Address
Pittsburgh, PA
Work Hours
Monday to Thursday: 9AM - 5PM ET
Friday: 9AM -1PM
Upcoming Programs — Launching March 30 🚀
All cohorts will be limited to 6 participants.
AI Product Builder Accelerator
From Idea to validated MVP in 4 weeks. Small cohort. Structured execution. Real validation.
Portfolio Accelerator
Upgrade your UX Portfolio and get interview-ready. Live critiques. Hiring-focused feedback. Real momentum.
UX Product Audit
Clear, actionable feedback in days, not months. Learn what’s working, what’s costing you users, and exactly what to fix next.
An AI-First Product Design Lab — Evolving Into Structured Programs 🧬
Our work lives at the intersection of design leadership, emerging technology, and hands-experimentation, and real world mentorship.
What we do:
From Lab to Execution 🧪
Over the past year, Big Nerd has explored:
Those experiments now power small-cohort programs launching March 30.
You won’t just hear what works.
You’ll build it.
Designed for 🦄
Product leaders
Looking to understand how AI and modern workflows are changing discovery, design, and decision-making.
Designers and builders
Who want to learn by doing, experiment responsibly, and build real things instead of slide decks.
Teams and organizations
Exploring new ways of working and learning through workshops, labs, and hands-on training.
🥷 Learn by doing
Big Nerd hosts free live workshops, hackathons, and webinars designed to help designers and teams experience modern product discovery firsthand. These sessions are how we share what we’re learning and how organizations can engage with the lab.
Vibe Coding Hackathon
Feb 19, 2026 @ 5:00 pm MT
Have an idea waiting for its moment? Bring it to life at our upcoming rapid prototyping hackathon. You will build quickly, learn even faster, and compete for prizes as our guest judge selects the winners.
Supported by:
Vibe Coding Hackathon
Jan 15, 2026 @ 5:00 pm MT
Have an idea waiting for its moment? Bring it to life at our upcoming rapid prototyping hackathon. You will build quickly, learn even faster, and compete for prizes as our guest judge selects the winners.
Supported by:
AI in Product Design
Dec 4, 2025 @ 5:00 pm MT
Learn how AI native workflows help product teams move faster with fewer resources. Attendees will learn practical strategies, real examples, and walked away with tools to accelerate discovery and prototyping.
Supported by:
Our Rapid 5-Step Cycle
We use a structured, time-boxed format to explore ideas, test assumptions, and learn quickly. This cycle powers our internal experiments, public workshops, and hands-on training sessions.
Discover
The process begins by aligning on the problem, goals, and success metrics. Stakeholder input, lightweight research, and requirement definition typically happen at this stage.
Prototype & Review
A functional prototype is created and reviewed to gather fast, actionable feedback.
User Test & Refine
Feedback is incorporated, the prototype is refined, and usability testing helps surface risks and opportunities early.
Harden & Secure
Validated prototypes are hardened and prepared for dev, with an emphasis on quality, feasibility, and clarity.
Reflect & Share
Outcomes are reviewed, learnings are captured, and insights inform next steps.
Why this lab exists 🤔
Experiment safely
Experiment with emerging technologies through real prototypes and real constraints, without the pressure of risking half-baked ideas in production.
Learn publicly
Learning happens faster when it’s visible. By building in public, we turn experiments into shared lessons that build clarity and confidence.
AI moves fast. This lab turns hands-on experiments into practical insights teams can actually use to design better products with less time and effort.
A few insights from our lab 🧐
Behind-the-scenes look at how we launch apps faster, and deliver quality results.
Why Popular AI Tools Aren’t Always Safe
A recent incident involving a rapidly adopted AI tool and an unexpected data exposure caught my attention a few weeks ago. Over a hundred thousand users had installed it before the vulnerability was widely…
Scaling Narrow Intent: Replicating Meaning Instead of Adding Features
“We don’t remember software for its features. We remember how it made us feel when we needed it to work. The best products don’t just look simple. They make people feel calm, capable, and…
Narrow Intent: A Field Study in Building Something Small That Matters
“I built this app for myself, but it turns out it was never just for me. It was for anyone who needed a familiar voice to say something kind at the right moment. That…
What’s next 🤩
March 30 — First cohorts begin.
Limited seats. Structured application.
If you’re interested in joining the first wave,
join one of the interest lists above or: