Austin Center for Design
Gain autonomy through design: make products and services that change the world!
Why choose AC4D?
Austin Center for Design (AC4D), an educational non-profit in Austin, Texas, is a unique school intended to help you develop autonomy through design.
Make an Impact
Our focus is on addressing humanitarian problems that matter. Students learn to re-contextualize design in the space of large-scale “wicked problems” to change human behavior and improve the world.
Build Community
Our small cohort sizes provide extensive face-time with instructors and mentors, providing learners the opportunity to form lasting relationships with a growing, robust support network.
Engage Experts
Founder Jon Kolko is recognized as a thought-leader in advancing the role of interaction design in product development and social entrepreneurship. Our faculty are all world-class working practitioners.
Featured Programs
One-Year Immersive:
Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship
10 Months, ~40 hours per week
Austin, Texas / Remote
From Novice to Design Professional: A One-Year Journey to Autonomy and Impact.
AC4D’s signature one-year immersive program transforms students into high-value creative problem solvers who go on to lead successful and fulfilling careers in design, social impact, and beyond.
Not for the faint of heart, we designed our full-year program to force students to navigate ambiguity and tame the chaos of wicked problems in the world and themselves.
Graduates become part of a close-knit and well-regarded network of global design practitioners and leaders who serve as invaluable lifetime resources, references, and advocates.
Duration: 10 months (480-course hours in total)
Time Per Week: 40+ hours per week; (8 class hours ~32 out-of-class hours)
Tuition: $23,000 $16,000
Texas Workforce Commission Certified: Yes
Remote Studio in Design Research
12 weeks, 15 hours per week
Online/Remote Friendly
For those new to design or teams wanting oversight for a specific design research & strategy project. A 12-week program focused on a single project with pre-identified activities and deliverables.
Duration: 12-weeks
Time Per Week: 10-15 hours estimated
1:1 Coaching: 2 hours per week
Cost: $5,000 $3,000
Texas Workforce Commission Certified: Yes
Learn how qualitative design research leads to design strategy and new innovative products and services.
In this comprehensive course on Design Research for Strategy & Innovation, students will dive deep into the world of qualitative design research and design synthesis, gaining the necessary skills and knowledge to tackle complex problems in the domains of technology, behavior, and society.
Duration: 3.5 Hours
Self-Guided Remote Studio in Design Research
3.5 hours
Self-Paced Online
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