MA User Experience & Service Design

Overview

In the first stage of the MDes User Experience and Service Design, students are introduced to the critical, creative, and methodological foundations necessary for advanced design practice and research. The emphasis is on developing a sustainable, reflective, and strategically informed design process that supports innovation and user-centred outcomes.

The Exploration and Enquiry module establishes the intellectual and practical frameworks required for independent, practice-led research. Students are encouraged to identify their individual creative direction while situating their work within a broader disciplinary and professional context. Through seminars, workshops, and presentations from practitioners and researchers, students engage in critical debate and collaborative discussion that challenge existing perspectives and inform their own evolving practice.

The module also emphasises the acquisition and application of advanced digital and analogue design skills, allowing students to evaluate their technical strengths and identify areas for development. By auditing their skillsets and resources, students learn to manage their creative processes strategically and to consider interdisciplinary or collaborative partnerships as part of their professional growth.

Complementing this, the Design Thinking module introduces students to human-centred and problem-oriented approaches that underpin contemporary design innovation. Students learn to identify and empathise with user needs, developing insights through observation, reflection, and engagement. The module encourages an iterative and inquisitive mindset, prompting students to question assumptions, challenge conventions, and explore the implications of design decisions in social, ethical, and experiential contexts.

Together, these modules establish a foundation for postgraduate-level study, combining research-informed inquiry with experimental and user-focused practice. By the end of the semester, students will have developed the critical awareness, creative confidence, and methodological rigour required to define their own design agenda and prepare for more advanced project work in subsequent stages of the programme.

Overview

In the second stage of the MDes User Experience and Service Design, students extend their creative, theoretical, and technical understanding of design practice, focusing on the development of specialist skills and forward-thinking approaches to contemporary design challenges. This semester bridges exploratory research and professional application, supporting students in defining the direction of their final Master’s project.

The Specialist Skills Development module deepens students’ expertise in user experience, design thinking, and service design methodologies. It encourages students to refine their creative direction through a balance of theory, practice, and research-driven inquiry. The module explores advanced topics such as narrative construction, digital innovation, globalisation, localisation, and design aesthetics — all within the context of user-centred and socially responsive design.

Students are guided through the process of developing and testing design strategies, employing research methods for problem-solving, opportunity identification, and innovation framing. Through prototyping, iterative development, and critical peer review, students engage with contemporary social and technological issues, producing solutions that aim to create meaningful impact. The module culminates in the formulation of a practice-led and critically informed project proposal, establishing the conceptual and methodological foundation for the final stage of the programme.

The Design Futures module complements this work by equipping students with the ability to navigate and respond to the rapidly evolving landscape of design in the 21st century. Through lectures, workshops, and practical exploration, students engage with emerging technologies — including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sustainable systems — and consider their implications for user experience and service design.

Students critically examine the ethical, environmental, and societal dimensions of technological innovation, developing a nuanced understanding of design’s role in shaping responsible futures. By integrating foresight, innovation, and ethics, students learn to create sustainable and socially conscious products, services, and systems that anticipate the needs of an increasingly complex and interconnected world.

Together, these modules prepare students to position themselves as strategic and ethically aware designers, capable of addressing global challenges through innovative and human-centred approaches. They also lay the groundwork for the final Master’s Project, where students will synthesise their research, skills, and creative vision into a substantial piece of design work.

Overview

The final stage of the MDes User Experience and Service Design represents the culmination of the student’s postgraduate journey. This semester provides a period of sustained, self-directed, and practice-led creative engagement, allowing students to synthesise their research, conceptual development, and design skills into a resolved body of work that reflects their individual focus and professional aspirations.

The Masters Project forms the core of this stage, enabling students to define, manage, and realise a substantial design investigation within their chosen area — whether interaction design, service design, or design thinking. The module emphasises the integration of advanced creative practice with critical reflection and contextual awareness. Students undertake an extended project that demonstrates their ability to plan and execute design work to a professional standard, applying the methodologies, technical skills, and conceptual frameworks developed throughout the programme.

This module supports students in managing all stages of the design process — from research and ideation to development, documentation, and final presentation. They are encouraged to test and evaluate their outcomes rigorously, engaging with relevant audiences, stakeholders, or industry collaborators where appropriate. The process is supported through individual tutorials, peer reviews, and critiques that ensure the project’s conceptual clarity, design integrity, and professional relevance.

The culmination of the module is a cohesive body of creative work, accompanied by a Masters report that articulates the research context, critical analysis, and reflective evaluation underpinning the project. This document evidences the student’s ability to position their practice within broader theoretical and professional frameworks, demonstrating a mature and independent approach to design inquiry.

By the end of the final semester, students will have developed a portfolio that embodies their creative vision, technical excellence, and strategic thinking. They will emerge as confident, reflective, and adaptive practitioners — capable of contributing meaningfully to the evolving disciplines of user experience, service design, and design innovation on a global scale.