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Interaction Design Foundation is one of the most famous and popular design-learning platforms. It has been around since 2002, when Mads Soegaard with associates fulfilled their dream of creating a subscription-based platform for learning design. Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman already founded their Nielsen Norman Group four years prior, and Soegaard thought there was a space for another big platform in the field of UX design, that was emerging at the start of the 21st century.
IxDF is a well-established platform with over 130,000 graduates, making it the most extensive online design school. The foundation’s mission is to improve one’s career, and it has been doing so since the beginning. Interaction Design Foundation offers a wide range of UX courses, from beginner to advanced levels, covering topics such as interaction design, design foundation, and more.
In this review, we will talk about the benefits of the Interaction Design Foundation, and whether is it worth investing money into it. After all, it is not cheap, especially if you are a student or a young individual who seeks a career change.
How to Start Learning at Interaction Design Foundation?
When you visit the IxDF website, you should click on “Join our community”, and there you will be able to see their current offer. Interaction Design Foundation doesn’t give an opportunity to check out their courses for free (although they have some free content available for everyone).
Their offer is changing often, and you can catch some of the discounts available in certain time periods, but in general, they offer four packages:
- Student
- Professional
- Design League
- Company
The first three plans are for individuals, while the last one is for companies. If you are, for example, an executive with a full design team under you, the Company plan would suit your needs the best. However, it costs $220 monthly per seat! Ouch! Design League is the same plan, just catered to individuals. The price is steep, but you would get everything Interaction Design Foundation offers, including a dedicated personal coach.
The Student plan currently costs $9 monthly, but it is billed annually. Student plan offers these perks:
- Access up to two courses at the same time
- Certificates
- An hour-long master class
- Local meetups
- Online forums
- Premium literature by leading designers
- Save $680 on UI/UX tools
Professional plan that costs $12 monthly offers all these perks and ten free master classes, while you also get unlimited access to all courses. Personal coach is available only to users on Company and Design League plans.
After you have chosen the most suitable option, you need to create an account, and then explore available courses. There are hundreds of courses available, and you should choose them by looking at their difficulty and following other recommendations. Don’t worry, if you are on a Professional plan, you will be able to try the course out, see if you like it, and then commit to it.
After you choose the plan and enter your payment details, you will get access to Interaction Design Foundation's huge course library, and start your UX learning journey.
Access up to two courses at the same time
The Interaction Design Foundation allows its members to study up to two courses at the same time. This is a unique opportunity to dive deep into multiple areas of interaction design, UI/UX, or related fields, and accelerate your learning and expertise. With the ability to switch between two courses, you can complement your skills in different areas of design, such as user research and visual design, or UX strategy and usability testing, all at the same time. Perfect for busy professionals who want to learn without the constraints of a traditional academic schedule.
By studying two courses at once, you can create a personalized learning path that fits your career goals. Whether you want to master one area of design while exploring another or have a broad learning experience, this dual access allows you to be flexible and fully in charge of your education.
Certificates
IxDF’s certificates are a must-have for anyone who wants to prove their expertise in the UX/UI design field. Upon completing each course, members get certificates that acknowledge their achievements and the skills they have acquired. These certificates are among the most valuable ones in the industry, and they can be an asset in a professional portfolio.
These certificates are recognized by industry leaders so are a worthwhile investment if you want to advance your career. Whether you are looking for a promotion, freelance opportunities, or a new role, you shouldn’t overlook Interaction Design Foundation certificates.
A One Hour Long Master Class
Each Interaction Design Foundation member on a Standard plan gets access to a one-hour master class. These master classes are taught by some of the most experienced professionals in the UX/UI design industry and cover cutting-edge trends, best practices, and design strategies. From advanced interaction techniques to career advice and design leadership, these master classes offer deeper learning experiences than the regular courses.
The master class is not only to teach but to inspire and motivate you to take your design skills to the next level. You’ll get to hear from experienced experts, learn about real-world challenges, and get practical tips you can apply to your career. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, these master classes are a valuable addition to the other resources on IxDF.
Local Meetups
IxDF’s local meetups are a great opportunity for members to network, collaborate, and learn from each other. These meetups take place in many cities around the world and create a sense of community among designers. Whether you attend a workshop, discussion, or networking event, these meetups allow you to connect with like-minded people who share your passion for design and user experience.
In addition to meeting other design professionals, local meetups often have guest speakers, live demos, and group activities to help you learn and build relationships. These events also give you a chance to stay up to date with local design trends and exchange ideas and experiences that can inspire your own work.
