Abigail
MA/MSc Global Innovation Design
I found it was a place for out-of-the-box thinking and a balance between art, science, and micro/macro interventions.
After completing her undergraduate studies in industrial design and engineering, Abigail was looking for an interdisciplinary course that explored human-centred design engineering in outer space with a focus on sustainable innovation. Beyond her course expectations, Abigail wanted an international experience. She's from Canada, but wanted to connect with people from all corners of the world. Abigail shares her experiences of studying MA/MSc Global Innovation Design at Imperial, studying in different countries and becoming an expert in purpose-driven design.
I’m Abigail and I studied MA/MSc Global Innovation Design (now MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering) at Imperial in partnership with the Royal College of Art (RCA). Upon completing my undergraduate studies in Canada specialising in industrial design and engineering I moved to London in September 2022 to pursue my passions of human-centred design in the outer space industry.
I was looking for an interdisciplinary course where people were not afraid to consider complexities of sustainability, human factors and technology to create holistic innovative design. There was a lack of graduate courses that enabled human factor and sustainable design within outer space, so it was exciting when I discovered the Global Innovation Design (GID) course at Imperial.
I felt like the course had everything I desired; design, space, innovation, prototyping, and most importantly an opportunity to learn, experience, and work alongside diverse cultures through semesters abroad. I found it was a place for out-of-the-box thinking and a balance between art, science, and micro/macro interventions.
I attended the course's virtual open day where I met my now head tutors and immediately fell in love with the course offerings. I remember once I was accepted, my hands were shaking for about a day.
Moving to London
Six years ago, I visited London and in my journal I wrote, ‘I think I could live in this city.’ Having lived in Canada my entire life, I knew I wanted to explore the world and experience locations that would evolve my beliefs and values. London is a truly global hub. Immediately after starting GID our tutors encouraged us to leave the classroom and explore. My family back home is always surprised with the stories and experiences I share with them.
Moving across the world can be challenging. Especially when it comes to finding a new social circle and adapting to diverse cultural norms.
Luckily, most of my peers were international students, so we were in the same boat. We supported each other through so many things outside of school: visas, finding housing and learning the dos/don’ts of a new location. My friends were critical to my mental health and enjoyment of this place. This move was pivotal to my transition into adulthood and finding a new home. I recognise that these transitions always take longer than expected. However, I passionately believe everyone should live abroad for a few years if it's possible for them.
Travelling and making connections
The GID curriculum is built around the travel to two of four locations: Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, or New York. Throughout these periods students are engaged in their own research with the local communities and course work at a local institution. My specific focus is dedicated to looking at human factors and sustainable design within the industry of outer space: I would say I specialise in ethnographic research and consideration of diverse cultures within Space technology, missions, and policy.
I took semesters abroad at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan and the Pratt Institute in New York, United States. My time was divided evenly across these countries and institutions. Meeting people from all over the world was amazing.
Throughout this experience I have been able to develop my industrial design and participatory/co-design practices, and have worked alongside several communities including astrobotany, Canadian indigenous communities, marine conservationists, and space policy, towards creating inclusive, conscious design intervention.
Everyone in the cohort has completely different backgrounds and research interests but share common values of holistic, user-centred, sustainable design that often tackles incredibly complex problems. Topics range from social justice, human rights, Artificial Intelligence, climate change and more. It is a space driven by experimentation, co-design, and iteration through build and testing.
I have loved bonding with my peers whose backgrounds and expertise are diverse; we have designers, engineers, scientists, well-being experts, data scientists and many more all ranging in different industry experience. People are always willing to provide ideas and advice from unique perspectives. It creates a strong place of collaboration, imagination, and academic rigour - an environment I love to work in.
Some of my fondest memories have been watching the sunset on Kamakura beach with my classmates, or the late nights in the studios as we stayed up desperately trying to finish our prototypes. I am grateful for the opportunity.
