Career Ceiling

Move from UX to product & AI.

6 weeks, 100% live online, in a cohort of max 15. For UX/UI designers 1 to 2 years in who want to design AI-powered products, own outcomes alongside product and engineering, and step into roles at £65k-£105k+.

Speak to an advisorGet the brochure ↓

Taught by Stratis Valachis — an industry practitioner, not an academic.

Duration

6 weeks

Deposit

£99 (14-day refund)

Full price

£1,500

Cohort 1

12 Oct 2026

Cohort size

Max 15

Schedule

Wed 6-8:30pm UK

With 3 years of UX design experience, the course was a great way of consolidating knowledge and putting theory into practice. Much more industry-oriented than university — we worked on a project from start to finish, building every part to create a strong portfolio piece.

Sabrina
SabrinaUX/UI DesignerSenior UX Designer
Why UX Academy

Outcomes, not just
screens.

15

Max 15 students

Senior critique on your product thinking every week from a named practitioner instructor — not a forum thread.

Live

Live every week

Work through discovery, AI interaction patterns, and trade-offs in real time with your cohort on Zoom.

AI

AI built in

Two dedicated AI modules: designing AI-powered products and evaluating AI experiences. Not a bolt-on — core curriculum.

Real

End-to-end project

Take a real brief from problem to shippable solution. Own the outcome story for your portfolio.

Is this right for you?

Built for designers ready to level up.

This course is for you if…
  • You have 1 to 2 years of UX or UI design experience
  • You want to move into product design roles and own outcomes
  • You are working on (or want to work on) products with AI features
  • You can commit 5 to 6 hours per week for 6 weeks
  • You want live feedback from a practitioner, not pre-recorded video
This course is NOT for you if…
  • You are new to design (try the Beginner UX (AI) Design course first)
  • You want a self-paced, no-commitment video library
  • You are already working as a senior product designer
  • You want to build AI models rather than design AI products

No design experience yet? Start with Beginner UX (AI) Design →

Graduate outcomes

People who made the leap

Not a highlight reel. Real transitions, real timelines.

Sam, UX Academy graduate, now Product Designer (UX/UI) at Bluepass

Sam

Market Research & Product Development SpecialistProduct Designer (UX/UI)

Bluepass

The course has been absolutely fantastic. The teachers have been brilliant and very attentive. Definitely recommend for obtaining real life experience and developing a grounding in UX.

4 months to first role
Vitor, UX Academy graduate, now UX Strategist at Independent consultant

Vitor

Product ManagerUX Strategist

Independent consultant

Before joining the Advanced course, my user research toolkit was limited. Drafting explicit hypotheses, structuring effective ideation exercises, and synthesising findings are my key takeaways. Access to teachers who are also practitioners gave me the confidence anyone investing in a product design career needs.

22% conversion uplift on first client project
Vita, UX Academy graduate, now UX Designer at Airbnb

Vita

Marketing DesignerUX Designer

Airbnb

Moving from marketing design to UX felt like a huge leap, until I realised how much I already understood about what people need. The course gave me the language and the portfolio to prove it.

Chrysanthi, UX Academy graduate, now UX Writer

Chrysanthi

Customer Service Coordinator & TrainerUX Writer

Coming from a customer service background, I never thought UX was something I could do. UX Academy showed me that understanding people was already my strength: the course gave me the tools and portfolio to make it a career.

Daisy, UX Academy graduate, now UX Designer

Daisy

Career changerUX Designer

Working in customer support gave me insight into user pain points, but I didn't know how to translate that into UX. This course showed me how to structure research and turn insights into action.

Rory, UX Academy graduate, now UX Researcher and Designer

Rory

Career changerUX Researcher and Designer

I already understood how products are built, but not always why decisions were made. The course gave me a stronger foundation in design thinking and helped me connect technical skills with user experience.

Chiara, UX Academy graduate, now UX Researcher and Designer

Chiara

Career changerUX Researcher and Designer

Transitioning from marketing into UX felt natural once I started the course. It helped me reframe my existing skills and gave me practical experience to confidently move into a design role.

Cynthia, UX Academy graduate, now Junior UX Researcher

Cynthia

Career changerJunior UX Researcher

My background in psychology gave me an interest in human behaviour, but I needed practical tools. The course provided structure, methods, and real-world application to turn that interest into a career.

