Design League Personal Coach

Become a personal UX coach today

Does the following describe you?

  • You are an expert in the field of UX Design with over ten years of versatile experience
  • You have the courage to attack and conquer the most challenging design problems
  • You have great oral and writing skills
  • You are eager to share the knowledge that is overflowing your head, at the same time striving for gaining even more of it
  • You can effectively communicate with those who have as little experience as you had decades ago, as well as those who might be even more senior than you are

Become a Design League coach today

Here’s what you can achieve as a personal UX coach of the Design League:

Market your expertise

Be listed as a Coach among other top experts in the Design League. Show the achievements of your coaching clients and their testimonials to your prospects and partners.

Monetize your expertise

Earn by sharing what you already know with other growing professionals. Flexibly decide on how much of your time you can devote to guiding and coaching members of the Design League.

Amplify your expertise

Immerse yourself into a rich versatility of real-life problems and situations of UX practitioners across countries and industries. Learn from their experience and your experience with helping them.

What will you do as a coach?

You will help Design League members grow as creative professionals. Your job will be to help members of the Design League to set and achieve their ambitious professional targets. You will guide them in learning, preparing for certification, authoring publications, speaking at conferences, and completing design projects.

How to apply?

Send an e-mail to paul@interaction-design.org with the subject titled “Coach Application - <your name”

In the e-mail:

  • Briefly (in a few lines) explain who you are
  • Provide links to your professional profile (e.g. on LinkedIn) and/or portfolio(s)
  • Specify your physical location and the time when you can be reached
  • Provide your Skype name and phone number
  • Tell how much time you are ready to devote to coaching activities per week or per month, as well as specific ranges of time when you can do it
  • Describe essential attributes of your ideal coaching clients. These may include areas of professional interest, level of expertise, native language, time zone, and any other characteristics that are of importance for you
  • Attach your photo and CV

Know someone who is a good fit? Share this opportunity:

Have questions about being a personal UX coach?

What should I put on my public profile?
Some characteristics that will help our members understand your ideal target audience. These characteristics may include location, native language, areas of professional interest, level of expertise, current occupation, periods of availability, and career goals. It's also important to enter a description of yourself (remember that only the first approximately 230 characters will be shown) and make sure you have uploaded a photo.

Is essential to keep your public profile accurate and informative, so our Design League members are able to make their choice. Examine your public profile to make sure that it conveys sufficient information for our members to make the right decision when they choose you as a coach. Identify and amend any important information that might be missing or misleading.
How I can improve my coaching skills?
We are preparing a full-blown coaching course for Interaction Design Foundation Design League coaches. Until our course is ready, we suggest you to
  • Read literature on coaching – see our recommended reading list;
  • Learn from other Interaction Design Foundation coaches – e.g., through meetings or online discussions;
  • Learn from international professional communities – for example, groups on LinkedIn or Facebook
How much time I should spend with each of my Design League students?
By default, we grant each Design League member 2 (two) hours of coaching time per month. We recommend breaking this overall time into smaller chunks, such as 20 or 30 minutes. Together with your student, you should decide what is better – to spread these chunks evenly through the months or to cluster them at specific activity periods.

Some members of the Design League may purchase extra coaching hours or have some other special agreement (for example, within their company membership). You should be aware of such settlements and plan your work accordingly.

Please note, the coaching time does not include: the time you spend on keeping your records, conducting information research that may apply to other students, composing e-mails (such as welcome e-mail and e-mails requesting general information). To make efficient use of your time, we recommend that you assemble a collection of e-mail templates, which you can reuse for multiple students.
How many students can I have at the same time?

There is no limit to how many students you can handle at the same time. It may depend on multiple factors, such as

  • how much spare time you have every day?

  • how flexible is your schedule so that you can adapt to your students' needs (e.g., for Skype meetings)?

  • how many career stories do you think you can remember without mixing them up?

When the number of students approaches your limit, you can prevent new students from coming to you by switching off your visibility as an available coach on the Coaching Control Panel.

