OCTOBER 2026 Curriculum Format Other Programs Success Stories FAQ
OCTOBER 2026 · FOUNDING COHORT · 6 SEATS

Design and Build Your App Idea with AI

A six-week live cohort where participants take an idea from problem definition through UX flows, interface design, and a working prototype.

Apply for the Cohort See the Six Weeks

Want to talk it through first? Book a 15-minute fit call

DURATION
Six weeks
CADENCE
Two sessions weekly
COHORT SIZE
6 participants
FORMAT
Live online
THIS PROGRAM

Who this is for.

People with an idea and no clear path from it to something real. You do not need to code. You do need an idea you care about and six weeks of attention.

01

First-time founders

You have an idea and no idea what step one looks like.

02

Career switchers

You want a real project to point at, not another certificate.

03

Operators & owners

You see a fix inside your own business and want to build it yourself.

THEY WEREN’T DEVELOPERS EITHER

People with no code background finished theirs.

A veterinarian, a cattle farmer and an 89-year-old retiree — none of whom write code. We collected nineteen of these, each one linked to the reporting it came from, so you can judge the premise for yourself before you apply.

61 · VETERINARIAN

Erin Downes

Built a call-triage tool for her own clinic, then won $15,000 with it at OpenAI’s hackathon.

CHATGPT + CODEX
50 · CATTLE FARMER

Brendan Kennedy

Pulled live beef prices into one place for Irish farmers, building it between 5am and 7am before his day job.

CLAUDE + CHATGPT
89 · RETIRED

Tomiji Suzuki

Shipped eleven free iPhone apps for older adults after asking roughly 1,000 coding questions.

CHATGPT
Read all nineteen stories

These are publicly reported stories, not Lab graduates — the cohort is new. Every claim links to its source.

TWO LIVE SESSIONS WEEKLY

Six weeks, six decisions.

WEEK 01

Validate and scope the idea

Define the problem, the person it belongs to, and the smallest version worth building.

YOU LEAVE WITH
— Problem statement— Target user sketch— Scoped v1 feature list
WEEK 02

Understand the user

Talk to real people, test your assumptions, and cut what the idea does not need.

YOU LEAVE WITH
— Five user conversations— Assumption test results— Revised scope
WEEK 03

Design the user flow

Map the path through the product before drawing a single screen.

YOU LEAVE WITH
— End-to-end user flow— Key screen inventory— Edge cases named
WEEK 04

Design the interface

Turn the flow into screens, with a visual direction that holds together.

YOU LEAVE WITH
— Key screen layouts— Interface direction— Component starter set
WEEK 05

Build the prototype with AI tools

Make it clickable and real, without writing code from scratch.

YOU LEAVE WITH
— Working prototype— AI tool workflow— Reusable prompt set
WEEK 06

Test, refine, and create a launch plan

Put it in front of real people, fix what breaks, and decide what happens next.

YOU LEAVE WITH
— Test findings— Refined prototype— Launch plan
Zaye Flowers, Lead UX designer and instructor for the FEZ Innovation Lab
WHO TEACHES IT

Taught by a Lead UX designer who has shipped enterprise product.

Every session is run by the same practitioner who does the client work — a Lead UX background across GEICO, CNN, and Publicis Sapient, enterprise product experience, and an app of his own, Before Us, built end to end.

BACKGROUND
Lead UX

GEICO, CNN, and Publicis Sapient — regulated, high-traffic products.

ENTERPRISE
Product at scale

Design systems, research, and delivery inside large organizations.

OWN PRODUCT
Before Us App

Built from idea to shipped app — the same path this cohort walks.

PRACTICE
FEZ Media

Client design, AI strategy, and training across the DC/MD/VA region.

FORMAT

The pilot format.

COHORT SIZE 6 participants
INVESTMENT $599 per participant · $150 refundable deposit to reserve a seat
SCHEDULE Two sessions weekly for six weeks
DELIVERY Live online
IN PERSON One optional Baltimore / DC meetup
STARTS Tuesday, October 27
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Templates

Scoping, flow, and launch templates you reuse after the cohort.

Recordings

Every session recorded and available for six months.

Office hours

Weekly open time for questions on your specific build.

Feedback

Direct critique on your idea, your flows, and your prototype.

Cohort channel

A small group working the same problems at the same time.

Optional meetup

One in-person session in the Baltimore / DC area.

WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE COSTS

The other route to a finished app is paying someone to build it — which starts near $30,000 and reaches $60,000 to $250,000 at an agency. I charted the paths side by side, with sources, including the running costs you still pay every year no matter who builds it.

See the cost comparison

Most people don’t need a course. They need to finish the thing.

The cohort is small on purpose. Six people means your idea gets looked at every week, by name, with real feedback and a deadline attached.

INNOVATION LAB PROGRAMS

Other cohorts in the lab.

FLAGSHIPOCTOBER

Design and Build Your App Idea with AI

Idea to working prototype in six weeks, with a launch plan attached.

ScopingUX flowsInterface designAI prototyping
Apply Now
BUSINESSWAITLIST

AI for Small-Business Owners

Map your customer journey and build or improve a digital product without hiring an agency first.

Customer journey mappingDigital product basicsAI workflowsWhat to outsource
Join the Waitlist
FAQ

Questions people ask.

Do I need to know how to code?

No. We use AI tools to build the prototype. If you can describe what you want clearly, you can build it in this cohort.

What if I don’t have an idea yet?

Week one is scoping. Bring a problem you find annoying or a group of people you understand well, and we will shape it into something buildable.

How much time does it take each week?

Two live sessions plus roughly two to three hours of your own work. The deadlines are what make it work.

Are there any weeks off?

One. There are no sessions during Thanksgiving week — Tuesday, November 24 and Thursday, November 26 — so the six weeks of material run across seven calendar weeks. We start Tuesday, October 27 and the last session is Thursday, December 10.

Is it live or recorded?

Live online, with recordings posted afterward. There is one optional Baltimore / DC meetup during the six weeks.

What do I own at the end?

Your prototype, your flows, your templates, and a launch plan. All of it is yours.

Is the deposit refundable?

Yes. If we review your application and it is not a fit, we refund it in full. You can also withdraw for a full refund any time up to the first session on October 27.

What happens after I pay?

You get a Stripe receipt straight away, then a confirmation email with the welcome guide, the schedule, and next steps. The remaining $449 is due Monday, October 26.

APPLICATION

Tell us about your idea.

Short form, no interview. Seats are held in the order deposits come in. We read every application, and if it’s not a fit, we refund your deposit in full.

$150 refundable deposit, credited toward your $599 tuition. Remaining $449 due Monday, October 26. Pay by card, bank, or Cash App Pay, or spread it over time with Klarna, Affirm, or Afterpay.

Want to talk it through first? Book a 15-minute fit call

Want to pressure-test your idea first? Try the App Idea Worksheet

Not ready yet? Get notified about the next cohort

STILL DECIDING?

Not ready to apply or book a call? Send the question instead — whether your idea fits, whether the schedule works, whether it’s worth it for where you are right now. No pitch, and no follow-up sequence.

Email lab@fezmedia.co

Six seats. Six weeks.
One idea shipped.

The October cohort begins Tuesday, October 27. Applications close October 20, or when the seats are gone.

Apply for October