What you’ll learn
Product Design & UX Process
Duration
5 months
Workload
~10 hours/week
Early bird
350eur/month
400 eur/month
Format
Online + Offline
working in teams
early bird until 31.07
You won’t just learn
You will build products
For real companies
For their real problems
You won’t just learn
You will build products
For real companies
For their real problems
There isn’t a better time to become a UX Designer
Design methodologies contribute to developing around 60% of the top ten 10 skillsets* needed for the jobs of the future
Level up your skills
Acquire a user centered mindset
Learn all the steps and tools to create digital products
Test your product on the market
Present your product to the client company
Build a hiring professional portfolio based on it
Early Bird
350eur/month
400 eur/month
early bird until 31.07
Acquire a user centered mindset
Learn all the steps and tools to create digital products
Test your product on the market
Present your product to the client company
Build a hiring professional portfolio based on it
Early Bird
350eur/month
400 eur/month
early bird until 31.07
Our participants say it’s an experience you don’t want to miss
Anastasia Stan
Experience designer @UI Centric
“I dare to say The School of Design is a must-have for any designer, in fact, for anyone, regardless of their profession.
Guided by Catalina and The School of Design crew, I discovered and succeded developing an authentic human-centric design thinking process, an indispensable skill - which then landed me a UX design job in not more than a month after graduating.
Ioana Bob
Product Manager @Metro Digital
The School of Design is different and you dont’t get to experience this very often.
I didn’t really believe at the beginning it is going to be so intense, although everybody said that. But when you’re actually in the middle of that, it does feel like not having much of a life outside your job and the school.
I am recommending this school to everybody who is lacking experience on a such a project that takes you from problem to solutions, through all the stages of design.
Anastasia Stan
Experience designer @UI Centric
“I dare to say The School of Design is a must-have for any designer, in fact, for anyone, regardless of their profession.
Guided by Catalina and The School of Design crew, I discovered and succeded developing an authentic human-centric design thinking process, an indispensable skill - which then landed me a UX design job in not more than a month after graduating.
Anastasia Stan
Experience designer @UI Centric
“I dare to say The School of Design is a must-have for any designer, in fact, for anyone, regardless of their profession.
I discovered and succeded developing an authentic human-centric design thinking process, an indispensable skill - which landed me a UX design job in not more than a month after graduating.
Ioana Bob
Product Manager @Metro Digital
The School of Design is different and you dont’t get to experience this very often.
Francisc Demeter
CEO @Elecon Plus
I recommend this school to anyone who wants to learn how to manage different and conflicting points of view when designing a product.
Alex Zamfir
Art Director @Tuio
Having the courage to make a leap of faith and jump into a completely new world, full of challenges and unknowns, and being all in, makes everything payoff in the end.
The top 3 things I like the most at The School of Design are:
1. Courses structure which is practically idio proof
2. Complete immersion into UX and Product Design
3. Lastly but not least, Catalina’s contagious passion, that charmed everyone of us.
Razvan Tugui
Sr. UX Designer @Endava
I’ve always wanted to do something different when it comes to UX education. I’ve followed different paths and courses that, in the end, didn’t fulfill my needs completely.
This school was different. It is designed for making products, rather than reading/talking about making products.
I certainly felt it was not easy on me, it was tough, challenging, I didn’t feel in control many times. And this gave me confidence, in the end.
Anastasia Stan
Experience designer @UI Centric
The School of Design is a rollercoaster, intense and very challenging on a personal level. All of us had full time jobs and with all the work for the project we felt we didn’t have time left for other activities.
However this is a safe place to learn, experiment, make mistakes and get corrected. Sometimes you feel down and then flip side it again.
It’s a pleasant challenge that hurts a bit, but everytime I joined the class or team meeting I did it becuase I WANTED TO. It was a choice I made and I wouldn’t change anything, neither the low moments.
