Mina Maazi

Design Management MA

With a background in UX and product design, Mina chose BCU to develop her skills in design management and innovation. Her experience at the university helped her turn ideas into impactful work beyond the classroom. She now contributes to the global design community through award-winning projects and international mentorship.

“Before coming to the UK, I was working in Iran as a UX and Product Designer, where I also led a design team in a digital product company. One of the products I worked on had over one million active users, which gave me valuable experience in designing for real people at scale.

Moving to a new country to continue my education and career was a big step, but it was something I had always hoped to do. Even though I was already working in the field, I felt that I needed a deeper and more strategic understanding of design, especially in areas such as innovation, management, and decision-making. That was one of the main reasons I decided to study MA Design Management at BCU.

Studying at BCU was an important turning point for me. We worked on real projects in teams, and one of those projects was presented in a Dragon’s Den–style event, where our team’s idea was selected as the winner. That experience gave me the confidence to develop the project further, refine it, and eventually submit it to international design competitions. It was the moment I realised that my ideas could go beyond the classroom and reach a wider audience.

One of the most valuable parts of studying at BCU was working on real-world projects in collaborative teams. It helped me understand how design works in practice, not just in theory, and it also strengthened my confidence in presenting and developing ideas.

I also had the opportunity to complete a one-month internship with Lagom Strategy, which was arranged through collaboration between the university and industry partners. This experience helped me understand how the design industry operates in the UK and made the transition from academic study to the professional world feel much more real and achievable.

I currently work in the hotel industry, which is an area I’m genuinely interested in. Nothing has helped me understand people better than working in a hotel. It allows me to interact with guests every day, listen to their needs, observe their behaviour and understand what really matters to them. This experience has strongly influenced the way I think about user experience and digital products, and it often inspires ideas for improving hospitality through design.

After graduating, I decided to focus on freelance and independent design work and collaborated on several projects, as well as participating in international design competitions to further develop my work and build my professional profile.

Over time, my work has been recognised in several international design competitions, including the A’ Design Award, the International Design Awards (IDA), the DNA Paris Design Awards, and the European Product Design Award (EPDA). More recently, I was also selected as a Grand Jury member for the A’ Design Award.

In addition, I was awarded the title of Practitioner by the World Design Consortium, which recognises professional contribution and engagement in the design field. These experiences encouraged me to keep developing my work and growing internationally as a designer.

Alongside my design work, I mentor designers internationally through ADPList (Amazing Design People), where I’ve supported mentees from more than 16 countries and delivered over 50 hours of mentorship. I was also invited to mentor in the Moonshot programme at the University of California, Berkeley Extension, which was a very meaningful experience for me, as helping others grow has always been something I deeply enjoy.

The course helped me think about design in a more strategic and structured way; it taught me to look beyond the interface and think about users, systems, and long-term impact. Today, I apply this mindset when developing design concepts and when thinking about how digital products can improve real industries, including hospitality. It also shaped my ambition to continue growing as a product designer and work on meaningful digital products that solve real problems.

One of the biggest challenges has been building a career in a new country and adapting to a different professional environment. It takes time to understand a new market and build connections. I’ve learned to stay patient, keep improving my skills, and continue creating new work. Participating in competitions, mentoring, and working on independent projects has helped me stay motivated and keep moving forward.

One of my proudest achievements has been seeing a project that started during my university studies grow into work that received international recognition. Receiving international design awards and being selected as a Grand Jury member for the A’ Design Award was very meaningful to me, because it showed that ideas developed in an academic environment can grow into work with real impact.

My long-term goal has always been to work on impactful digital products and contribute to leading global technology companies. That goal is still what motivates me to keep learning, improving, and building new ideas. I hope to continue growing as a product designer and work on digital products that improve people’s everyday experiences. I’m especially interested in projects that combine design, technology, and real-world needs, particularly in industries like finance, education, and hospitality.

My advice to anyone considering studying at BCU is to take full advantage of working in teams on real projects. Those experiences can shape your confidence and direction more than you might expect. For me, one university project became the starting point of a much bigger journey.

Don’t worry if your career path isn’t perfectly linear. Growth often comes from unexpected opportunities. Stay curious, keep learning, and continue building your work step by step.”