As part of a growth track in visual design at Atlassian, I got access to the popular Shift Nudge course in 2024. I knew about Matt's work and the course well before this, but the cost had always been a barrier. Since Atlassian was covering the expense, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

I aimed to achieve several goals:

• Revisit foundational design skills

• Improve specific visual design skills

• Develop good design habits

• Have fun and experiment

I started the course with a small group in early April, with a timeline of 28 weeks to finish the Core and Pro tracks – 14 weeks each. Knowing I'd be taking a few weeks off in July for my 5-year employment award, I had a tighter schedule than usual. To make the most of the course, I decided to block out time each week to binge-watch the lessons, take notes, and highlight key points. This approach allowed me to complete all the Core and Pro tracks in about 4 weeks.

I could then tackle the homework assignments back-to-back, applying multiple skills from each lesson to each project. This strategy proved extremely efficient, as I could easily switch between assignments when in a flow state.

Critiques of the course

Despite the course's many strengths, I did find a few issues. This is not a comprehensive list but just a few that stuck out to me.

Surface-level content

While advertised as more than surface-level, I found that a significant portion of the content was, in fact, surface-level. Some lessons lacked homework, offering vague suggestions like "train your design eye to see subtle details."

I'm not sure what I expected exactly but I ended more lessons glad I didn't fork out my own money for the course.

Slack workspace is a ghost town

The Slack workspace, intended for posting work and getting feedback, felt like a ghost town. Despite having 3800 members, hardly anyone posted beyond the first few lessons. The feedback quality was poor, with comments like "Nice colors!" or "Great work." Often, students received no responses at all.

Out-of-date examples

A significant percentage of Matt's previous work examples in the lessons and linked resources felt outdated. Matt sometimes acknowledged that these designs weren't great examples, even contradicting the lesson's advice. I noticed poor layout choices, color contrast issues, typography inconsistencies, and more.

Typos

The lesson transcripts and supplemental materials were riddled with typos – at least 2-3 per lesson and homework. For a course this expensive, I expected better attention to detail.

Is it for you? Is it worth it?

If you're taking the course, here are a few tips:

1. Don't feel obligated to follow the lessons linearly. If you find something interesting, dive in.

2. Experiment with new ideas and styles you wouldn't try in your day job. Leave your comfort zone and have fun.

3. Explore multiple directions for each assignment. Mix things up and add your own twist if the lesson isn't challenging enough.

The course offers a lot of information, well-presented video lessons, and practical homework exercises. As a seasoned designer, I found design tactics in most lessons that I could apply to my daily work. However, many homework assignments felt simplistic and basic, which might leave senior designers feeling bored or questioning the course's value.

Here's who would I recommend the course to:

• Junior designers struggling with basic design aspects like hierarchy, color, type, and layout

• Those seeking a deeper understanding of how specific elements and styles work together

• Non-designers looking to improve their design skills or break into design fundamentals

Keep in mind that Shift Nudge has a hefty price tag. If your organization can't cover the cost, there are similar courses available at a lower price point such as CareerFoundry UI Design Program, Supercharge Design, Practical UI, and Design Hack.

Thanks for stopping by.

—Chris