Lesego, UX Academy graduate, now User Experience Design Lead

Lesego

Career changerUser Experience Design Lead

I was used to working with data and requirements, but UX brought a more human perspective. The course helped me balance analytical thinking with creativity and build a portfolio that reflects both.

Sabrina, UX Academy graduate, now Senior UX Designer at IBM

Sabrina

UX/UI DesignerSenior UX Designer

IBM

With 3 years of UX design experience, the course was a great way of consolidating knowledge and putting theory into practice. Much more industry-oriented than university — we worked on a project from start to finish, building every part to create a strong portfolio piece.

Gaby, UX Academy graduate, now Content Designer

Gaby

Events AssistantContent Designer

I am excited to have learned the different processes that go into UX and the thought behind the planning stages.

3 months to first role
Claire, UX Academy graduate, now Head of UX

Claire

Senior UX DesignerHead of UX

With some initial UX experience, I was looking to deepen my skills and gain more confidence. The course pushed me to think more strategically and refine my process. Working on an end-to-end project made a big difference in how I approach design challenges.

Promoted to Head of UX within 6 months
A typical week

Not a video course. A live experience.

Here's what Week 3 of the course looks like in practice.

Mon

Live session

2 hrs live. Research methods and a real brief to work from.

Tue

Self-study

Reading + watch the session back. Your pace.

Wed

Drop-in

30 min optional — bring work in progress. Get unstuck.

Thu

Project work

Apply the week's methods to your client brief.

Fri

Peer review

Share work with your cohort. Give and get honest feedback.

“The Wednesday drop-ins were honestly the most valuable part. I could share my screen and my instructor would just tell me exactly what was not working.”

Sam, Product Designer
What you will learn

6 weeks. 6 outcomes.

Tap any week to see what you will cover. Want it as a PDF? Get the brochure.

Week 1From UX to Product Thinking

Outcomes over outputs: frame problems around business value and user impact, not just screens. Understand where product designers operate in the team.

Opportunity framingWorking with PMs
Week 2Product Discovery & AI-Assisted Research

Run structured discovery with opportunity solution trees and assumption mapping. Use AI tools to synthesise research faster without sacrificing rigour.

Opportunity solution treesAI synthesis
Week 3Designing AI-Powered Products

Master the patterns and pitfalls of AI-generated outputs. Handle uncertainty, error states, and user trust.

AI interaction patternsError states
Week 4Metrics, Experimentation & AI Evaluation

Define success metrics for products with AI components and design experiments that test both UX and model behaviour.

North star metricsA/B testing
Week 5End-to-End Product Project

Take a real brief from problem to shippable solution — your portfolio piece for product design interviews.

Client projectDiscovery to delivery
Week 6Portfolio & the Product Design Interview

Tell the outcome story product hiring managers want to hear. Nail the whiteboard challenge and the portfolio walkthrough.

Case studiesWhiteboard challenge

Week 5 is your end-to-end product project on a real brief. See real client projects we have delivered →

From our courses

What you'll actually build

Every student completes a real client brief. These are portfolio pieces from across UX Academy courses -- each one is labelled with the course it came from.

Booking flow redesign — NHS appointment app

Gaby Rock · Beginner course, 2025

User researchPrototyping

Onboarding UX audit — fintech startup

Vitor Kneipp · Advanced course, 2024

Heuristic reviewStrategy

Work shown with graduate permission. Real client briefs — not made-up exercises.

Your instructor

Taught by practitioners.

Stratis Valachis

Stratis Valachis

Senior Manager - Product Design & Research (Head of function)

Stratis holds a leadership position in Product Design at Gousto, overseeing design across Menu, Acquisition, and Retention. He plays a pivotal role in shaping design strategy, ensuring quality, and maintaining commercial effectiveness. Prior experience includes Vogue and Aviva.

GoustoVogueAviva
What comes after

Product design pays.

£65k-£85k

Product Designer

Mid-level

£85k-£105k+

Senior Product Designer

Senior

£105k+

Lead Product Designer / Head of Product Design

Lead

Graduate outcomes

People who did it.

Ondrej PolasekSenior Product DesignerKnight Frank
Where our graduates went

Our graduates moved into roles at great companies.

