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Design League

Design League: Personal UX coaching for supercharged career development

Get a Personal UX Coach

Personal coaches are at the core of the Design League program. They make finding the path to what you want to achieve easier while helping you stay on track every step of the way. Choose your own personal coach from our handpicked selection of them, all of whom are experts in design and have many years of experience and skillsets that make them ideal guides on the road to success.

Your personal coach:

Guides you on setting your career goals and learning objectives

Plans together with you so you can start doing what you need to take you closer to your goals

Supercharges your learning from courses with guidance and insightful tips

Shares information about industry-standard best practices and deliverables with you

Helps you with any questions, through frequent private chat and video sessions

Example Design League Coaches

Antonio De Pasquale
Antonio De Pasquale
 Design Director
Milano Italy Italy
Antonio De Pasquale is a Senior Design Manager in Samsung, specialized in digital UX. He believes interaction design is the most important part of communication and is fascinated by how you can communicate through movement and gestures.
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Sandra Maria Vilchez Cajo
Sandra Maria Vilchez Cajo
 UX Consultant and Professor
Lima Peru
Sandra is a Strategic Design, Service Design, Design Thinking and innovation-oriented Professional as well as a Local Leader of IxDF. She's currently part of the IxDF Design League as a coach to help more Spanish speakers (only)
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marco tagliavacche
marco tagliavacche
 Information Architect and UX Designer
Genoa Genoa Italy
I am an Information Architect and a User Experience Designer with strong competency in Testing/QA. My passion for communications has led me to information as data and of the actualization of users through various media.
View profile

Coaching tailored to your level of expertise

A Design League membership will help you advance your UX career in the best way possible, tailored to your level of expertise.

UX Beginner

Are you just starting your career or switching from another field? Or does your work require a solid understanding of UX matters?

  • Learn essential knowledge by taking instructor-led courses.
  • Learn professional tools and techniques by executing design tasks in your projects and challenges.

Experienced Specialist

Do you already have essential knowledge and considerable hands-on experience with UX design and research?

  • Study standard design practices and deliverables under the guidance of your coach.
  • Complete and describe UX design projects.

Mature Professional

Do you have many years of experience in a variety of UX design endeavors? Are you ready to take full responsibility for yourself and others in any project? Can you contribute to the community?

  • Author professional articles and speak at conferences.
  • Assist in guiding junior members of the Design League.
  • Apply your expertise in our design projects.

Advance your UX career with the Design League now

Here’s what your journey of development will be like:

  1. Join the Design League

    Start your personal UX coaching experience by joining the Design League today.

    Join Design League now

    Have more questions? Find out more in our frequently asked questions or contact us!

  2. Choose a personal coach

    Your Design League coach will guide you, help you keep on track, and give useful insights.

  3. Set career goals

    With the help of your coach, draw a path to your UX career goals by planning relevant activities to engage in and courses to take.

  4. Reach your goals

    Take courses, participate in Local Group meetups, and chat with your coach. Move your career forward with your coach and the entire community.

Have questions about the Design League?

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.

If you have more questions, feel free to contact us!

Supercharge your UX career advancement now! Join Design League now!

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