Undergraduate BA (Hons) User Experience Design for Retail

User Experience Design refers to planning and designing the user experiences and user interfaces used by customers across a range of digital platforms. It’s all about creating user-friendly, on-brand and aesthetically pleasing interfaces that will keep customers engaged. User experience design focuses on user experience and how people interact with a platform, thinking about usability and function, while user interface focuses on the aesthetics and construction of the interfaces, turning concepts into the final, customer-facing product. 

By choosing to study BA (Hons) User Experience Design for Retail, you’ll develop the essential technology and creative skills to create user experiences needed that are intuitive, engaging and cultivate brand loyalty. 

On this accelerated two-year undergraduate degree, you’ll develop the user experience design, technical and storytelling skills needed for a range of digital experience-focused roles. In the fashion retail industry, the focus has shifted from in-person shopping to multi-channel brand experiences incorporating both physical and digital spaces, meaning that user experience designers are more in demand than ever before.  

You’ll study modules including User Experience Design Fundamentals, Design Theory & Thinking, and Storytelling & Future Design, teaching you the technical skills and the theoretical knowledge you’ll need for industry. You’ll explore the fundamental practices and skills of both roles to allow you to develop your practice and reflect the requirements of industry, as well as complete work placements. You'll work with a dedicated industry mentor throughout the course and complete work placements.

You’ll learn how to adopt a design mindset and create innovative solutions, allowing you to approach problems from a user’s perspective, and develop advance user experience design skills in prototypes, AB testing, design accessibility and emerging software and design practices.   

ACCELERATED LEARNING 

Our accelerated degrees are taught over three teaching semesters a year instead of the traditional two. This means you'll learn the same academic content as a three-year course, whilst saving on tuition fees and living costs. You can also start your career a year earlier than your peers.  

This course requires a laptop capable of running: Adobe Cloud and Figma 

BA (HONS) User Experience Design for Retail MODULES  

Our BA (Hons) User Experience Design for Retail course includes specialist modules*:  

YEAR 1

• UX/UI Design Fundamentals (40 Credits): Learn the difference between User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design and understand how both areas relate and work together to create vital user experiences that ensure businesses meet their goals. Explore the fundamental practices and skills of both roles and develop your practice in this emerging area of the industry.   
• Design Thinking & Concept Development (40 Credits): Discover the key design theories and principles to ensure that your practice has extensive cultural context. Develop your skills for effective creative practice and learn how to embed theoretical knowledge and skills to create innovative ideas that you can turn into testable products or processes quickly.  
• UX/UI Design Production (40 Credits): Develop advance UX/UI design skills including prototyping, wireframing, AB testing, design accessibility and learn how to use emerging software. Build your growing practical skill set and establish professional behaviours to prepare you for industry.  

YEAR 2 

• Interactive Experiences through Storytelling (40 Credits): Explore the role of storytelling in effective UX/UI design and learn to create immersive and meaningful experiences within interactive spaces. Discover how emerging technology and future design principles are changing consumer connectivity and learn how to build storytelling into the development process. Examine the key components of storytelling, such as persona development, scenario creation, and flow management. Learn about cognitive psychology, narrative structure and emotional engagement to create experiences that resonate with users.
• Personal Professional Project (40 Credits): Complete an individual project that represents the knowledge and skills you have learnt during the degree. This is a self-directed project, and you will receive guidance from your tutor.    
• Live Project & Industry Experience: UX/UI (40 Credits): Complete a live project, working with a brand, focused on product strategies. Gain knowledge and insights from industry enrichment throughout the project.    

All 40 credit modules receive 100 hours of teaching time. 

CORE MODULES 

There are core modules that are taught across all undergraduate courses*:   

YEAR 1  

• Study & Research Skills (20 Credits): Develop the knowledge and skills necessary for studying fashion at undergraduate level. Complete a research project that allows you to practice creative research techniques in your specialist area. Explore theories on decolonisation, equity, diversity, and inclusion.   
• The Fashion Industry (20 Credits): Learn about the contemporary fashion industry in all aspects. Explore the business structures across luxury, mid-market, and high street to identify differences and commonalities of how brands operate. Discover the relationship between marketing and brand management.    
• Usability (20 Credits): Understand the fundamental principles and guidelines that are instrumental in creating accessible and useable UI designs. Learn how to integrate user feedback through the design process and implement robust usability testing protocols at different stages of development. 

YEAR 2  

• Consumer Behaviour (20 Credits): Explore how consumer behaviour impacts all aspects of a fashion business and understand how individual and collective consumer habits are influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors.    
• Global Markets (20 Credits): Develop your understanding of global markets and the international business landscape. Learn about the impact of globalisation on businesses and consumers, and how business models are changing in reaction to social and political change. Learn about the diversity, complexity, and vibrancy of the international business landscape for fashion, and how each element of the industry is connected.   
• Entrepreneurial Practice (20 Credits): Discover the core elements that make a business entrepreneurial and how the business ecosystem can drive change. Explore the theoretical and practical entrepreneurial capabilities for start-ups and established businesses.    

