
from the bootcamp, you should know foundational design concepts, and have basic practical and technical UX skills.
If you're already a Professional member, it means you already have access to these courses
and you can take them all right away. If you are a Student member, or you plan to sign up for a Student membership,
you can take 2 of the courses at a time.
If you're preparing to join the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp, we also recommend learning how to use some commonly used UI/UX
design software, which you can learn from free official or online tutorials. This will prepare you for
portfolio-work.
Already a member of the Interaction
Design Foundation? Make use of these pro-tips!
1. To gain practical skills with UX
design tools, you can benefit from exclusive discounts on design tools available through our Product
Partners. 2. Want to take the preparatory courses at a faster
pace? Skip the weekly wait for new lessons by requesting full access to the courses.
PLEASE NOTE—if you are already
enrolled in any of these courses, then you need to drop them before you request full access, which will reset your progress in those courses.
I'm interested in enrolling for the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp, and I'd like to prepare for it by
taking some courses in full without waiting for each week's lessons. Could you please give me full access to these
courses? - Become a UX Designer From Scratch - How To Create a UX Portfolio - Human-Computer
Interaction - Design Thinking
Thanks so much!
Can this bootcamp fit around my current job or studies?
The UX Fundamentals bootcamp is fully online and part-time, where you'll spend about 20-25 hours each week for 12 weeks. Live lectures and meetings with your mentor will be during weekdays at specific times, and you will need to be available at those times. If your job or studies are part-time or offer flexible hours, you will be able to take this bootcamp alongside them and your mentor can help you put together a plan that works around your schedule.
The Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp is also completely online, but since it is meant for those with an existing working knowledge of UX, it is self-paced. This means you can customize exactly how much time you'll be able to spend on it each day. Working with your mentor, you can put together a plan that works around your schedule.
How much time will I have to spend every day on the bootcamp?
In the UX Fundamentals bootcamp, you will spend about 20-25 hours each week for 12 weeks on bootcamp-related lessons, project work and more.
In the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp, the time you spend on the bootcamp per day will boil down to the specific projects on which you work with your
mentor. You can customize
exactly how much time you'll be able to spend on the bootcamp, and your mentor can put together a plan that works
around your schedule
What are my chances to get a job in UX design with this bootcamp?
The UX Fundamentals bootcamp is designed for those who are just getting started with learning UX. Since its primary aim is to teach students essential concepts in UX, it is not focused on job readiness.
If you already have a working knowledge of UX and essential technical skills, then the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp can help you maximize your chances of success in the UX job search. This happens through:
Personal guidance for your career, including advice towards applying to your dream, real-life UX job postings
Lifetime access to resources that will help you improve your resume and interview skills
Lifetime access to project briefs, so that even after the bootcamp, you can continue applying what you learned towards expanding your portfolio
A consultation and networking session with a design recruiter where you will get advice from an actual UX hiring expert, and get your portfolio reviewed and critiqued by your peers who are taking the bootcamp alongside you
You'll emerge from the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp with a compelling portfolio, interviewing and negotiation skills, expert advice and most importantly—the confidence to sail through the UX job hunt.
What kind of projects will I work on?
In the UX Fundamentals bootcamp, you will have practical project work that is deeply connected to the lessons you'll go through with your instructor and coach. Since the focus is on mastering essential and fundamental UX concepts, you will not focus on portfolio building at this stage,
The Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp is focused on portfolio building, so it naturally involves more advanced, portfolio-oriented project work, with 30+ project briefs for you to choose from. These briefs match the kind of projects
real UX designers work on. You also have the option to create your own briefs to work with, and customize the scope of any project brief towards a specialization—so if you want to work on UI Design
projects, User Research projects, Design Thinking projects and more, this is possible within the scope of
the bootcamp.
What Return on Investment (ROI) can I expect from my investment?
UX designer salaries are soaring upwards of $110,000 per year in cities like San Francisco and New York, and even
in other cities, designers earn a salary of around $70,000. You can therefore earn 85x the cost of this bootcamp in
just your first year of employment!
Here are some job statistics for UX designers in the United States:
Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied?
If you're unhappy with your bootcamp experience, you can inform us at any time and we'll do our best to find a
resolution for you. If despite our best efforts, you still wish to quit the bootcamp, you can request a refund. To
be eligible for the refund, you should request it within the first 14 days of the bootcamp, and you should have
completed a maximum of 1 video session with your mentor.
Beyond the 14 days, we don't process refunds.