Online Forums
IxDF’s online forums are the central place where learners can interact with each other and share ideas, feedback, and experiences. Whether you need advice on a specific design problem or want to explore new trends in user experience, the forums have a wealth of information and diverse perspectives from a global community of designers.
The forums are also a space for collaborative learning where users can work on projects, critique each other’s work, or brainstorm solutions to design challenges. By participating in the online forums you can deepen your understanding of key concepts, stay up to date with industry developments, and connect with experts who can guide and mentor you.
Premium Literature by Leading Designers
IxDF members get access to a collection of premium books from top designers. This includes e-books, research papers, articles, and other exclusive content written by industry leaders. These resources dive deep into UX/UI design topics, theory, and practice. A must-have for anyone who wants to learn more and stay up to date with the latest trends and methods.
By reading books from top designers you get to learn advanced design concepts and learn from the best in the industry. This content is not only a supplement to the courses but also an essential resource for continuous learning.
Get $680 off UI/UX Tools
As part of the package, IxDF offers discounts on popular UI/UX design tools, so members can get the essential software at a lower price. With up to $680 in savings members can afford to get the latest tools for their design work, from prototyping and wireframing to user testing and collaboration. These tools are a must-have for professionals who rely on the latest technology to bring their design concepts to life and deliver great user experiences.
Interaction Design Foundation Pros
As a classic subscription-based platform, Interaction Design Foundation has its advantages but also downfalls. In general, these are the greatest benefits you’ll get if you subscribe to IxDF:
- Instructors are Mostly Well-Known in the Industry
- You can Pause the Course and get back to it Later
- Bootcamps and Masterclasses are Discounted
- Perfectly Organized Learning Material
- IxDF Community is Top Notch
Instructors are Mostly Well-Known in the Industry
Like many traditional online learning platforms, the Interaction Design Foundation sought prominent figures as instructors and platform advocates. When IxDF launched, UX design was an emerging discipline, making their recruitment of Don Norman, widely considered the father of UX design, particularly significant. The platform's instructors now include distinguished academics and senior designers from major corporations alongside Norman.
You can Pause the Course and get back to it Later
A common issue with online courses is their rigid timeframes, which can pressure learners to rush through content despite work commitments or readiness levels. The Interaction Design Foundation addresses this by spacing out their time-limited courses into manageable lessons.
This structure allows designers to progress at a steady pace, investing just a few hours per week. The platform's varied lesson lengths are marked with time estimates, helping users plan their study schedules effectively. If you don’t have the time, you are busy at work or other personal obligations, you can always pause the course, and come back to it when you have more time. Also, you can change the tempo of learning until you finish the course, and allocate your time in any way you like.
Bootcamps and Masterclasses are Discounted
If you are a design team manager, IxDF bootcamps might be a great option for your team. A team bootcamp spans 12 weeks and costs $3000, with potential team discounts available. Members get Masterclass access for $5 instead of $50. The Masterclasses run as time-limited live and recorded webinars.
While these formats may challenge full-time designers, IxDF receives strong reviews for both programs. Given that other online bootcamps can exceed $10000, these courses offer good value for those who can accommodate the schedule.
Perfectly Organized Learning Material
The IxDF Lessons Navigator organizes course content into customizable groups and sub-lessons for easier progression. Lessons blend text and video with accurate transcripts, followed by multiple-choice questions. Scoring above 90% earns a "Best in class" badge. While IxDF incorporates badges and rewards to enhance engagement, we can’t say that they offer a truly gamified experience. However, students who want a more traditional way of learning, with classic reviews from instructors will like their system.
IxDF Community is Top Notch
The community itself is worth a subscription alone, even without access to courses! You can participate in webinars, and events that are organized by local communities (these events are mostly based in the US), you can expand your professional network, and even find a job if you search for it.
If you are a full-time designer, you can evaluate your knowledge against your peers, and find chances for career advancement, while design team managers can get an insight into where the industry is heading and ideas on how to elevate their team even further.
Interaction Design Foundation Cons
As we saw, there are many benefits and reasons why paying a subscription to Interaction Design Foundation is a sound choice, but there are several reasons why you should reconsider it as well. These are the main ones:
- Hardly any Feedback on the Tests from Instructors
- Some Courses are Outdated
- Your Designs and Projects won’t be Critiqued Either
Hardly any Feedback on the Tests from Instructors
Teachers review written answers within a two-week window, but the feedback tends to be superficial - comments like "good job!" or "keep up the hard work!" rather than substantive critique. This lacks the depth and you don’t get real in-person guidance either. Even on lower-quality submissions, most instructors don’t bother to explain mistakes and teach the students how to overcome the issues. The platform could definitely strengthen its teacher-student interaction.