How does the actual coaching take place?
You can coach your students both synchronously and asynchronously – for example, over the private chat in your Design League Control panel or over a video meeting, such as Skype. We recommend using a video meeting one or two times per month and answering questions over private chat when smaller questions arise.
How should I schedule coaching sessions?
You can use Google Calendar or a similar service to schedule the meetings. We recommend you create a separate calendar dedicated to your IxDF Design League coaching. 

When creating each event, you might want to specify
  • WHAT you are going to discuss with your student. Time is limited, so make sure you have a clear agenda
  • WHY it is important to discuss THIS subject rather than something else
  • HOW you are going to contact (Skype, chat, phone call)
While this is not mandatory, it will help both yourself and your student to prepare well for each session.

Make sure that your sessions do not go one immediately after another. You should have at least a 15-minutes gap between them.
How should I prepare to coaching sessions?
For each session,

  • Check the student's profile and other available information to understand their likely needs
  • Make sure you have a clear agenda and know exactly what and how you are going to discuss with the student
  • Check whether you might need any supporting materials or information
  • Make sure that those materials are available and will be easy to access and share during the session
  • Write down all recommendations you can think of, such as recommended reading or materials to explore
  • Think of any questions you may want to ask during the session and add them to the session agenda
  • Look for any questions that you want to ask your client before the session
  • Before the beginning of each session, spend 10 minutes to review its agenda and the supporting materials that you have prepared for it.

    After completion of each session, spend 5 minutes to summarize its results and make a plan a follow up.

  • What else should I take into consideration when conducting a coaching session?
    Remember that you represent the IxDF. It is important to us that you look informal, yet serious and professional. 

    Hence, we kindly ask you to dress appropriately for your coaching sessions. You do not need to wear a suit and tie. Casual wear is fine, as long as you appear serious and professional.

    Be mindful of your surroundings. People walking behind your back and background sounds are very distracting and may be interpreted in different ways. It is best to hold your video meetings from your home or a small office. Bookshelves and neutrally colored walls make the best background. Avoid directing your front camera against darkness or bright light – and make sure your face is well lit. Please also make sure to prevent any room noise. We recommend using a headset with a directed, short-range, or otherwise noise-reducing microphone. 

    Best use of time
    • Start your meetings exactly as scheduled. Do not allow yourself longer than a one-minute delay.
    • Set a clear agenda for each session together with your client, keep coaching sessions short and focused.
    • Ensure a good internet connection speed. Breaking voice, stuck videos and loading pauses are very disappointing and time-consuming.
    • Keep your information organized in such a way that it never gets lost, and you can quickly find and access it. We recommend using the private chat on the Design League Control panel.
    • Keep track of your coaching activities and work hours as explained in the answer to “How I should document my coaching work?”. You may extend or format your tracking worksheet upon your convenience, but make sure that it at least captures all the data elements present in the template.
    • Record your coaching sessions upon permission of your client. This is not necessary, of course, but later you may benefit from these recordings in many ways. For recording Skype sessions, you can choose appropriate software from this list: https://support.skype.com/EN/faq/FA12395/how-can-i-record-my-skype-calls. If you want to record the session, you must always inform the person that the session will be recorded and have his/her agreement explicitly confirmed.
    How will I be paid for my coaching service?

    You will be paid for 2 hours of coaching (including the actual meetings, preparation and emailing with your coaching client). Your personal rate is a subject of negotiation based on your level of expertise and other factors. Payments will be made upon your billing report at the beginning of each month following the month of service.

    How I should document my coaching work?

    To simplify things, we suggest using the same format for both keeping record of your work and reporting it. Use a simple tabular format in Excel spreadsheet

    • Date
    • Student name
    • Start time
    • End time
    • Total time (minutes)
    • Billable time (hours)
    • Brief description of the activity or the subject(s) of discussion

    While you report on your coaching work once a month, we highly recommend recording your activities every day. Usually, it takes no more than 15 minutes, but ensures that you do not forget what you did during the day. If you did not have time to record your activities at the end of the day, start the next day with it.

    Should I record all of my coaching sessions?

    The decision on whether to record or not each coaching session is totally up to you and the student. It is not a requirement. However, keeping and analyzing such recordings may have many benefits. For example, you can use them to improve your coaching practice, cite in your publications, or to prepare your conference talks. In addition, you will have to have a particular amount of recorded and transcribed coaching session time if will you decide to proceed with certification as a professional coach.