Alex Zamfir
Art Director @Tuio
The top 3 things I like the most at The School of Design are:
1. Courses structure which is practically idio proof
2. Complete immersion into UX and Product Design
3. Lastly but not least, Catalina’s contagious passion, that charmed everyone of us.
Razvan Tugui
Sr. UX Designer @Endava
This school is different. It is designed for making products, rather than reading/talking about making products.
I certainly felt it was not easy on me, it was tough, challenging, I didn’t feel in control many times. And this gave me confidence, in the end.
Anastasia Stan
Experience designer @UI Centric
The School of Design is a rollercoaster, intense and very challenging on a personal level. All of us had full time jobs and with all the work for the project we felt we didn’t have time left for other activities.
However this is a safe place to learn, experiment, make mistakes and get corrected. Sometimes you feel down and then flip side it again.
It’s a pleasant challenge that hurts a bit, but everytime I joined the class or team meeting I did it becuase I WANTED TO. It was a choice I made and I wouldn’t change anything, neither the low moments.
Madalina State
Lead UX Designer @Antena TV Group
My biggest take away from the school is you really have to embrace mistakes and failure.
On top of that I understood how important it is to trust the people around you, your team and your mentors.
It’s a very different experience that brought me a lot of excitment and transformation, on top of all the design knowdledge
Ioana Bob
Product Manager @Metro Digital
I am not a person of many words, so it doesnt come handy for me to put into some sentences my experience with this school. But my friends for sure can tell you with how much energy and enthusiasm I was keeping them updated with all the activities, classes and progress that was happening at the school.
It changed the way I look at things and this is just the beginning.
Anastasia Stan
Experience designer @UI Centric
I am not a person of many words, so it doesnt come handy for me to put into some sentences my experience with this school. But my friends for sure can tell you with how much energy and enthusiasm I was keeping them updated with all the activities, classes and progress that was happening at the school.
It changed the way I look at things and this is just the beginning.
The process you’ll experience during the 5 months
The design process, be it design thinking, UX Design, service design, customer experience design, human centered design, or whatever you want to call it, have the same fundamentals, steps and similar tools.
At the school we focus on digital products, product design and UX tools. Below are the phases you’ll go through:
Understand &
empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test & iterate
Conduct research to better understand your clients, internal clients and market context
Analyzing all the research data, finding patterns, defining needs, insights and turning to opoortunities.
Generating ideas starting from all the research data, opportunities, needs, trends and converging to concepts
Developing the best concept and turning it into a real representation.
Showing the solution to users through testing interviews and improve the product based on their feedback.
Conduct research to better understand your clients, internal clients and market context
Analyzing all the research data, finding patterns, defining needs, insights and turning to opoortunities.
Generating ideas starting from all the research data, opportunities, needs, trends and converging to concepts
Developing the best concept and turning it into a real representation.
Showing the solution to users through testing interviews and improve the product based on their feedback.
Weekly activities. Collaborative, intense and rewarding.
Our learning experience is grounded in real work done in teams.
We believe in the power of collaboration, that is why you’ll
have your tribe/team, that will be helped and guided by mentors and professors.
MONDAY
Feedback
1hours - 6PM - 7PM
Before each new chapter we’ll look at all the teams’s work and give feedback and reply to questions.
Live Class
1,5hours - 6PM - 8:30PM
Each session will focus on a new chapter. We’ll have sessions with experts in thei field, giving you tips and tricks from their experience. After these sessions, during the week, you will apply the learnings on your projects.
TUESDAY
Team call
1hours - 6PM - 7PM
Tuesday will be the time when you’ll get together as a team and plan the work and week ahead.
TUESDAY - FRIDAY
Co - working in teams on your projects
FRIDAY
Mentor call
1 hour - 8:30 AM or 5:30 PM
Tuesday will be the time when you’ll get together as a team and plan the work and week ahead.
What you will learn
Chapter 1
Intro to design
Get immersed in the world of design, history, evolution, the design process and different representations of it
Chapter 2
Discovery
Learn the ropes of finding as much as you can about a subject, from competition review to analytics
Chapter 3
Research
Apply research methods and tools to your project from desk research to preparing and leading depth interviews.