Some Courses are Outdated
Many courses are several years old, which is a significant time span in digital terms. The core content remains valuable since it focuses on principles rather than software. However, tool recommendations predate Figma, and some material needs updates, particularly the Accessibility course, which remains excellent despite its age. Some courses are unusable now, and it seems that the platform doesn’t intend to update them, or at least remove them, so students won’t be misled into learning outdated information.
Your Designs and Projects won’t be Critiqued Either
Teachers don't provide direct feedback on projects or designs either. While you can post work in lesson forums, peer feedback is limited. The community forums offer better critiques. This highlights the IxDF community's strength: connecting members with exceptional learning resources. You can trust them, and we encourage you to use this resource, instead of relying on your instructors.
Uxcel: Interaction Design Foundation's Alternative
Uxcel is the best alternative to the Interaction Design Foundation, despite not being a traditional course platform. With Uxcel, learning is more straightforward, self-paced, and focused on "feeding" the student with small content pieces, instead of giving them long and traditional courses typical of IxDF. Here are the main benefits of Uxcel compared to the Interaction Design Foundation:
Uxcel Benefits
Uxcel is an online platform for learning design. One of the biggest benefits of Uxcel is UX/UI design education, so you can specialize in this in-demand field. The platform offers interactive learning through micro-courses, assessments, and projects to build your portfolio. Uxcel also offers personalized learning paths based on your current skill level, so it's perfect for beginners and advanced users. Courses are short so you can learn new skills and apply them straight away.
Another bonus of Uxcel is the community aspect. It allows you to interact with other users, get feedback on your work, and collaborate on projects. This social learning environment keeps you motivated. In addition, Uxcel is flexible so you can learn at your own pace. With a focus on practical skills and a modern interface, it's perfect for those who want to pursue a design career without a big time commitment.
Uxcel vs Interaction Design Foundation Way of Learning
When comparing Uxcel and the Interaction Design Foundation, the way of learning is different. Uxcel is interactive with short, bite-sized lessons that can be completed within a few hours. Learners are encouraged to complete assessments and real-world projects to build practical skills they can apply in the workplace. Uxcel's modular approach allows you to access specific topics in design quickly so it's a more focused and specialist platform. This is perfect for those who want to advance in UX/UI design with a goal-oriented curriculum and quick learning curves.
On the other hand, the Interaction Design Foundation offers structured, comprehensive courses created by design experts and industry leaders. While both platforms focus on UX/UI design, IxDF provides in-depth theoretical foundations alongside practical applications. IxDF's courses typically include detailed literature, case studies, and practical exercises, with each course taking approximately 15-20 hours to complete. The platform offers professional certification upon course completion and is well-recognized in the design industry for its academic rigor.
Uxcel vs Interaction Design Foundation Cost
In terms of cost, Uxcel is more affordable for those focused on UX/UI design. Uxcel has a subscription model where you pay a fixed monthly fee to access all the courses and content on the platform. This makes it easy to plan your learning without worrying about individual course costs. The subscription also includes progress tracking, assessments, and portfolio reviews which is extra value for learners. Since Uxcel is design-focused its pricing is competitive with other platforms in this space.
The Interaction Design Foundation operates on an annual membership model, typically costing around $96 per year for professionals or $60 for students. This membership gives you unlimited access to their entire course library, which includes over 35 courses in UX/UI design, human-computer interaction, and related fields. While the upfront annual cost might seem higher than Uxcel's monthly subscription, the per-month cost breaks down to be quite affordable, especially considering the depth and breadth of content available. IxDF also occasionally offers special discounts and promotions for new members.
Interaction Design Foundation Verdict
Interaction Design Foundation will definitely give you a solid foundation if you are just getting started with UX design. However, if you are an experienced professional, you will have to research the database thoroughly to find some course that suits your advanced level. Most of the courses are for beginners and intermediate designers, so full-time designers who are working for an enterprise company might not get the best value from this platform.
However, there are huge benefits related to this platform as well. It will teach you that soft skills matter and can make a huge difference. You need to understand how your users see, feel, and think to design amazing things that appeal to them.
If you are seeking constant guidance and interactions with your tutor, this is not a platform for you, because most instructors will give you only generic feedback.