*This course is subject to validation. Modules may change during the approvals process. 

All 20 credit modules receive 50 hours of teaching time. 

We work with over 140 brands at the FRA. Each of our degree courses includes practical, industry-focused content taught by some of fashion’s biggest names to give you valuable skills and work experience.

INDUSTRY MENTOR

We match every undergraduate student with their own dedicated industry mentor. You’ll meet a minimum of once a term, and they’ll be there to support and guide you, and give you insight into working life. They’ll share their professional experience and personal connections to top names in fashion. Current students are working with mentors from brands like Jigsaw, Whistles, Burberry and Lipsy.

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

As part of our undergraduate programmes, you’ll have industry experience with one of our partner brands each year. You’ll be assigned to an industry manager either individually or as a small group, and you’ll work remotely or in the office. You’ll be given tasks to complete, providing you with an understanding of a specific job role and its place within an organisation. You could be working in a single team, or across multiple areas of the business.

In your first year, you’ll complete three weeks of experience. In your second year, your work placement will be either 3 weeks full time or two days a week over 3 months. You’ll earn practical, professional skills that give a valuable boost to your CV.

YOU 2.0 ASSESSMENT CENTRE BOOTCAMP 

All graduating students will pass through our unique assessment centre bootcamp, designed to give you experience of industry interviews and assessment days. You’ll learn what to expect and how to prepare for interviews. We’ll teach you how to stand out from the crowd, so you'll know exactly what talent acquisition teams are looking for and feel confident applying for industry roles.

When you graduate from one of our accelerated degree programmes, you'll be ready to progress straight into employment in the fashion industry.

Graduates from BA (Hons) User Experience Design for Retail can expect to work in a wide variety of job roles, including: 

• UX designer  
• UI designer  
• Content strategist  
• UX researcher   
• UX architect  
• Community manager   

We've noticed a huge demand for employees with digital skills in the fashion industry, and many potential opportunities for rapid career progression for strong candidates. 

All applications are processed through UCAS.

UCAS Code: UXD1

Our offers are usually between 104 and 120 UCAS points for our undergraduate courses, from Level 3 equivalent qualifications such as:

• A levels
• a BTEC Extended Diploma
• a Foundation Diploma

You can check how many points your qualifications are worth using the online UCAS Tariff Calculator.

For more details on applying for our undergraduate degrees, please see our Undergraduate Application Process.

Due to the creative nature of our courses, you'll be considered on your own individual merit and potential to succeed. We encourage you to get in touch if you're predicted fewer than 104 UCAS points, thinking about transferring from another institution, or if you have other qualifications or professional experience.

International Students

We are currently unable to accept international applications for our undergraduate degree courses. If you'd like to study at the Fashion Retail Academy, please apply for one of our Level 4 diploma programmes. 

Course fees

• £11,100 per year
• Student tuition and maintenance loans are available

Fees & Funding

This course is subject to validation by our awarding institution, Falmouth University.

Our User Experience Design for Retail undergraduate degree programme has been exclusively developed in partnership with Falmouth University.

All our undergraduate courses are taught at our Central London campus by our team of leading academics and industry professionals. Throughout your studies, you will be part of Falmouth University's Student Union and have access to their library facilities alongside our own. Once you have graduated your degree, you will be awarded by Falmouth University at a Fashion Retail Academy graduation ceremony.

2024-2025

Term dates to be confirmed.

From September 2024, the Fashion Retail Academy will be located at our new campus at Electra House in Liverpool Street, Central London.   

The listed building is currently undergoing a £30 million refurbishment, created to our exact specifications.    

There will be:   

• 8 floors (Electra House is double the size of our current campus)  
• A bigger library and more workspaces  
• 35 classrooms  
• Bespoke studio spaces  
• 6 lecture theatres  
• Dedicated fashion design wing  
• IT hub and self-service laptop lockers  
• "Speakeasy" student common room and on-site cafe  
• 2 specialist exhibition and event spaces  
• Wellness spaces and communal areas  
• Discovery nook  

Liverpool Street has excellent transport links to the rest of London and beyond, and Electra House is situated directly across from Moorgate tube station. There is a bus stop outside the building, and Liverpool Street Station is a short walk away. 

Students starting their course in September 2023 will start at our Gresse Street campus and move to Electra House for their second year. We will be there to support you throughout the transition, and provide any help and guidance wherever needed.   

Click here for more information about Electra House and how our new campus will benefit you.