Digital Design UX School

In 2012, the Digital Design company was in need of around twenty UX specialists. At that time, it was almost impossible to find qualified UX professionals in St. Petersburg. So we decided to create a UX school where we could train young UX specialists and provide them with internship opportunities with the company. 2012 release

Goal

To provide the company with the manpower they need.

My contribution

I developed a methodology for selecting and training of students in their last years of studies, which involved 3 months of training and 3 months of internship. The key principles of the School included strict selection criteria, a focus on self-studying and practical training.
Created a UX Design School on the basis of the company’s existing Programmer School. The UX Design School proved efficient in training of UX specialists: ca. 50% of graduates were offered employment with the company (as opposed to only 20% of graduates of the Programmer School).
Organized the community of UX specialists, where more experienced UX designers share their knowledge and expertise with the younger ones.

Results

30 students have graduated from the School within three years. 20 of them were taken as interns, and 15 of them were offered employment with the company at the end of the internship.
The company’s need for UX-specialists was satisfied despite of a huge shortage of such specialists in St. Petersburg.