    Which of my time related to coaching is billable?

    Your billable time is, essentially, the one that is confirmed by your coaching student. Usually, it is a time you spend directly communicating – either on a video conference or in a message chat. If your coaching includes the substantial exchange of e-mails, you can also report the time that you spend composing and reading those e-mails.

    The coaching time does not include the time that you spend on keeping your records and the time that you spend, for example, on conducting information research that may apply to other students. It also does not include the time that you spend composing some e-mails, such as the welcome e-mail and the e-mails requesting general information. To make efficient use of your time, we recommend you assemble a collection of e-mail templates, which you can reuse for multiple students.

    When and how shall I report my work time?
    You will have to report your work time at the end of each month of service. Please, submit the summary of your work in the following tabular format:
    • Starting date of the period of service – usually, the beginning of the month, unless you started later in that month
    • Ending date of the period of service – usually, the last day of the month, unless your service has ended earlier
    • Student name – exactly as specified on the student’s Interaction Design Foundation profile
    • Spent hours – total amount of time spent on this student, including introductory interviews, planning and preparation time
    • Billable hours – net billable time spent on coaching the student
    • Comment – brief description of activities and subjects of discussion, as well as any other important information about your service to this student
    Upon your convenience, you can instead attach a more detailed report that you use for daily tracking your coaching activities.
    Can you recommend something to read on coaching?

    While this is not an exhaustive list, you might be interested in reading the following.

    • Coaching Questions: A Coach's Guide to Powerful Asking by Tony Stoltzfus; Coach 22 Bookstore LLC (December 8, 2013)

    This book is great for coaches just starting out or for those that would like an abundance of questions. The questions are organized into specific areas of interest or niches. They are very thought provoking and we recommend that you answer the questions yourself. This way you will have a sense of what your clients will experience.

    • 50 Top Tools for Coaching: A Complete Toolkit for Developing and Empowering People by Gillian Jones and Ro Gorell; Kogan Page, Second Edition (September 15, 2012)

    This book serves as a great reference on professional coaching tools. It gives clarity on what processes to use when, how to use them and the types of questions to ask.

    • Coaching for Breakthrough Success: Proven Techniques for Making Impossible Dreams Possible by Jack Canfield and Peter Chee; McGraw-Hill Education, 1 edition (October 19, 2012)

    Written by Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach and Best Selling Author with 500 million copies sold of his book series Chicken Soup for the Soul. The book is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 covers the heart of coaching in 30 principles that explain the role and benefits of coaching. Part 2 explains situational coaching model (SCM) that covers 6 paradigms for success: goals, exploration, analysis, releasing, decision, and action. Part 3 offers many techniques for achieving benefits and overcoming barriers. You can use these techniques with a client or as a self-coaching tool if you need ways to build self-esteem or to get yourself motivated towards making action plans and finally achieving goals.

    • The Completely Revised Handbook of Coaching: A Developmental Approach by Pamela McLean (Author); Jossey-Bass, 2 edition (July 23, 2012)

    This compendium gives a comprehensive overview of the coaching process. It acknowledges that coaching requires a methodology to allow the coach and client to stay oriented in what can be a complicated human interaction between coach and client. Pamela McLean captures the best current thinking on what makes coaching effective, how change occurs, and the necessary skillsto become a masterful coach.

    • Discussing Design: Improving Communication and Collaboration through Critique by Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry; O'Reilly Media, 1 edition (June 17, 2015)

    Since you are coaching design professionals, it is important to understand how to use critique to help them strengthen their designs, products, and services. In this practical guide, authors Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry teach you techniques, tools, and a framework for helping designers to give and receive constructive critique. This book examines the good, the bad, and the ugly of feedback, and suggests strategies for dealing with difficult people and challenging situations.

    • Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapyby David D. Burns M.D.; Harper Reprint edition (November 20, 2012)

    This book has become a classic on cognitive therapy of depressions. Even though your coaching is not supposed to be a therapy, it will give you a rock-solid approach to overcoming limiting beliefs and emotional blocks of your coaching clients.

    If you have more questions, feel free to contact us!