Why I chose to study MA User Experience Design (Online)
25 August 2026
This article was written by MA User Experience Design (Online) student, Wendy.
I was entering my 20th year in secondary education, working as a network lead in design and technology for my local authority. Prior to completing my PGCE, I had worked in London as a graphic designer, focusing on packaging, corporate identity and some early digital design. After two decades in the classroom, I needed a change; I wanted my brain to think of things other than data entry and next year's curriculum. Having pivoted once from design to teaching, I decided to pivot again towards digital UX design.
Having taught user experience to my A-Level students for many years, and having sent numerous students to Falmouth, who all reported back with great experiences, Falmouth’s MA User Experience Design (Online) was an obvious frontrunner. I knew the course needed to be online to accommodate my schedule, and my love of digital design and my interest in creating better user experiences for wider audiences led me here. Returning to postgraduate study as a mature student was daunting, and I wasn’t sure how my brain would cope with the academic rigour, but I was willing to give it a go. Though challenging, I have really enjoyed pushing myself through the process.
My experience on the degree
The course hits the ground running; the initial module eased us into the world of UX with a very broad overview of the discipline and two quick-turnaround UX projects. These led to two different digital outcomes that could have been an app, a user interface, or a website. Moving into Figma—an industry standard, though some used other platforms familiar to them—was a baptism of fire. Thankfully, as someone familiar with Adobe Creative Suite and 3D modelling platforms, I picked it up quite quickly. It was fast paced, but gave a brilliant introduction to UX.
The subsequent modules systematically elevated our technical and analytical depth:
- Design Systems and UI: Focused on design skills and design systems, developing a high-fidelity prototype outcome using a design package and a subject of choice through many iterations and use of Figma online tutorials to further develop my skills to meet the level of complexity required.
- UX Research and Proof-of-Concept: The latter stages of the MA shifted toward rigorous academic research methods, including a practice academic research project followed by Part 1 and Part 2 of the Final Major Project—a research module and a much more involved Proof-of-Concept (PoC) outcome.
Balancing the workload alongside full-time teaching initially (prior to being part-time) stretched my time management skills and tested me academically, but I am glad I stuck with it. Tutors were supportive, acting as facilitators due to the academic rigour of the course.
Collaboration and Community
The third module was a particular highlight: a co-collaborative project between UXD and IGD (Independent Games Design). Working in a multidisciplinary team of six, we created a prototype for a chosen context and presented it to industry professionals for feedback. Collaborating with teammates who were already UX professionals allowed me to see best practice in Figma first-hand, elevating my skills beyond what online tutorials could offer. This upskilling greatly helped improve the professionalism and flow of my final two UX Research PoCs.
I am currently awaiting my final MA result and hope my gained skills have shone through. I’m unsure quite what direction I am headed next, but my LinkedIn profile will be updated as soon as results are in, so we will see.
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