So, what is UX/UI? Whether you know it or not, you’re already doing UX.
Every time someone navigates your website, fills out a form, uses a booking system, or reads your digital content, they’re interacting with a user experience you’ve designed, either intentionally or by default.
UX (User Experience) and UI (User Interface) are about designing those experiences to be clear, accessible, and effective. And this isn’t just for tech companies.
Good UX is just as essential to a small business in Kendal as it is to a local authority in Newcastle.
The challenge is that many organisations don’t realise they’re already shaping experiences and missing opportunities to make them better.
Design thinking in practice
Earlier in my career, I worked with Nestlé UK, helping to redesign internal systems and streamline operational workflows. These weren’t branding exercises.
They were functional improvements to how teams accessed information, shared data, and got work done.
By applying UX thinking, mapping user needs, identifying barriers, and testing simpler solutions, we cut time-wasting and improved staff satisfaction.
The same principles now apply across many sectors. In healthcare, great design helps patients navigate online services. In education, it makes digital platforms more usable. In small businesses, it builds trust and improves customer journeys.
Great design isn’t about making things look pretty. It’s about making them work better.
The strategic value of design
Whether you’re in logistics, public service, retail, or community outreach, good design helps you:
- Improve service efficiency and access
- Communicate more clearly with users
- Increase conversion or engagement rates
- Reduce staff time spent on confusing tools or processes
And importantly, you don’t need to outsource this. You can build this capability within your existing team.
How can the University of Cumbria help with UX?
At the University of Cumbria, we now offer two digital apprenticeships designed to embed these skills directly into your workforce:
- Digital User Experience (UX/UI) – focused on user research, experience design, and service improvement.
- Creative Digital Design – focused on visual storytelling, brand design, and content clarity.
These programmes are ideal for existing employees who understand your services and can apply new thinking directly into live projects.
Apprentices study one day a week in our design studios in Carlisle, with additional online hybrid learning and spend the other four days working within your organisation.
They are fully funded through your Apprenticeship Levy (or 95% Government funded for SMEs).
That means you can grow design and digital capability in-house, without disruption or recruitment costs.
Let’s design better from the inside out.
Digital design isn’t an add-on. It’s how modern organisations think, communicate, and serve.
If you’re already dealing with clunky systems, unclear comms, or frustrated users, this isn’t about starting from scratch.
It’s about taking what you have and designing it better through practical learning, creative thinking, and user-centred approaches. And it starts by unlocking the talent you already have.
Find out more
For more information, visit https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/study/courses/apprenticeships/digital-user-experience-ux-professional-degree-apprenticeship/
About Edward Cooper
Edward Cooper is a senior lecturer at the University of Cumbria, specialising in creative digital and UX/UI degree apprenticeships.
With a background in industry consulting and a passion for user-centred design, he works across education and business to deliver practical digital transformation.
