How to Really Train a UX Team

The most effective way to train a UX team is through customised training and mentorship -- not generic bootcamps or one-size-fits-all certification programmes. Custom training accounts for your team's specific strengths, skill gaps, and business needs, and it creates lasting improvement rather than a short-term knowledge bump.

What is the problem with standard UX training?

Most off-the-shelf UX training doesn't work. Subpar educational materials are easy to find, but they're so generalised and condensed that it's practically impossible to get any real or lasting value from them.

On top of that, ever-changing industry standards present a moving target. That makes it more important for teams to understand the underlying principles of effective UX design, rather than just surface-level "how-to" information.

For too many companies, the result is a demand for quality UX that simply can't be met. Products and experiences suffer as teams overextend themselves and contort their abilities trying to fill UX gaps.

Why is UX expertise in such high demand?

More companies are realising the unbeatable value of investing in UX. That's created a real incentive for designers and developers to expand their skill sets and start applying UX principles to their current work.

The good news: there's genuine potential for companies to train existing employees in UX, so they can offer new value to customers without having to hire an entirely new team.

How do you really train a UX team?

The answer is custom training. It's an art as much as a science. Only this type of training can take into account your team's strengths, weaknesses, and needs in order to create the material and learning experience required for real growth.

A customised solution considers your customers' demands, identifies gaps in your team's skill sets (personal and professional), and offers strategies that will help solve the UX problems you and your customers need solved.

This isn't training designed for the masses. It's training designed for you.

Drawbackwards approaches this reality with three training stages that:

1. Assess where your team is currently
2. Provide quality mentorship customised to your needs
3. Provide your team with tools and resources that lead to lasting impact

So our team can empower your team to do its best work.

What does the assessment stage involve?

How can you fix a problem if you don't really know what the problem is? How can you fill gaps you can't see or clearly identify? How do you know what problems to prioritise, or where to start when you're ready to fix them?

Thorough assessment is key to effective solutions. As experts in the UX field, we know where to start, what to look for, and what questions to ask. We evaluate:

• Skill level
• Organisational design thinking
• Team values
• Product leadership
• Individual and group strengths
• Skill gaps

This gives us a clear picture of your specific challenges and needs before we recommend a single thing.

What does the mentorship stage look like?

From there, we craft and fine-tune a curriculum specifically designed for maximum impact within your team.

Drawbackwards' senior-level experts work with your team to offer education and support where it's most needed. Our curricula are designed to be:

Informative: We deliver cutting-edge information and educational materials that pertain directly to your team, your business, and your clients.

Encouraging: We become your partner in UX team development, offering the same support, encouragement, and professionalism you'd expect from your own team.

Actionable: Our plans are clear and actionable, giving you next steps that will make your long-term vision a reality.

Our mentorship is centred around the cornerstones of design and design advocacy: craft, UX thinking, design leadership, and creative wellness (which really dives into personal mindset and well-being). In short, we're set up to help your team in a way that really works, long-term.

How does Drawbackwards create lasting impact?

Too many training seminars, bootcamps, and certification programmes aren't effective. Important ideas get left out, a holistic approach is not taken, and basics often lack real-world context. Most topics covered aren't fully understood as they're completed. This can sometimes cause confusion and frustration, and ultimately results in being right back where you started, with unhappy clients, frustrated employees, and no answers or direction.

Drawbackwards takes steps to make sure the impact of our mentorship lasts, providing your team with resources, tools, and templates that will keep them going. Plus, our ongoing mentorship solutions offer continuous support and even deeper learning and understanding.

This breaks the cycle of customer frustration, subpar education, and short-lived improvement. Instead, your team has tried-and-tested tools they can use on their own to help strengthen their UX design skills and create meaningful solutions for clients, over and over again.

What are the results of proper UX team training?

Making the investment to train your UX team properly isn't just a good choice; it's the only choice. That is, if you want a highly-skilled team that's able to meet the growing UX demands of your customers. This investment in your employees can result in:

• Improved team attrition rates
• Higher skill level and quality of work
• More informed decision-making
• Better results with your customers and users

Training right the first time, and continually working on improvement, can help you create the UX team you and your customers need.

What training packages does Drawbackwards offer?

We offer a variety of advising and mentorship packages to help your team get the support it needs -- no more, and no less.

| | BASIC | LIGHT | INTEGRATED | CUSTOMISED | |---|---|---|---|---| | Working Sessions | Monthly session to critique design and mentor on relevant topics | Weekly sessions to critique design and mentor on relevant topics | Weekly sessions to critique design and mentor on relevant topics | Our team will partner with yours to evaluate, then co-create, a fully customised engagement to serve your organisation best. | | UX Webinar | Monthly | Monthly | Monthly | | | Daily Coaching | | Via text, email, or Slack integration | Via text, email, or Slack integration | | | Training Materials | Access to training materials, templates, and cheat sheets | Access to training materials, templates, and cheat sheets | Access to training materials, templates, and cheat sheets | | | Small Group Discussions | | | Included | | | Senior-Level 1:1 Mentoring | | | Included | | | Periodic UX/UI Audits | | | Included | | | Design Handbook | | | Final deliverable summarising topics covered | | | Monthly Day-Long Workshops | | | War-room style execution, in-depth instruction, or technical/experience scoping | | | Weekly Q&A Office Hours | | | With senior-level mentors | |

What other services complement UX team training?

We also offer services that can augment, support, and develop your team:

Talent Acquisition: Role and organisation chart recommendations for the most impact, written job descriptions, and expert-led interviews and talent vetting for your business.

Collaborative Execution: Real work completed for your projects, by your team and ours, to demonstrate design and leadership skills in action.

Research & Validation: Professionally-conducted research to validate design, lower investment risk, and ensure product usability and user acceptance.

Proper training is an investment that pays for itself. Don't settle for universal pseudo-solutions that overpromise and underdeliver. Choose customised training and mentorship that will empower your team to do its best work.

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FAQ

What is the best way to train a UX team? The most effective way is through customised training and mentorship tailored to your team's specific skill gaps, strengths, and business goals. Generic bootcamps and certification programmes rarely produce lasting results because they lack real-world context and a holistic approach.

Can I train existing employees in UX rather than hiring new ones? Yes. Designers and developers already on your team can be trained in UX principles and practices. A structured assessment followed by targeted mentorship is an effective way to build that capability without rebuilding your whole team.

How long does it take to see results from UX team training? It depends on the depth of the engagement. Short-term improvements can come quickly, but lasting impact requires ongoing mentorship and access to tools and resources your team can keep using independently. One-off training rarely sticks.

What is the difference between Drawbackwards' Basic and Integrated packages? The Basic package includes a monthly working session and monthly UX webinar. The Integrated package adds weekly sessions, daily coaching, small group discussions, senior-level 1:1 mentoring, periodic UX/UI audits, monthly day-long workshops, weekly office hours, and a final design handbook.

Why do so many UX training programmes fail? Most fail because they're too generalised, skip important ideas, and present information without real-world context. Topics are often not fully understood by the time a course is complete, and without ongoing support, teams slip back into old habits quickly.