Chapter 4
Qualitative Research
Acquire the inquisitvie mindset of interviewers and learn how to intelligently extract information such as user’s needs and motivations
Chapter 5
Converging Research
Translate research data into actionable information using design tools such as user goals, personas and journey maps
Chapter 6
Insight & Opportunities
Master the art of creating insights and spotting opportunities in the market
Chapter 7
Ideation 
Generate ideas as solutions to your challenge, together with your team and guest experts.
Chapter 8
Concept Building
Create your own concept of the product and learn to articulate your reasoning and defend it during the voting session.
Chapter 9
Architecture & Experience of a solution
Use all the research to make informed choices on how to create your product’s user flows and journey maps
Chapter 10
Wireframes & UI
Learn UI theory and get comfortable using Figma, the latest prototyping design tool
Chapter 11
Bootcamp 
Gain new perspectives on design during this 5 day offline learning experience. We promise it will make you a more holistic designer.
Chapter 12
Prototyping & Testing. Iterating
Develop an interactive prototype of your digital product in Figma and get real testers to try it out.
Chapter 13
Dev&Agile working
Incorporate user feedback to adjust your prototype and hand over to Dev Team through an effective methodology
Chapter 14
Companies pres
Present your final solution to the client and get the chance to see it implemented in either a multinational or a startup
The 5 days offline bootcamp
You can call this the cherry on top.
It creates FOMO, transformation and memorability.
You’ll want to live this, as it is a mixture of hard work, play hard, experience a ton of things + NEW Design topics.
We’re bringing new perspectives of design that will help you be a more competitive designer.
The 5 days offline bootcamp
You can call this the cherry on top.
It creates FOMO, transformation and memorability.
You’ll want to live this, as it is a mixture of hard work, play hard, experience a ton of things + NEW Design topics.
We’re bringing new perspectives of design that will help you be a more competitive designer.
Workshops during the bootcamp:
3-4 hours, practical workshops
Business
Model Canvas
Game
Design
I Love
Failure
Design
Sprints
Emotional
Agility
+
Much More
Some magic
Business
Model Canvas
Game
Design
I Love
Failure
Design
Sprints
Emotional
Agility
+
Much More
Some magic
Ioana Bob
Product Manager @ metro.digital
‘It will be that type of experience you don’t have often. Even the place where we’re having the bootcamp. It’s different and you don’t get to experience this every day.’
Cincsor. Transylvania Guest Houses
Ioana Bob
Product Manager @ metro.digital
‘It will be that type of experience you don’t have often. Even the place where we’re having the bootcamp. It’s different and you don’t get to experience this every day.’
Cincsor. Transylvania Guest Houses
Professors
We teach from experience. Our professors are builders and creators of many products you interact with and will teach you the methods they use in their jobs.
Catalina Banuleasa
Learning architect &
Founder @The School of Design
UX Google Expert & Sprint Master, Ex EA Design Lead for FIFA
Andrei Ganci
Sr. Product Manager @Adobe
Product design studies in The Netherlands
Dana Levitchi
Client Service Director & Co-owner @Mappers
The “mother of insights” - the person to talk to when it comes to interviews, understanding people, insights and really connecting.
Cristian Preda
Product Designer @ PROCESIO
Former design newbie, now experienced and balanced designer with lots to share
Catalina Banuleasa
Learning architect &
Founder @The School of Design
UX Google Expert & Sprint Master, Ex EA Design Lead for FIFA
Andrei Ganci
Sr. Product Manager @Adobe
Product design studies in The Netherlands
Dana Levitchi
Client Service Director & Co-owner @Mappers
The “mother of insights” - the person to talk to when it comes to interviews, understanding people, insights and really connecting.
Cristian Preda
Product Designer @ PROCESIO
Former design newbie, now experienced and balanced designer with lots to share
Gabriela & Poe
Game Designers and owners PlayLearn
Andrei Baican
Head of Customer Experience @Banca Transilania
Strategist, maker and designer.
