UAL: EXPERIENCE DESIGN COURSE.

I’m thrilled to share that I’ve just wrapped up my course at UAL, earning a non-accredited certificate in Experience Design (EXD). WOO!

You might ask, “You already know how to design. Why take a course on something you already know?” Simply put, because you can never have too much knowledge.

A bunch of brilliant creatives!

But here's the long answer:

Truth be told, I didn't need to enroll in this course, but I'm incredibly grateful I did.

I very quickly learnt that my existing experience in design, and my thesis and thoughts on experience creation are top tier and spot on. That’s great for me right? Knowing that the foundations I’ve built my career on are actually solid is fantastic affirmation. But it’s not just about that, it was about filling in the gaps of my theory knowledge.

I’ve always known "how" to craft extraordinary experiences. My numerous awards speak for themselves. However, this course deepened my understanding of the "why" behind my design decisions. Sometimes, I relied solely on intuition without grasping why those choices were effective. While intuition is valuable, gaining a clearer understanding allows me to dissect, explain the value to clients, and meticulously evaluate my work.

Among many topics spanning the breadth of EXD, a few in particular stood out to me:

1. Understanding Experience: We explored what defines an experience, how it’s interpreted, and for whom it’s designed. These insights now enhance my project briefs and client interactions, allowing me to explain the importance of specific design choices more clearly.

   
   

2. Journey Visualization: I learned new methods for mapping experiences, namely my favourite being a “score”, or as I interpreted it: “Heat mapping”. Picking core tools that will be used through the experience such as sound tracking, signposting, colour theory, engagement, narration, interplay… and mapping the intensity of these tools throughout the experience journey in order to effectively distribute how these are implemented, and ensure that it’s not too much at once.

   
   

3. Narrative's Role: Of course this is something that I specialise in anyway, but compounding the strength in story design, even when invisible, and how guests connect differently to different story formats has been a grounding experience, and not something I would soon forget.

   
   

However, the biggest thing that hit me with this course was how important a designer is in any discipline. Without designers that are not only intuitive, but also informed, this world would grind to a halt. Each of us in that class had a collection of skills that is actually incredibly rare, and it’s people like us that will be keeping the arts, entertainment and culture sectors alive for years to come through this new dawn of experiential economy.

Meeting others with similar passions, yet diverse backgrounds, was enlightening. Many participants were new to experience design but eager to learn and grow.

This reinforces a fundamental truth: design isn’t a skill learned by accident. It requires a foundation of skills, self-belief, and the drive to pursue ongoing education and share knowledge, honing intuition for maximum effect.

I hate to blow my own horn, but throughout the course I quickly realised that I am among a certain breed of people that just “get it”. Not only that, but my existing experience in design is pretty unmatched in my field. That has been incredibly humbling. Classmates have been setting up meeting with me for advice and tutoring, and the lecturers have often thrown questions towards me in particular to allow me to share my knowledge on a topic. I won’t lie, I’ve loved this! As someone who firmly believes in growing the immersive entertainment sector, sharing knowledge is fundamental to my career journey. When paired with the extraordinary feedback I received from speaking at a conference earlier this year, it’s got me thinking…

Should I put something together to share my knowledge, and encourage others to contribute to that. Should I add another string to my bow in the form of teaching? What might that look like?

Thank you to UAL and our EXD expert tutors for their time and knowledge. I’m certain we will all cross paths again!

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DESIGNING IMMERSIVE.

It's complicated, intricate and specialist. Koncept has it mastered. 

An asset, ally and hidden superpower to creative teams and businesses. Koncept Creative are specialists in writing and designing immersive attractions that stand out. As the team behind some of the UKs most critically acclaimed experiences, Koncept has a proven track record of transforming LBE and FEC business's ideas into fully realized, expertly written masterpieces that customers will pay to be immersed in.

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