Student Testimonials

Gwenno

Why did you decide to do this course, and why did you choose IUDA over other courses?

I have been dabbling in Service Design over the last few years, and have relied on generous friends and colleagues, books and podcasts to learn how to be a good designer. I had been on the lookout for courses to grow my understanding of the theory and frameworks that I use, and to give me the confidence to identify as a designer.

Academic courses were too expensive and most industry courses tend to focus almost exclusively on digital service design. IUDA was the perfect fit for me because it covers many types of service design and adjacent fields (strategic design, systemic design, digital user experience, co-design and many more). It also has a specific focus on designing for social impact within challenging and complex systems which is very relevant to my career.

What was your job before before you enrolled?

Innovation Consultant at Innovation Unit and freelance

What has changed about your job or how you work as a result?

I now have so many more methods and examples to draw from. The course team, coaches and students shared lots of real life examples of what they’re working on which has been invaluable for expanding my thinking when planning projects.

I have also grown my confidence in the more hands-on aspects of service design by having dedicated time to practice and receive feedback on different aspects of my work.

What skills and competencies did the course help you to build?

• Visualising abstract and tangible aspects of a service

• Using systems design tools and methods

• Building my creative confidence

How did you manage to balance course commitments with full time work?

Having the timetable confirmed far in advance really helped me plan my work commitments around these dates. When there was the occasional unavoidable clash I was able to catch up with recordings and readings that were all collected in our virtual studio Mural board.

Balancing the final project was a bit more of a challenge, but being able to choose my own project and client meant that I was able to specify a scope that felt achievable and enjoyable.

What advice would you give someone who is considering going on the course?

I’d recommend the course for people who want to learn more about commissioning or practicing good Service Design within the context of public services and growing inequalities. There’s a lot of room to pick and choose what you’re most interested in and to shape the learning around your current work and your interests.