However, if there's anything we can improve or fix for you, you will have our dedicated support right through the
bootcamp.
What design tools will I learn in the bootcamp?
In the UX Fundamentals bootcamp, you'll learn how to use Figma and Miro. Since this bootcamp is meant for beginners, you'll learn these two tools in the bootcamp as a way to make further learning and practice easier for you.
In the Get a New Job in UX Design bootcamp, you are already expected to know how to use UX design tools before you begin. If you do not know how to use any UX design tools, we recommend
that you learn how to use 1-2 design tools before you join the bootcamp. Fortunately, there are
tons of free and official resources and tutorials you can use to learn design tools of your choice. This way, you can focus your efforts and valuable mentor sessions to focus on actual projects for your portfolio, rather than basic queries about using design tools. But, if you find yourself stuck while creating your
portfolio, you can always ask your mentor for assistance.
Will I be able to take the bootcamp even if English is not my first language?
As long as you’re able to have conversations in
English, you’ll benefit from the full extent of the bootcamp without a doubt. The skills the bootcamp
will give you are not language-dependent. The skills and concepts you learn will be transferable across languages and
cultures.
Master Classes
Why aren’t the Master Class webinars free of cost for members?
While the Master Class webinars aren’t free, they are open to both members and non-members of Interaction Design Foundation. While non-members pay $30 per webinar, members pay only $3. We charge this nominal fee to cover a few costs associated with producing the webinars, including:
The cost of using Zoom as our webinar partner. Zoom is one of the most reliable webinar hosting platforms, but it’s also one of the most expensive. We chose quality over affordability to bring you a better viewing experience, and the nominal fee we charge helps us cover these costs, without making the webinars expensive.
Along with the cost of Zoom, we also cover webinar costs associated with servers, payment gateways and code maintenance. In fact, 40 cents off every dollar in a transaction goes towards just the payment gateway alone!
Charging this small fee goes a long way in helping us cover these costs and enables us to continue to bring you high-quality content with the best experts.
Will the Master Class webinar be recorded?
Absolutely! Every Master Class webinar is recorded by default, and if you register, you will automatically receive the link to the recording a few hours after the broadcast ends.
What happens if I can't attend a Master Class webinar live?
No problem at all—as long as you make sure to register for it, you’ll receive a recording link a few hours after the broadcast ends. This way, you can catch up on everything that happens in the live session. But, do be sure to register, as the recording is only sent to registered attendees!
I’m a member, but when I try to register for the Master Class webinar, I’m being charged the non-member price. How can I get the discounted price for members?
Please double-check the email address you are using to register for the webinar. You must be logged into your IxDF account in order to avail the special member price.
If you use another email address, our system will not recognize you as a member. As long as you’re using the correct email address as a member, you will receive the special member price.
I just signed up for a Master Class webinar—what's next?
Once you register, you’ll receive an email from Zoom, our webinar partner. This email contains the link you’ll need to join the Master Class webinar during the broadcast.
This email is sent from noreply@zoom.us so if you can’t locate it in your inbox, please check your Spam folder. If you still cannot locate this email, please reach out to mads.soegaard@interaction-design.org and we'll help you out!
I signed up for a Master Class webinar which aired recently, but I cannot find the recording in my email inbox. What can I do?
The email with the recording is sent automatically to all registrants. However, because it contains links, it might get blocked by your spam filters.
In case you have not received it, please search your Spam for an email from mads.soegaard@interaction-design.org received on the date of the webinar in question. If you still cannot locate it, please send an email to this very same email address and we will help you!
I missed registering for some of the Master Class webinars hosted in previous months. How can I get access to them now?
Some of our past Master Classes are available on-demand at https://www.interaction-design.org/master-classes
We’re constantly working to make recent Master Classes available on demand, so you can keep checking this page for new additions!
I’m a member, but I cannot see all the Master Classes I purchased on my profile. How can I find the ones that are missing?
Many of the past Master Classes have been edited and uploaded to our platform so that our members can view them conveniently in one place.
After each Master Class broadcast, our video editors painstakingly edit, improve and enhance the quality of these recordings to give you a better experience—but this process takes time, and that’s why there’s sometimes a delay in making them available within your profile.
Until recent Master Class recordings appear in your profile, you can always playback any of the Master Classes you’ve purchased using the Zoom recording links you received after the broadcast. Can’t find these recording links? Then please email mads.soegaard@interaction-design.org for assistance.
