My educational background is in psychology and I’ve worked as a business analyst contracting with an agency called FDM. I’ve been placed with several projects including Barclays and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Working as a business analyst, I was collaborating with developers and testers; looking at systems and features. I would look at tickets that had been raised by customers and make sure bugs were flagged and resolved. I would get a lot of positive feedback about how I’d service clients, dealing with a lot of product complaints but I was also in a position where I could only do so much. It was frustrating.

The very reason I wanted to get into the business industry is to change it and make it more user centric, I just didn't realize that it was UX. I was always very passionate about making things tailored to the customer experience, making business more focused on the needs of the community.

So then I discovered UX and I realised it was exactly what I'd been trying to implement.

I chose the Professional Diploma because it’s online, it's progressive and it gives you a deep insight into UX from the inside out; from user research all the way through to prototyping. It’s not like other courses that are charging you a lot for a few workshops.

It’s one of the only courses that gives you both the theory and the practical. I wanted to get the qualification to set me apart in the industry. I wanted to make sure I knew it inside out.

It’s made me think more critically and it’s given me an eye for usability. Even as a business analyst, it helped me to be more scrutinizing and ask: why is that feature there? What is the point of it?

It really improved my process mapping ability and made me more confident when presenting to stakeholders. It improved my ability to consider different perspectives.

Oh, definitely! For anybody who wants to get into UX and doesn't have a qualification, I'd really recommend the diploma. You come out with your portfolio and that’s really valuable. It also gives you the vocabulary and confidence you need to communicate your decisions more effectively when dealing with stakeholders.