What a placement at PDR really looks like
Earlier this year, we welcomed MSc Product Design student Sophie-Jane Hughes-Evans to PDR for a six-week placement with our User Centred Design team, offering hands-on experience of real-world design work.
From day one, Sophie was immersed in the realities of working in a fast-paced environment, contributing to research, workshops and live projects, and gaining a first-hand view of how design decisions are shaped in collaborative teams.
Rather than following a fixed process, Sophie experienced the adaptable way of working that underpins much of PDR’s work. Across workshops, client meetings and research activity, she saw how projects evolve in response to user needs, stakeholder input and commercial context, something that is difficult to replicate in an academic setting.
A key part of her placement focused on developing her MSc Major Project within the studio. Working alongside the team, Sophie explored the experience of early parenthood, conducting interviews with both parents and healthcare professionals to build a deeper understanding of the challenges faced during this time.
As her research developed, she began translating insights into opportunities, learning how in-depth qualitative analysis, including thematic analysis techniques, can be used to uncover patterns, frame design challenges and guide ideation.
“The placement with PDR has been one of the most valuable and inspiring experiences in my development as a designer. It strengthened my confidence in my research and communication skills and reinforced my ambition to pursue a career in User Centred Design. I’ll carry forward the collaborative mindset, professionalism and passion for design that I experienced at PDR.”
Sophie-Jane Hughes-Evans, MSc Product Design placement
One of the highlights of Sophie’s placement was planning and facilitating her own ideation workshop with members of the PDR team. Bringing together her research, she led the session to generate and explore potential directions, an experience that strengthened her confidence and reflected the collaborative approach central to PDR’s work.
Alongside her project, Sophie was also involved in wider project activity, from observing usability testing through to attending client meetings. These moments offered insight into how teams work together to deliver projects, communicate ideas and build strong working relationships.
Over the six weeks, Sophie developed greater confidence in her communication, strengthened her research skills and gained a clearer understanding of what a future in User Centred Design could look like.
At PDR, placements are an opportunity to step beyond the academic environment and engage with real-world challenges, working alongside teams to explore, test and develop ideas that respond to genuine user needs.
We’re currently recruiting for an internship within our User Centred Design team. If you’re interested in gaining hands-on experience like Sophie’s, you can find out more on our careers page.