Our graduates have gone on to roles at companies across tech, finance, healthcare, government, and beyond.

Airbnb
Barclays
Cazoo
Citi
EY
FutureLearn
Geely
GSK
IBM
Idean
Knight Frank
Legal & General

Price-match guarantee

Find a comparable live UX course for less? We’ll match it.

Same live instruction and named instructors as courses costing several times more. See the full UK comparison.

Live UX coursePrice
UX Academyfrom £1,500
BrainStationNot published
UX Design Institute~€2,995
General Assembly£9,000

London courses, verified June 2026. Price-match applies to comparable live, multi-week, mentored UX courses.

Secure your place

£99

Refundable within 14 days of booking — zero risk to hold your place.

Balance of £1,401 payable by invoice before the course starts. Interest-free payment plans available on request. Total course fee: £1,500.

  • 6 weeks of live instruction on Zoom
  • AI modules: design for AI-powered products + evaluation
  • End-to-end product project on a real brief
  • Max 15 students per cohort
  • Direct Slack access to your instructor
  • Certificate in Product Design on graduation
  • Interest-free payment plans available

Need a payment plan? Get in touch. 30% scholarship available.

Common questions

Ask us anything.

I'm not sure I'm creative enough for UX design.

Most of our graduates said exactly this before starting. UX is less about visual creativity and more about curiosity and empathy: understanding why people struggle with things, then figuring out how to fix it. If you have ever rewritten a confusing email, reorganised a messy drawer, or explained something complicated simply, you are already thinking like a UX designer.

Natalia Veretenyk, Lead Instructor

What if I fall behind or miss a session?

Every live session is recorded and available the same day. Life happens; we know that. If you miss something, you will catch up. The Wednesday drop-in sessions exist specifically for this: come with questions, share your screen, get unstuck. No one gets left behind in a group of 15.

Natalia Veretenyk, Lead Instructor

I have seen cheaper courses online. Why is this one different?

A cheaper course teaches you the same material. What it cannot give you is a real client project, an instructor who knows your name, or a cohort that gives you feedback on your actual work. Those are the things employers notice in your portfolio, not which platform you studied on.

Natalia Veretenyk, Lead Instructor

Questions

Before you enrol.

Is the course online or in-person?

The course is 100% live online. You join small live classes over Zoom on Wednesday evenings (6:00 to 8:30pm UK time) from anywhere in the UK or abroad; there is no in-person attendance and no commute. Every session is recorded, so you can catch up if you miss one.

Who is this course for?

UX and UI designers with 1 to 2 years of experience moving into product design roles. These roles own outcomes alongside product and engineering, and increasingly involve designing with AI.

Do I need an AI or ML background?

No. The course teaches design skills for AI-powered products, not how to build AI. Evaluate AI outputs, design for uncertainty, and collaborate with the engineers building the models.

How is product design different from UX design?

Product designers work closer to the business: frame problems around metrics and value, run discovery and experiments, and own outcomes end to end, not just the interface. The AI modules also prepare you for the growing share of roles where AI is part of the product.

How long is it and when does it run?

Six weeks, part-time. Sessions are live on Wednesday evenings, 6:00 to 8:30pm UK time. Cohort 1 starts 12 October 2026.

What does it cost?

The course is £1,500. Reserve your place with a £99 deposit, refundable within 14 days of booking. Balance of £1,401 is payable by invoice before the course starts. Interest-free payment plans available on request. Price-match guarantee included.

Do I get a certificate?

Yes. Your certificate in Product Design is issued on completion and does not expire.

Is there a scholarship?

Yes. UX Academy offers a 30% scholarship for designers from underrepresented groups. Apply on the scholarship page.

What is your refund policy?

The GBP 99 deposit is refundable within 14 days of booking. Cancel after that but before the course starts and the deposit is forfeited, though any balance you have paid is refunded in full. Once the course has started no refund is available, except at our discretion in exceptional circumstances.

Get the brochure

The full brochure, in your inbox.

Straight to your inbox: the complete syllabus, learning outcomes, tools, and the next cohort dates. Free, no commitment.

Sent to designers across the UK.

Cohort 1 starts 12 October 2026. Limited to 15 students.

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