Executive Summary
Creating a Mentorship Program
I noticed that junior designers were being thrown in at the deep end without much structure around their development, so I built a programme to fix that. A 12-week curriculum from scratch covering everything from UX fundamentals to stakeholder communication, paired with a design incubator that let apprentices contribute to real projects. It grew beyond what I expected: I ended up running elevation sessions for 14 designers in total, and the programme was recognised at the annual design awards.
Primary Role
Senior Product Designer
Team
1 x Senior Product Designer
7 x Designers mentored
Type
Design Leadership
Disciplines
Leadership, Course Creation
The Challenge
Creating a Structured Approach to Upskill Designers
I've had the privilege of mentoring multiple designers, creating a 12-week product design course, and establishing a design incubator. I created a structured programme encompassing weekly learning sessions, practical exercises, and collaborative working groups, including a full hour-long presentation for each week, accompanying exercises and reviews, to ensure designers were actioning their learnings. Giving back to the design community with a structured approach to education was important to ensuring all parties got the most from it.
The Curriculum
A Course Focused on Core Skills and Practical Application
The 12-week programme was designed to be tailored to each designer's skillset, with modules that could be swapped in and out. This flexibility is particularly important in product design, where paths into the role vary widely, meaning gaps in knowledge can differ significantly between designers. The programme ensured each participant built a solid foundation in the areas that mattered most to their development.
The Impact
Creating Positive Change in the Culture
This format inspired other teams within the organisation, and after receiving public praise many teams reached out for advice on setting up something similar. I also received significant personal recognition at our end-of-year design awards. With high demand from across the business to upskill junior and mid-level designers, I extended the weekly design elevation sessions and took on 14 designers, improving their design thinking, speed, and practical Figma skills.
Jack has volunteered his time to mentoring me within Product Design. He has spent time on building workshops, delivering weekly learning sessions and facilitating practice briefs. He has shown commitment and patience, despite having his own workload, maintaining a high standard of design principles.
Georgia, Design Mentee
Outcome
Designers Mentored
Week Course
