Anna Meshcheryakova

Having completed an undergraduate degree in design management, I was looking for a postgraduate course that would allow me to learn about innovation and explore the connection between design and business on an advanced level. There are many degrees out there with this aim, but what made Loughborough University London stand out to me, was that it was neither a classic design school nor a business school, but rather a unique space geared towards meaningful collaboration between different disciplines.

Additionally, my programme also included modules from cultural studies, allowing for me to learn about innovation in the most holistic way. Being located in London, one of the most innovative cities in the world, made Loughborough University the best choice for my goals.

My time at Loughborough University London is extremely important to me as it allowed me to study design in an academic way and discover my love for research in topics such as service design and social innovation, which are two important emerging issues in my field. In doing that, my programme prepared me very well for my ongoing journey towards my PhD.

Furthermore, during my time at Loughborough I found myself in an environment bursting with opportunities for networking, connecting, exploring, learning and participating in many events, competitions and projects. Having experienced how many exciting and great things can be done in just one year, my time at Loughborough University London has changed my outlook on my career and made me much braver when it comes to shaping the future.

After finishing my master’s, I started working in a graduate scheme around digital innovation in the financial service industry, where I worked across digital strategy and product development in varying roles, ranging from business strategist to UX researcher.

In the summer of 2020, I was offered the opportunity to take part in a fellowship programme sponsored by the German government focussing on digitizing public services, using design thinking and agile methodology. I spent three months as a product manager building a simplified online tax tool for senior citizens with the Federal Ministry of Finance. On top of being able to apply my knowledge in design, innovation and digitization in one project, I got to work with amazing colleagues and present our project results to Germany’s Federal Minister of Finance.

After one year of diving deep into digital product development, I have returned to academia and am now getting involved in design education. I am currently a Research and Teaching Associate within the design department at University of Wuppertal (which, coincidentally, has a partnership with the Loughborough Design School) and am pursuing my PhD in which I plan to conduct research on the creative process and participatory design.