Ana & Raz
Founders @Just Mad
Product design and strategy consultants with an almost weird passion for workshops
Catalin Mester
Co-founder VOXA
& I love Failure
Gabriela & Poe
Game Designers and owners PlayLearn
Andrei Baican
Head of Customer Experience @Banca Transilania
Strategist, maker and designer.
Ana & Raz
Founders @Just Mad
Product design and strategy consultants with an almost weird passion for workshops
Catalin Mester
Co-founder VOXA
& I love Failure
Sneak peak into a project
Digital ideation tool
How might we help teams and people generate ideas by unlocking the creative potential of each person so that teams build better solutions by converging and morphing ideas.
1. Discovery - Desk research
2. Discovery - context
3. Discovery - User interviews
4. Define
5. Ideate
5. Prototype
Tools we will use
Miro
Visual collaboration platform for teams. Repository for your team’s work.
Figma
Collaborative interface design tool. We’ll design your products here.
Miro
Visual collaboration platform for teams. Repository for your team’s work.
Figma
Collaborative interface design tool. We’ll design your products here.
Slack
Instant messaging platform for remote teams. We’ll communicate and share resources here
Pen and paper
Most used tools. They make you smarter and more creative. Start here, move to online tools later.
Slack
Instant messaging platform for remote teams. We’ll communicate and share resources here
Pen and paper
Most used tools. They make you smarter and more creative. Start here, move to online tools later.
Zoom
Video conferencing tool. We’ll meet and greet and tell jokes here.
Zoom
Video conferencing tool. We’ll meet and greet and tell jokes here.
What you get out of it
| REAL PROJECT
A real company challenge to solve, from either a multinational or a startup
| SELECTED PARTICIPANTS
A team of 4 awesome selected team mates, 1 mentor and 1 buddy
| THE BOOTCAMP
A 5 day bootcamp:
a transformative offline learning experience at a fascinating location
| COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Collaboration is essential. Be sure you can count on all professors, mentors and former alumni and your team mates.
| DEDICATED MENTORS
You will have two mentors: an experienced mentor, guiding you with input on solutions and process and a recent graduate who’ll make sure your team is glued, supported and able to finish the assignments on time.
| CLIENT WORK
A chance to see your product implemented at the client company
| 20/80 PRACTICE
The School is more about about doing and less about passive learning.
| JOBS
A hiring ready portfolio with feedback and interview prep when you apply to jobs
+ WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT IN
Get help convincing your employer to sustain your tuition fee
We will advise you on how to make the case to your employer, to articulate how you will implement the learnings in your company, team and products. You may also forward this business brochure to your employer.
Next Cohort Starts September 2022
What you are paying for:
Join a team of future Designers
Work on real projects
Learn Live, 100%
Master Design Processes
Create your portfolio
Learn sought after UX/UI tools
Be part of the offline Bootcamp
Career support
Job Interview guidance
Lifetime access to materials
+ Friends, intense worko-holiday & Prosecco
Next Cohort Starts September 2022
P.S. Yes we test you.
And, yes, we help you build your portfolio.
Plus interview prep. Plus recommendation
(Really, we kinda take good care of you, now that we put everything down)
At the end of the school, you will receive a graduation diploma only if you pass the final exam, that basically will test your knowledge.
And in the following month after the school ends, we’ll give you feedback on your portfolio. Only for one month. We learnt that you need pressure to do it.
Apply for scholarship
We offer 6 half funded grants for people under the age of 25. We want to support you with your education and understand that you might be struggling. On this scheme, you would pay 200 eur/month. The bootcamp is still on you.
Show us why you think you should be among the 6 ones who receive this scholarship.
Scholarship
200 eur/month
400 eur/month
early bird until 31.07
We offer 6 half funded grants for people under the age of 25. We want to support you with your education and understand that you might be struggling. On this scheme, you would pay 200 eur/month. The bootcamp is still on you.
Show us why you think you should be among the 6 ones who receive this scholarship.
Scholarship
200 eur/month
400 eur/month
early bird until 31.07