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Foundations of Design Leadership

Cohort-based Course

Learn the fundamentals & gain the confidence of being an effective design leader & manager

Course overview

Transforming designers into successful leaders

Gain the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to be an effective and confident design leader. Learn how to create and align on a design strategy and vision to influence the roadmap. Apply tools and frameworks to scale your influence with your cross-functional partners and stakeholders.

Who is this course for

01

Anyone who leads a design team


You want to learn how to translate UX strategy and vision into measurable results to shape the roadmap

02

New & early career design managers


You're transitioning from IC to manager and want to leverage your design skills to make an impact

03

An aspiring design leader


You're looking to level up your career and develop the tools and confidence to be a great design leader

What you’ll get out of this course

Learn the foundations of being a great design leader

Develop key skills to become an effective design leader, including leveraging your creativity, team building, ensuring excellence, scaling your influence, maximizing your team's potential, and prioritizing your time.

How to effectively communicate design strategy and vision into tangible design-driven results

Learn the skills to set the North Star vision, aligns the UX strategy, and influence the roadmap. You'll use a proven framework for communicating a design vision that connects with stakeholders clearly and persuasively.

Build confidence in what it takes to be an effective design leader

Develop essential skills for effective leadership, including shaping influence, self-awareness, communication, and navigating interpersonal dynamics.

What people are saying

        Working under Kenny was a pleasure- he had the ability to promote creativity and ideation within the design team, while also driving results, meeting timelines, and aligning design with larger strategic goals and initiatives. From purposeful animation to team leadership, I grew and learned an incredible amount under Kenny's leadership.
Matthew Belferman

Matthew Belferman

Director of Product Design & User Research
        Kenny was a kind and strong mentor who helped me immensely. I had many questions, but Kenny always took the time to answer them thoughtfully while providing helpful feedback and next steps. I would highly recommend Kenny for UX coaching and mentoring – it has been one of the most impactful and memorable experiences of my career.
Dy Lee

Dy Lee

UX Designer
        Kenny went above and beyond to help me present my work, experience, skills, achievements and story in the best light possible. Having someone who genuinely cared about my success guide me in the right direction with tailor-made feedback was such a blessing. I highly recommend his expert insights and opinion to take your career to the next level!
Bethany Moran

Bethany Moran

Head of UX
        Kenny shared important insight and advice based on years of experience in the industry. Each session was structured around a topic with clear takeaway action points, ensuring momentum as the weeks progressed. With his expertise and dedication, Kenny’s career coaching has truly been a valuable experience and I’m so happy I reached out!
Laura Burns

Laura Burns

UX & UI Designer

Meet your instructor

Kenny Chen

Kenny Chen

UX Manager at Google

👋 Hi, I'm Kenny! I'm a design leader with over two decades of experience leading teams to create impactful and successful products as both an individual contributor and a manager.


I was the lead designer and second employee at a small Fintech startup that was acquired by Bankrate, where I got to build a UX team and practice from the ground up. At Google, I lead a design team working on products that impact billions of users. I also coach and mentor designers to become effective leaders.


Now I'm taking all that I've learned and would love to teach you how to be a great design leader.

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Course syllabus

01

Design leadership fundamentals

Design leadership fundamentals

Learn what design leadership is, explore different design leadership styles and values, and discover how to unleash your potential as a design leader.

02

Effective collaboration & communication

Get insights on conducting impactful one-on-one meetings, building a positive team culture, delivering/receiving feedback, and cultivating strong cross-functional relationships.

03

Driving design excellence

Learn how to drive excellence and make an impact in your organization. Discover strategies for running effective meetings, scaling your influence, prioritizing ruthlessly, and achieving design excellence.

04

Design vision & strategy

Develop a compelling design vision and strategy that aligns with business objectives. Learn to craft a compelling story, create a strategic design plan, and drive business outcomes.

Course schedule

3-4 hours per week

  • Self-paced video lessons

    1-2 hrs per week

    Get access to pre-recorded video lessons to learn at your own pace.


  • Bite-sized projects

    1 hr per week

    Each week, you'll take what you learned and apply it to your real life situation.

  • Live office hours

    1 hr per week

    Live questions and answers, feedback, and a deeper dive into that week's topics. Recordings available if you are unable to attend.

  • Templates, frameworks, and resources

    Weekly

    Get access to reusable templates, proven frameworks, and my favorite resources you can use to get a head start at work.

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

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Foundations of Design Leadership

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