Aparmita is a recent graduate from Design Management and Cultures (now Design Management) at London College of Communication.
What attracted you to the course and London College of Communication?
Managing creative processes was always an area of my interest and when it came to studying it I wanted to make sure that I chose a course where I could see it in practice. Since this course is based in London I couldn’t have asked for a better place to study. It was amazing to have access to numerous events across the city and within LCC and UAL. Additionally, I felt that even though the subject is management it would be better to explore from an arts/design university perspective than a business school perspective, hence I chose LCC.
What was the most interesting project you worked on during your course?
That would be my final major project. The project looked at human centered design within Artificial Intelligence (AI) start-ups in London. I worked closely with AI start-ups in London trying to understand the future of user experience within this technology and how might we encourage such start-ups to create purposeful, delightful and non-harmful technology solutions. The journey of planning the research, conducting interviews, assimilating information and finally writing the thesis was an unforgettable roller coaster ride!
What are your fondest memories of London College of Communication?
The days spent setting up the Postgraduate Show at the end of the year. The whole class plans and executes the show to showcase our final major projects. It’s a lot of chaos but it's design management in practice and in the end worth all the effort and fun!
Did the course provide any opportunities to engage with industry?
The course organised multiple lectures from industry practitioners belonging to different fields of design. Coming from a digital design background, I particularly enjoyed the workshop organised at the Digital Catapult office at Kings Cross. Digital Catapult is an emerging tech innovation lab helping industries adopt technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, AR/VR, Internet of Things. The association with them helped me define my MA thesis project and gave me further assistance in making it a reality.
What three words would you use to best describe your London College of Communication experience?
Multicultural, stimulating and lively!
Why would you recommend studying MA Design Management?
The course opens your mind to a much wider culture of design practice happening around the global. It is a great platform to evolve and develop on your existing design abilities and learn more about how creative processes can be managed. The course lectures encourage discussion and give the opportunity to deliberate and critically understand the different research methods involved in the design process. All in all it’s great holistic learning.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you’ve been up to since graduating?
After graduation I started working on a project with Digital Catapult in an effort to bring my Master’s thesis to reality. The first phase has been promising, hopefully I will continue to work with them on it in the future as well.
Can you tell us a little bit about the UAL Tier4 Visa start-up sponsorship?
I applied for the start up visa sponsorship with the idea of opening an emerging tech focused design practice in London. I was fortunate enough to secure the sponsorship from UAL, which allows to me to stay and work in the UK for 2 years. This will help me build my career expertise in the field of design for technology and also further explore collaboration opportunities with various tech start-ups in London.
View the MA Design Management course page.