The powerful peer relationships you form are indescribable, you develop such strong emotional, physical, and academic support networks with a cohort who are all driven by the same passion for sustainable design.
Although it’s incredibly rewarding there are also challenges that come with a program like this. Travelling the world every four months was not always easy. Navigating the changes and disruptions was a massive learning experience that I would not have been able to do without my fellow GID friends (now family).
The course is built in a way that continuously challenges our habits and thought processes to ensure our design approach is ever evolving. This can be challenging as we cannot settle for too long. However, our Imperial tutors continuously offered lectures, mentorship and courses whilst we were away. This meant I felt supported by both my friends and the Department of Design Engineering.
Designing with purpose
As a designer, it is important to know who you are and what you stand for. I was taught at an incredibly young age by my dad to hold a high respect towards nature. Weather it was camping in Elk Island National Park, skiing at Marmot Basin, biking through the Edmonton River Valley, or spending my high school summers living in a van and climbing throughout British Columbia - being outside is not just an activity but rather is something I hold in my identity and its who I am fundamentally as a person. That love and respect for nature comes through in my work.
Your values and beliefs will inevitably influence the way you design with impact in mind.
Another huge component of my work is celebrating that I identify as female. I passionately believe there is still quite a bit of work to make sure all identities are considered in aerospace and design. There was a saying I heard at my old university - “empowered women, empower women” - and that is something that has continuously inspired me and my work.”
Experimentation to expertise
You can access many testing facilities if you are prepared and willing to put in the work to understand the system and form educational connections. Whether it's in the ACE workshop or Dyson School of Design Engineering building, we are encouraged to use the spaces provided and ask as many questions as possible.
I’m proud to call myself an Imperial student. I believe the student community is a collective body of hard-working individuals who set a high calibre of quality, dedication, and passion towards research. I thrive in the courses that encourage us to constantly prototype and test with external users.
As the course is partnered with the Royal College of Arts, I also have access to their labs and equipment. This partnership allows a transdisciplinary approach to the students work and is attributed to the GID Tutors passions to break down barriers of academic work, tangible innovation and community/user engagement.
Career aspirations
The development opportunities at Imperial have helped shape my career goals. By attending weekly presentations from alumni of my course or of Innovation Engineering Design, I found myself continuously educated on the variety of paths available after graduation.
They showed me that my career prospects are endless and, as there are few courses like GID, graduates can pursue a variety of paths from academia, entrepreneurship, humanitarian work, or large-scale industry.
Some of my work produced both in and outside of GID has been accepted and published in academic conferences like the World Design organisations: World Design Assembly, design competitions, and design magazines such as ‘medium’. It has also led me to discover part time work with aerospace astrobotany companies and speaking events such as at the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador about the power and challenges of design engineering in space.
I’m also pursuing other endeavours outside of Imperial’s walls such as being a facilitator for the World Design Organizations Young Designer Circle. A project focused on bringing together young designers from around the world to identify emerging global design best practices and actionable impact towards the UN Sustainable development goals. Alongside working with peers in design tourism philosophies and developing partnerships with other like-minded designers in accessible and sustainable space practices.
Laying foundations for the future
One day, I hope to undertake a doctorate. However, I’m currently focused on gaining more industry experience and entrepreneurship. After graduating, I plan to become an aerospace design engineer. Having a balance of project management, mission planning, and actual design of space segments, products and systems is what appeals to me.
After collaborating with a collective of diverse stakeholders throughout my course, I feel like I can bring unique perspectives that consider all users in space segments alongside developing new avenues of technology applications that may not have been considered. In many ways being ‘future thinkers’ enables us to seek new ways of thinking and perspectives that can create tangible impact to large scale challenges.
Maximising the potential for innovation often requires collaboration of interdisciplinary minds. That is why, whatever I go on to do next, I hope it will involve working in creative, supportive, and dedicated teams where we work to create solutions that are desirable, aspirational, sustainable, and delightful.
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